Why MLD (Manual Lymphatic Drainage)?

The inspiration for this post came from a client who recently asked, "Why do I treat the lymphatic system? What do you see that inspires you to recommend it?"

Simple questions with a longer answer than I thought. While responding, it occurred to me that a very basic understanding of the lymphatic system is necessary.

The lymphatic system is involved in most (I can't think of any where it's not a major player, but there may be some?) cellular interactions and body functions. It can largely be thought of as a transport system within the body that has 2 main responsibilities:

• deliver nutrients and purification agents to body areas 
• collect and cleanse fluid

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is comprised mainly of 2 techniques:

• Strokes to focus on lymph nodes 
• Strokes that focus on vessels and fluid movement 

And
The Lymphatic system does not have a dedicated pump, like the heart, to move body fluids. Instead, it relies on the skeletal muscle movement to generate flow. Movement is essential! I smell a future post...

Here are my reasons for my recommendation:

MLD is useful for anything that has an inflammatory component, words that end in "itis", or any auto-immune condition. It cleans the skin and body tissues and is useful 48 hours before surgery to help provide a clean area for the incision. Also, MLD can be safely used hours after your surgery to remove cellular wastes, speed healing, and promote healthy scar regeneration. It's a great complimentary bodywork to go along with any detox or cleanse and when clients mention suffering from allergies, sinus congestion, puffy eyes or face; MLD is often my initial thought.

When I see any swelling or edema, lymphatic work is extremely useful. MLD along with compression bandaging/garments (CDT), is the gold standard treatment for lymphedema management. Breast cancer survivors and others who've had lymph nodes removed may either have impaired lymphatic movement or swelling. If not experiencing these symptoms now, lymph node removal predisposes the survivor and can set up future impairment. In these cases rerouting normal drainage becomes necessary.

If one arm or leg is bigger than the other, this is another case to consider MLD. When someone comes in and asks me to work on trigger points, scars, or fascial restriction, different techniques treat those concerns. However, once those are addressed, because tissue stiffness will also reduce fluid movement, I'll use MLD to help restore lymphatic flow. This also flushes fluid through the area to remove any cellular debris or nociceptive (pain signaling receptors) substances that have collected because of tissue stiffness.

Lastly, When there's a nerve impingement or entrapment, the nerve becomes irritated and causes neuroinflammation. After treating restrictions and tissues along the nerve's pathway, I'll use MLD to pacify this inflammation. When MLD is applied to the full body it provides a relaxation stimulus to the entire nervous system. So when someone's session goal is relaxation, one of my first thoughts is MLD because of its calming effect.

If you use MLD, please let me know why you use it.

Enjoy,

Joe

NCTMB board certified, CLT
myelitemt.com