Who Are My Lymphatic Therapy Clients?
Many people land on my website and wonder if as a LANA Certified Lymphedema Therapist I am the right person to help them. I work on a very wide variety of conditions, so here is a list of things I very commonly see. If you don’t see your condition listed here, check the page navigation menu for Conditions and Therapies for a more comprehensive list, or reach out to me to see if I work on what concerns you.
1. People Healing After Surgery
Whether you have had a knee or shoulder replacement, a hysterectomy, or plastic surgery, I can help you recover faster.
Surgery is a traumatic event to the body. It is usually followed by plenty of swelling, bruising, and pain.
The therapies I offer, such as Electro-Lymphatic Therapy and Manual Lymphatic Drainage can speed up the healing process significantly by:
- Substantially Reducing Swelling
- Clearing up Bruises Much Faster
- Speed Wound Healing
While I work with all types of surgeries such as knee and hip replacements and hysterectomies, many of my post-operative clients come to me after plastic surgery.
The most common surgeries I work with are tummy tucks/Mommy Makeovers, liposuction, BBL’s, breast augmentations (including fat transfers), breast lifts, breast reductions, breast reconstructions, and face lifts. I also have experience with brachioplasty, blepharoplasty, brow lifts, rhinoplasty, and others. Regardless of the surgery you have had, you are welcome at Pain & Swelling Solutions.
I am well-versed in both the healing process as well as surgeons’ recommendations for post-operative care. My training as a Certified Lymphedema Therapist means that I can answer a great number of questions about your swelling and healing process.
2. People who Want a Thorough Detox
for Improving Overall Health
Let’s face it. We don’t eat as well as we should. We don’t exercise as much as we should. Lymphatic massage can help us out when we aren’t doing our best at maintaining our overall health. Read on to learn more.
When we are still, our lymph gets sluggish. We find ourselves sitting at desks, sitting on the couch, and just being exhausted from our daily lives, too tired and too busy to get up and move around.
When we don’t consume enough water our lymph gets thick and doesn’t move effectively. This stagnation causes our wastes to stay in the body instead of being flushed out naturally.
Electro-Lymphatic Therapy is a simple and painless method for changing lymph that is the consistency of Jello back to a more water-like consistency so that it can flow better.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage is the more traditional, yet very effective method of moving stuck lymph through a technique that is similar to massage.
These therapies:
- Reduce Fatigue
- Boost the Immune System
- Help Clear Up Skin
- Eliminate Food Allergens from the Body
- Reduce Pain
- Reduce Facial Swelling and Puffiness
3. Cancer Patients & Survivors
A cancer diagnosis changes everything. Suddenly, you are going through treatments, surgeries, and you feel miserable.
Then, when what seems like the worst is over, you have more battles to face that no one warned you about.
Surgery, radiation, and chemo can alter your body by causing scarring, axillary cording (also known as Axillary Web Syndrome), fragile skin, and damage to your lymphatic system – even if no lymph nodes were removed.
I am specially trained in Oncology Massage, Breast Surgery Recovery Therapy, and Axillary Web Syndrome. While I specialize in working with people who have breast-related cancers, I also work on people who are being treated for various cancers including head & neck, prostate, ovarian, and more.
The therapies I provide to people who have or have had cancer:
- Provide Safe, Therapeutic Human Touch
- Improve Scar Appearance
- Address Axillary Web Syndrome
- Reduce Pain
- Restore Range of Motion after Surgery
- Eliminate Tugging and Pinching from Adhesions
- Reduce / Eliminate Bumpy Areas and Stuck Fluid
- Heal Open Wounds Faster* (*Note: I do not dress wounds. I work around them.)
4. People who Have Lymphedema
Lymphedema is a chronic, progressive disease involving uncontrolled swelling. At the least it can be a nuisance to some people. At its worst it can be disfiguring and put people at high risk for potentially life-threatening infections.
I provide a unique natural therapy for Lymphedema that is not offered in most clinics. Electro-Lymphatic Therapy is a profoundly effective method of draining lymph to reduce swelling, especially when combined with Compression Bandaging and Compression Garments (which are also services I provide). In addition, I provide traditional Manual Lymphatic Drainage for people who are unable to have Electro-Lymphatic Therapy.
Clients who come to me for Lymphedema Therapy come for one of several reasons:
- They find the results of Electro-Lymphatic Therapy superior to traditional Manual Lymphatic Drainage
- They wish to add sessions of Electro-Lymphatic Therapy to their standard reduction protocol to help speed the process along.
- Their insurance benefits have run out and my sessions are cheaper than paying a Physical or Occupational Therapist out of pocket. My licensure is as a Massage Therapist. However, I hold the very same Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT) credential as some Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and MD’s.
The Lymphedema-related services available at Pain & Swelling Solutions include:
- Client Education
- Electro-Lymphatic Drainage
- Manual Lymphatic Drainage
- Compression Bandaging
- Compression Garment Fitting
5. People with Chronic Venous Insufficiency /
Swollen Legs
Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), also known as Ambulatory Venous Hypertension, is most often diagnosed in people who have varicose veins. Sometimes people who have lower leg swelling have this condition and don’t know what’s wrong, other than their legs are very swollen.
CVI is usually caused by failing valves in veins that allow blood to flow back towards the feet instead of being pushed back towards the heart.
The result of this backwards flow of blood is swelling in the legs and feet which can cause symptoms from mild discomfort and ill-fitting shoes to constant pain and burning.
CVI can even progress to where a patient develops venous ulcers, a type of vascular wound. Because blood flow around the area is compromised, the ulcers can easily become infected.
For people who have Chronic Venous Insufficiency I provide Electro-Lymphatic or Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Compression Bandaging, and Compression Garments.
These therapies:
- Reduce Swelling
- Lead to Healing of Venous Ulcerations
- Reduce Pain
- Improve of Skin Health
5. People with Long Haul COVID
Long Haul COVID has begun to receive some research, and researchers are finding that lymphatic drainage can help combat symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue.
Both Lymphatic Massage and Electro Lymphatic Therapy can help combat symptoms of Long Hauler’s COVID. Click here to learn more about the research and how lymphatic massage can help your symptoms.
6. Women with Postpartum Swelling
Pregnancy does a number on the body, and those changes take a long time to straighten themselves back out. Swelling doesn’t just go away as soon as your little bundle of joy has arrived, but it can go away sooner with lymphatic massage. Check out this article on how lymphatic massage can help with postpartum swelling.
How I Help People
with These Specific Conditions
While technically speaking I am a Massage Therapist by license, I rely primarily on my skills as a Certified Lymphedema Therapist to perform my duties.
That means if you come to me, you should not be expecting a spa-type massage. I work with the Lymphatic System doing what is called Lymphatic Drainage. Lymphatic Drainage is also often referred to as “Lymphatic Massage.”
While it is technically not massage, I do refer to it as “Lymphatic Massage” often on this website because that is the common term that people search for in Google.
Despite not being a massage, Lymphatic Drainage is a very gentle, non-invasive, and super relaxing technique that moves lymph through the body. People often drift off to sleep during a session.
Lymphatic Drainage uses a light form of touch, but it should not be considered something that barely has any effect on the body. Lymphatic Drainage is one of the most powerful forms of bodywork that you can get. It impacts every system of your body in a good way.
Many people who are used to therapies like Deep Tissue Massage might dismiss lymphatic work because of its light touch. In fact, they might be the people who appreciate it the most once they have experienced it as its effects are profound.
So, What is Lymph?
Everyone has a lymphatic system, just like everyone has a circulatory system. The lymphatic system is a second circulatory system that is absolutely critical to our overall health.
It is responsible for the transport of the immune system (how we fight infection), the absorption and transport of fat-soluble vitamins, and the movement of fluid containing wastes from our tissues. Read in-depth about the lymphatic system here.
We Maintenance Our Cars – Why Not Our Bodies?
After driving a car around for a few thousand miles it’s time to have the oil changed. It gets dirty and gummy and your car doesn’t function as well as it should if you don’t get fresh oil.
Our lymphatic system operates in a similar fashion. Under normal circumstances, our movement helps to purge the wastes from our lymphatic system. However, many of us don’t engage in much activity. We sit in the car; we sit at our desks; and we sit in front of the TV.
