Wellness Culture Mythbusting: Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Wellness culture trends on social media can often promise health benefits or desired results that can win over even the most pragmatic logicians among us. A fad diet, a seemingly miraculous new product or a superfood that is touted to work wonders for the body convinces many to give it a try without realizing the full scope of what they might be seeking. One particular trend that is rapidly gaining views, likes and shares recently is Manual Lymphatic Drainage massage. Comments on videos of massage (often mislabeled as Manual Lymphatic Drainage) indicate that there is general intrigue and excitement to give it a try. It’s said to decrease puffiness and water retention and it looks so gosh darn relaxing! Is this accurate? Yes and no. To guard against misinformation on this modality, let’s do a deep dive to understand better what it really is and consider the true benefits.
The lymphatic system is an organ system in our bodies that is part of the immune system and is complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network throughout the body of delicate vessels, lymph nodes, lymphoid organs, lymphoid tissues and lymph. Lymph is the clear fluid carried by the lymphatic vessels back to the heart for re-circulation. The lymphatic system drains lymph that has leaked from the blood vessels into the tissues and empties it back into the bloodstream via the lymph nodes. Unlike the closed circulatory system, the lymphatic system is open, hence the propensity to leak. One of the other main functions of the lymphatic system is to provide an accessory return route of surplus filtered blood that doesn’t immediately get back into the circulatory system.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage, or MLD, is a form of manual therapy that is mainly used to relieve Lymphedema. Lymphedema is a buildup of lymph in soft tissues when the lymphatic system is damaged or blocked. This blockage disrupts the lymphatic system’s process causing swelling; usually in one particular limb. Lymphedema is a typical side-effect of a Lymphadenectomy (lymph node removal); a surgery typically done for some cancer patients.
A knowledgeable massage therapist skilled in Manual Lymphatic Drainage techniques will know that it involves very slow, extremely gentle, light-pressured movements across the skin toward the healthy, functioning lymph nodes. The idea is to promote lymph drainage into other areas of the body in order to dissipate the swelling. Too much pressure and the blood flow in the circulatory system will activate further and this can make the swelling worse. The pressure used to do the strokes of MLD is like the weight of a nickel coin sitting on top of the skin. For best results these techniques are done without the use of lotion or oil, but baby powder can be helpful in the case of potential client perspiration to prevent dragging or pulling of the skin.
To be effective and successful in aiding the client to reduce the swelling caused by Lymphedema, MLD massage takes a considerable amount of time. Sessions are typically quite long in duration. Can this technique help with water retention? Sure it will, but one can also serve from a bowl of fruit punch at a party with a baby spoon instead of a ladle…it just isn’t the most efficient method for the goal. A person seeking a trendy massage technique to help with water retention might possibly be quite disappointed with what they receive, if they did indeed receive a true MLD session. It may be relaxing, but the technique simply isn’t necessary and is completely superfluous unless they are experiencing Lymphedema themselves.
So why would the average person seek Manual Lymphatic Drainage for anything other than Lymphedema? Presumably there is a general lack of understanding about its true benefits and the main concern for most folks likely isn’t actually Lymphedema, but rather to seek reduction of water retention and also to simply enjoy a relaxing massage. Water retention, which causes puffiness under the skin, can be the result of several different things. A few examples might be a lack of exercise and movement, an uptake of sodium in the diet, travel, pregnancy and hot weather. The body eventually rids itself of the excess fluid by urinating, draining in the eyes and nose and perspiring. Happily, reducing water retention naturally occurs with a typical therapeutic massage therapy session. This is precisely why many people will have the urge to urinate after getting up from the massage table. There is absolutely no need to seek Manual Lymphatic Drainage to achieve these results. With a regular massage, the movements over the skin and soft tissues will automatically increase circulation in the body and promote the desired effect without the ultra light pressure restrictions.
Trends can be so intriguing and exciting, but the best course of action to guard against being deceived is to become as fully-informed as possible before trying something that will affect your health and potentially cost you either physically or even financially! Manual Lymphatic Drainage is a very useful technique that can be so effective–if one truly needs it.