Post-Op MLD Services
Lymph Love For Your Healing Journey
Does your swiftly approaching surgery date have you feeling a little nervous? We get it, and we’re here to help! Our team is made up of certified professionals and have sought out additional advanced training in post-surgical Lymphatic Drainage through The Academy Of Lymphatic Studies, in an effort to drain any fear or confusion surrounding your procedure. Align Massage + Lymphatics is proud to offer safe and effective treatment throughout every stage of your healing with the long-studied, evidence-based, proven MLD techniques of The Vodder Method.
Using the anatomy of physiology of your lymphatic system, we use gentle and intuitive methods to support the swelling, bruising, and discomfort that comes after any injury. It’s all a natural part of your body’s healing process, and is known as the Inflammation Phase of healing that starts just 24-72 hours after your surgery. This is where the lymphatics are working overtime to repair and ease the area. MLD is an important and beneficial addition to your self-care, as it increases localized circulation of oxygenated blood, and stimulates the lymphatic system in flushing unwanted cellular debris and excess fluid at a faster rate. Nutrients in, waste out.
Benefits Of Post-Surgical MLD (PS-MLD)
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Expedites Healing
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Reduces the development of scar tissue
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Decreases the risk of infections
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Offers powerful pain relief
Your Healing Rivers
Between the pathways, tissues, and organs that make up the lymphatic system, it touches nearly EVERY other system in your body. We think it’s the coolest and most important system you’ve got, and for good reason! It rids the body of intercellular waste, fights off disease and viruses, and helps to maintain balanced hydration levels throughout. It’s basically your immune system, and it’s great at recycling. Once lymph (the clear fluid that flows through the system) has been cleaned and filtered, it’s returned to the cardiovascular system as plasma, the liquid component of your blood. From there, waste can be processed through the liver and kidneys and excreted from the body via urine or feces.
Your lymphatic system has no central pump, not like the heart has for the cardiovascular system. That task is left to muscle activation from our daily movements and breath, the neighboring pulses of arteries and veins, and special muscles that line the walls of your lymphatic pathways. Along with a few key organs like the spleen and tonsils, the lymphatic system is armed with approximately 600-700 lymph nodes stationed around the body, often found in clusters near major joints like the shoulders, hips, and knees. These nodes filter the lymphatic fluid and create cells to fight off disease.
When To Book
Because our lymphatic system stores and transports the immune cells required for healing (and it has no pump), it’s imperative that we get those healing rivers flowing as soon as possible. We recommend starting your MLD treatments in the first 3-5 days after surgery. Insider Tip: Let’s minimize stress and get your appointments booked ahead of time so that all YOU have to do after surgery is show up.
How Many Sessions? How Often?
The inflammation phase of healing starts within 24 hours after surgery but it can last for 2 weeks or more. Everyone heals differently, so we recommend starting with two sessions per week for the first two weeks, and we can decide together from there based on what your body tells us it needs.
Our post-op clients typically love sticking with us throughout the final stages of healing as we move into fibrosis and scar tissue work. As your body heals after surgery, you’ll need different things, and the final stages are where the deeper layers of healing occur and collagen increases to add strength to the new tissue. Manual Lymphatic Drainage is great for softening fibrosis but skilled myofascial techniques really bring all the results together and help make scar tissue soft and malleable. We LOVE fascia, it’s kinda our thing.
Call us today to schedule your post-op MLD appointments or if you have questions at all!
