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Oedema therapy
What is oedema therapy?
Oedema therapy is a collective term for various therapies that can be performed by a skin therapist. Oedema therapy includes manual lymph drainage, fibrosis grips, ambulatory compression therapy, lymph taping, bandaging, fitting therapeutic elastic stockings, education, exercise therapy, and skin care.
What is manual lymph drainage?
Through gentle pumping movements of the hands, the skin therapist activates the network of lymphatic vessels directly under the skin. Through the special handles applied by the therapist, called oedema and fibrosis handles, the skin and underlying tissue with lymph vessels can be treated in a very targeted manner. With oedema handles, the skin therapist guides the excess fluid through the tissue to a place where it can be absorbed more easily. With fibrosis grasps, the skin therapist makes hardened tissue (fibrosis) more supple so that fluid flows through it more easily and reduces painful stiffness. Sometimes scar grips are used to make hardened and/or adhered scars permeable to fluid.
What are compression stockings?
What are compression stockings? A therapeutic elastic stocking is often the last step in the oedema therapy protocol, it is fitted once the oedema is stable. The stocking keeps the oedema from getting worse, improves the leg's blood flow and restores microcirculation. The stocking puts pressure on your leg and blood vessels from the outside. The dilated veins, varicose veins, are compressed, allowing the valves in them to close again. The blood can no longer flow back, preventing oedema formation. Moving with the stockings on will additionally stimulate blood flow by tightening your calf muscles (the muscle pump). This also improves microcirculation. A stocking can also be fitted for the arm in cases of lymphoedema after breast cancer, for example. By wearing the stocking, external pressure is applied to the arm. By moving with the stocking on, your arm muscles (the muscle pump) will additionally stimulate drainage. This also improves microcirculation. Our skin therapist often measures stockings therefore knows which stocking is best for you! Nowadays, equipment can be used to reduce oedema an example of this is LPG Endermologie.
What is lymftaping?
If applying bandages is difficult, for example on the torso, the skin therapist uses lymftaping. The tape pulls the skin up a tiny bit, creating more space in the skin and underlying tissues for the fluid to move around. Combined with breathing and movement exercises, the fluid flows to places where it is more easily absorbed. Taping can also be used for fibrosis or scarring. Our skin therapist is trained in this and knows when to apply taping.
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