Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)

What is MLD?

Manual lymphatic drainage or MLD is the standard care for swelling problems. It is a very gentle manual technique on the skin surface, which stimulates the lymphatic drainage and therefore reducing the swelling. MLD can be administered alone, but often it is used together with multi-layered compression bandaging, which helps to support the effect of MLD and further reduce the swelling.

There are a number of indications for MLD treatments including:

  • Lymphatic edema: most often after cancer treatment (breast cancer, prostate cancer where during surgery they removed lymph nodes, which results in an impaired flow of the lymphatic system)
  • Venous edema: swelling of the legs caused by a venous insufficiency, obstruction of the veins (varicose veins)
  • Swelling caused by sport injuries (for example after ankle sprain)
  • Swelling after orthopedic surgery (knee, ankle surgery)
  • Pre-and post-plastic surgery swelling
  • Lipedema

Therapist

Menna Ghazaly

Specialist in Physiotherapy & Functional Rehabilitation

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