Lymphatic drainage massage

Lymphatic drainage massage against the background of other popular healing methods of this kind is a relative novelty. Thanks for its appearance is the French doctor Kosh, who in the middle of the twentieth century positioned the presented technique as an excellent remedy for edema in the postoperative period. The strategy was based on massage of the lymphatic line, which allowed to get rid of puffiness much faster than it went naturally.

Over time, the method was supplemented and modernized so that physicians began to use it in the treatment of venous insufficiency. Cosmetologists took into circulation its basics, who highly appreciated the possibilities of a way to adjust the figure, eliminating excess volume.

Indications for use

The technique is the safest and at the same time effective measure aimed at a direct effect on the lymph nodes, human lymph. Together, this allows even a recently weakened body to successfully resist various diseases.

Thanks to the lymph, tissues have time to receive nutrients, as well as replenish with water, amino acids, minerals and metabolic products. The main goal of the event is to accelerate the liquid in order to quickly rid the problematic parts of the body of traces of bruises and swelling. The same principle follows the classic massage for weight loss, when the specialist is obliged to remove excess fluid from the body, which affects the final mass of the visitor.

In addition to the chances to get rid of the hated kilograms, the lymphatic drainage approach additionally allows you to remove toxins and other products of cellular decay from the tissues. This approach guarantees a general improvement of the body, which is confirmed by numerous reviews of patients who have known the power of such a massage.

Some people, far from medicine, believe that having a toned body, they completely protect themselves from the possibility of accumulating toxins that this technique helps to remove. But in fact, the signals that it is time to get rid of toxins are not even weight, but flabby skin, constant rashes, cellulite. To get rid of this, it is not enough to take care of the dermis just at home, it is important to undergo regular prevention and treatment in a massage parlor.

In addition to medicinal purposes, the method often becomes a real salvation for those who seek to get rid of cosmetic defects.

The underlying indications for it cover:

• cellulite, which works especially well with its edematous type;
• getting rid of fatty layers;
• reduction of swelling of the face;
• neutralization of swelling of the legs and upper limbs;
• getting rid of bags, bruises under the eyes;
• cell regeneration;
• sagging control with subsequent recovery;
• reduction of wrinkles around the eyes and in other places;
• correction of body contours.

It is important to remember here that attempts to conduct a session on your own, without having the proper skills, can result in an aggravation of the condition up to an accidental injury to the musculoskeletal system. To avoid the sad development of the scenario, you need to trust your body only to an experienced specialist with a medical education who has documents confirming his qualifications.

The price of such a service in a medical center or at a polyclinic may be more expensive than offered by individuals without proper qualifications. But it is better to play it safe so as not to become a victim of unprofessional service.

Often, doctors send their wards to undergo complex therapy, including massage, if the victim has:

• reduced immunity due to severe emotional shock, poor environmental situation, other external negative factors;
• unstable psycho-emotional health caused by stress;
• manifestations of varicose veins;
• problems with the functioning of the lymphatic outflow;
• too large accumulations of interstitial fluid;
• general health problems such as chronic fatigue, lethargy, malaise.

No home portable massager is able to guarantee such a high result in a short time.

Possible contraindications

Regardless of whether the patient is assigned the classical hardware way of correcting the problem, or the innovative Japanese approach, the contraindications for them remain identical.

Relative and absolute prohibitions are called:

• thrombosis, thrombophlebitis;
• damage to the cardiovascular system;
• diseases of the skin, including extensive or local purulent inflammation;
• herpes;
• neuralgia;
• lymphadenitis, lymphadenopathy;
• burns, open wound surfaces, other skin lesions;
• inflammation in the process of exacerbation.

Oncological neoplasms of a benign and malignant nature are considered separately, regardless of the specific location. Covers contraindications and pregnancy.

Optimal zones

Far from all over the body it is allowed to use lymphatic drainage techniques. In order for the effect before and after to be seen more clearly, and also not to be accompanied by high risks of side effects, specialists work only with strictly defined areas.

This is explained by the fact that excess fluid accumulates most on the face and lower extremities. But there are exceptions when people deal with problems in the upper limbs, when the hands become the most swollen part. Here everything depends more and more on the individual characteristics of each victim.

If you strictly follow the prescribed medical course, then after a couple of sessions, significant progress can be noted. First, the swelling of the eyelids goes away, then the skin becomes more even, and the complexion evens out.

For such a delicate area, it is better to use the traditional manual type of lymphatic drainage massage, which is able to restore skin elasticity. The only warning here is the absence of contraindications, as well as cured abscesses, if any.

There is a separate category for those who participate in anti-cellulite programs. They are provided with a full body massage service, which acts as a guarantor of the natural modulation of a slender silhouette. This happens due to the acceleration of the movement of blood, lymph, the launch of long-sleeping metabolic processes.

Often among the visitors of such specialized doctors there are those who are faced with the problem of rapid swelling of the limbs. Sometimes only acupressure therapy is used to treat such an abnormality, but in most cases a general lymphatic drainage approach is used. This allows you to increase the final percentage of productivity.

Basic classifications

Depending on how to do the massage, its specific type will be determined. There are three broad divisions on the question asked:

• surface;
• projection;
• deep.

The first is aimed at awakening the lymphatic capillaries. The second is needed to activate the areas where the projection of the lymph nodes is located. The deep version is therapeutic in nature, as it works with the immediate lymph nodes.

There is another classification among professionals that divides proposals for tools for implementing a treatment program:

• manual;
• hardware.

The first type, as the name implies, is carried out by the master manually. To achieve sufficient performance, you will have to spend at least an hour on a special couch. Moreover, the patient can count on a relaxing effect, which occurs due to the calming of the central nervous system. Some patients even manage to fall asleep during it.

The technique is painless, allowing you to open the skin pores to remove excess biological fluid from the body at the same time as warming the lymph. The most important message of the measure is the removal of muscle tension in order to save the victim from spasms.

Further, the expert will perform step by step:

1. Activation of the lymphatic areas. To do this, you will have to use surge, which is a soft pressure. The complex includes an impact on the supraclavicular, abdominal region, abdomen and inguinal lymph nodes. Receptions are repeated several times to completely open the path to the lymph.
2. Activation of capillaries and neuroreceptors. The stage implies smooth wave-like movements in the direction of blood flow – from top to bottom.

The strategy can be used both to get rid of a number of diseases, and simply as a prevention of the accumulation of psycho-emotional stress.

hardware technology

The use of hardware technology significantly reduces the time spent on manipulation. To achieve maximum return, experts have developed several branches of this massage format. All of them differ in the auxiliary materials used, which significantly expands the list of indications for their use, allowing you to replace one method with another without loss of productivity.

There are three types of hardware approach:

• pressotherapy;
• microcurrent drainage;
• vacuum.

The first category is based on the attraction of compressed air, which affects the specified problem areas. In most cases, manipulation is used to significantly reduce the volume of the upper and lower limbs, hips. To achieve the planned outcome, only a qualified expert should carry out the intervention.

To implement the plan, special dressings are applied to the patient, which generate compression and subsequent pressure on certain areas. After a while, the person himself will feel the first positive changes that occur due to the acceleration of blood.

For the microcurrent direction, impulses that are safe for the body and do not differ in high power are used. The result becomes obvious after a couple of sessions, because the fluids in the body accelerate quickly enough.

The vacuum strategy is a bit like a classic anti-cellulite massage, because only special vessels are used for its implementation. With their help, the master reduces the pressure, opening the accumulated liquid a direct path to the exit.

How is the procedure performed

Any type of such treatment or prevention implies preliminary preparation, including a mandatory examination. Based on the results of the tests, as well as the instructions of the attending physician, the massage therapist will choose the best tactics.

Usually, sessions are prescribed every other day, but the course of therapy can be either 6 visits or more than a dozen, depending on individual needs and effectiveness. To improve performance, the patient should drink an increased amount of water before the visit of a specialist.

Already at the reception, the patient will be asked to undress and lie down on the couch. First, his body is treated with a cleansing gel to neutralize any impurities, and then an oil or cream is applied.

Even if hardware devices are involved, warming up must still be done manually so that the tissues have time to get used to the increased load. The doctor should try to provide all the conditions for the complete relaxation of his patient, up to the establishment of the optimal temperature regime.

The very execution of actions is a bit like a mechanism that should be followed in a classic massage. At the beginning, the doctor acts on the lymph nodes, and then move in the direction of the lymph flow.

The final stage involves cleansing the skin from the remnants of the cream. If the victim has dry skin, then sometimes it is allowed to skip the point of erasing oil residues. It remains only to apply the finishing agent, which has a narrow profile, whether it is an anti-cellulite gel or aromatic milk.

Doctor’s recommendations and side effects

Despite the lack of significant preparation for manipulation, it is worthwhile to understand that it has a number of auxiliary aspects that help to achieve what you want faster. One of these points is the cessation of smoking and the use of alcoholic beverages.

Regardless of whether the procedure is scheduled for the next day, you should abandon a heavy dinner in favor of a light analogue, and also do not lean on fluid intake before bedtime. This policy will have to be followed throughout therapy, even if it lasts for several weeks.

It would be useful to take a shower before going to the massage room, using scrubs. Such scrupulous preparation will make it easier to achieve a high percentage of penetration of cosmetic products.

As soon as the intervention is over, do not get up from the medical couch immediately. Instead, spend a couple of minutes at rest, continuing to lie. And then drink warm water. In an effort to lose weight, an auxiliary lymphatic drainage wrap, which medical centers can offer immediately after the main manipulation, will help. An integrated approach will be the key to prolonging the process of lymphatic outflow.

Although the presented physiological procedure has long established itself on the positive side, it has some side effects that do not always manifest themselves. Even if the patient has no contraindications, they may experience slight bruising at the end of the hardware massage.

The reason for this is the high fragility of blood vessels, which is characteristic of smokers. But if such cosmetic defects are of a single nature, then this is not a reason to sound the alarm, because they quickly fade away. If the victim is tormented by more serious symptoms, then this should be immediately reported to the attending physician.