Lymphatic Drainage Explanation

[Guest guest]

I had to reply to a question about what it is on a different board

so decided to post my answer here as well for some background info

for those of you not experienced or familiar with it.

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I've never heard of a lymphatic drain, what exactly is it.

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I assume you know about lymph nodes and lymph in the body in general

but will give a quick overview just in case.

Lymph is a clear, watery fluid. It has its own vessel system

similar to the venous blood system but separate from it, although it

is considered a part of the body's overall circulatory system. I am

going to quote a few passages from " Silent Waves " by Bruno Chikly

which discusses the lymphatic system.

" The lymphatic system is...a secondary pathway back to the heart;

parallel to the blood system.

The interstitial fluid is a very important fluid...in which the

cells are immersed, receive their nutritive substances and reject

damaging by-products. Lymph is a fluid which originates in the

connective tissue spaces of the body. Once it has entered the first

lymph capillaries...this fluid is called lymph.

In contrast to the blood circulation, the lymphatic circulation is a

system with a slow rhythm, low velocity and low pressure.

The initial lymph capillaries, which originate in almost every

tissue of the organism, are " feather fine " in the beginning.

The lymphatics gradually increase in size; lymph capillaries feed

into precollectors which connect to lymphatic collectors, ducts,

trunks and eventually join the major venous circulation just before

reaching the heart...

The lymphatic system, meanwhile, transports large proteins, foreign

bodies, pathogenic substances (germs, toxins, etc.) and many other

components in its pathway to lymphatic nodes which act as active

purification centers. The nodes break down and destroy those

particles so they can eventually be flushed out of the body through

the organs of elimination (digestive apparatus, urinary tract, skin

and lungs. "

Without going into excessive technical detail, the lymphatic system

can get overloaded for a number of different reasons. Because of

the slow rhythm, it is possible for more lymph to be produced

because of injury or infection than the system can handle. This

leads to swelling, edema, and in severe cases, lymphedemea.

Lymphedema can result in limbs like an arm or leg swelling to three

or four times normal diameter. And lymphedema in severe cases can

most definitely be life threatening.

In the above (circumstantial excess production), the body will

eventually catch up - the infection goes away, the swelling goes

down, etc. But in the case of things like surgical removal of lymph

nodes because of cancer or damage to nodes through chemotherapy, the

body is not producing excess lymph but the lymphatic transport

system is no longer adequate to handle even the normal flow.

Manual lymphatic drainage is a technique to stimulate the lymphatic

system and help pump the lymph back through the body. There are

three or four main " schools " or methods of doing it, but they all

essentially use light pressure from the therapists hands in a

gentle, rhythmic pumping motion.

In terms of practical applications, manual lymphatic drainage(MLD),

lymphatic drainage therapy (LDT), and other variations or methods of

doing it are absolutely outstanding for reducing tissue inflammation

and/or swelling. I can quite literally (and have in fact done so a

number of times) drop the swelling from something like a sprained

ankle faster with my hands than someone else can with an ice pack.

It is the first tool in my box if I have to treat a sprain or strain.

Fire away with more questions if you need to.