Your lymphatic system is an essential part of your body’s immune and detoxification processes. Lymph is a fluid that transports nutrients and oxygen to cells, collects toxins along the way, and flushes them out through your lymph nodes. Supporting this process with a lymphatic drainage massage Seattle treatment can help promote circulation, reduce swelling, and enhance your body’s natural ability to detoxify.
If your lymphatic system has been compromised, those fluids and toxins can build up in your body and lead to chronic swelling, a condition called lymphedema. If you’re experiencing this, a lymphatic massage, also known as manual lymphatic drainage, could help alleviate your symptoms. Here’s a guide to how the treatment works and how it could improve your quality of life.
How Does the Lymphatic System Work?
You have about twice as many lymph vessels in your body as blood vessels. They drain fluid from body tissues and pump it to your lymph nodes, which are concentrated in your armpits, neck, and groin, to filter out foreign material such as viruses, fungi, or bacteria.
After it’s filtered, your lymph is drained toward progressively larger vessels until it reaches the lymphatic ducts, where it returns to your blood. Unlike blood, which is pumped by your heart, lymph is squeezed through vessels when you use your muscles. A lymphatic massage can further support this process by stimulating circulation, reducing puffiness, and encouraging natural detoxification for healthier skin.
What is Lymphedema?
Lymphedema is a condition that can occur after you’ve had lymph nodes removed, which often happens as part of cancer treatment. For example, many breast cancer patients may have lymph nodes removed in their armpits, and lymph node removal may also be a part of treatment for colon, skin, bladder, and prostate cancers.
When lymph nodes are taken out, lymphatic fluid may accumulate in the areas where the nodes used to be. This can cause painful, chronic swelling that makes it difficult to move and carry out your daily routine. It can also lead to infection. In addition, the lack of lymph nodes in the swollen area makes it difficult for your body to push the lymphatic fluid through your vessels to filter it through your body.
How can a Lymphatic Massage Help?
Your lymphatic massage lasts about 45 minutes to one hour and is incredibly gentle and painless. The treatment will take place in a heated room. Your massage therapist will use very light pressure with long, gentle, rhythmic strokes, as well as flat hands in wave-like movements. They’ll put pressure only on your skin, not the underlying muscles. This will stimulate the flow of your lymphatic fluid and help restart your body’s detoxification process. The lymphatic massage may leave you feeling tired, so you might want to take the rest of the day off to recover.
After your massage, it’s vital to drink lots of water to help flush your system. You should also stay active. Even light activity, such as a short walk, can stimulate your lymphatic system as your muscles exert pressure on your vessels.
Schedule Your Seattle Lymphatic Massage Consultation Today
At the Larrabee Center for Plastic Surgery, we’re dedicated to helping our patients live comfortable, happy, and fulfilling lives. If you suffer from lymphedema, our massage therapists can help alleviate your symptoms and make daily routines easier without painful swelling. Our specialized lymphatic drainage massage Seattle treatments are designed to reduce fluid retention, improve circulation, and support your body’s natural healing process.
We serve Seattle and the surrounding areas of Washington. Call (206) 386-3550 today to schedule a consultation.
