At Prana Endura, we truly believe in the power of massage to help heal the body and relieve pain and discomfort. Sometimes, parts of our body don’t function and flow as they’re meant to, and massage can help put things back into place and flow properly.
Such is the case with lymphatic massage, which helps promote lymphatic drainage in various body areas.
How the lymphatic system works
To understand the purpose of lymphatic massage and drainage, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the lymphatic system and how it works.
The lymphatic system is a part of the immune system. It performs several functions, such as protection from illness, maintaining fluid levels in the body, and removing cell waste.
The lymphatic system consists of many parts, including:
- Lymph – extra fluid drained from cells and tissue
- Lymph nodes – glands that work to monitor and cleanse the lymph (Your body has almost 600 nodes!)
- Lymphatic vessels – a group of capillaries and tubes that transport lymph away from tissues
- Collecting ducts – ducts that connect to the subclavian vein, which returns lymph to the bloodstream
- Spleen – filters and stores blood and creates white blood cells
- Thymus – develops mature white blood cells to fight off foreign substances in the body
- Tonsils and adenoid – these two work together to trap pathogens that enter the body through breathing and eating.
- Bone marrow – produces red blood cells
- Peyer’s patches – lymphatic tissue that monitors and destroys bad bacteria in the intestines
- Appendix – works to destroy bacteria before it reaches the intestines
Essentially, plasma flows throughout the body every day, and the lymphatic system works to collect the excess fluid—lymph—that makes its way into the body’s tissues and distributes it back into the bloodstream.
If something becomes off balance or affected in the lymphatic system, certain problems, such as swelling, can occur due to a build-up of fluid in the system. This build-up can cause a lot of pain and discomfort, which is where lymphatic massage comes in.
What is the purpose of lymphatic massage?
The purpose of lymphatic massage is to relieve swelling in the body that occurs when the tissues hold on to excess fluid, or lymph. This is called lymphedema and commonly affects the arms and the legs. Lymphedema is most commonly caused by blockages in the lymph system, damage to or removal of lymph nodes following treatment for cancer, and anomalous scar tissue post-surgery.
The goal of the massage is to promote lymphatic drainage, which helps relieve the pain and discomfort from the built-up fluid.
Lymphatic massage of the face has also been demonstrated to temporarily relieve congestion of the sinuses resulting from seasonal allergies. Some studies suggest that lymphatic massage can provide a temporary, generalized boost to the immune system.
How does lymphatic massage work?
Lymphatic drainage massage consists of light massage techniques that stretch the skin to promote the movement of lymphatic fluid out of the swollen area. The unaffected areas of the body are massaged first, which makes way for the fluid in the affected areas to move out.
From there, massage therapists utilize techniques such as stationary circles, scoop technique, pump technique, and rotary technique.
Lymphatic massage at Prana Endura
At Prana Endura, lymphatic massage is one of the many services we offer to our clients. We offer sessions ranging from 30 to 90 minutes.