One of the most overlooked massages is lymphatic drainage. Understandable – it consists of very slow light strokes, and does not work with muscles so it may not feel like much is done even if it is very relaxing. But trust me on this: the importance of lymphatic drainage is undeniable.

Recently I had some requests for this massage so I thought I will refresh and deepen my knowledge to be able to give the best service. I have to say, it was a fun ride and I learned so much extra, I’m really excited to now make much more use of it during the massages!

So, what’s the big fuss about it?

Our bodies have two major fluid systems: the blood system and the lymph system.

The blood system gets a lot of attention, and its main purpose is to carry oxygen and nutrients to each and every cell in the body, and upon its return pick up waste materials like CO2 to carry away.

However, some of this “debris” is way too big for the tiny capillaries: large proteins, bacteria and viruses end up filtering into the lymph system for clearing. And it is a very important task indeed!

One huge disadvantage this system has is that it’s missing a large pump. Instead, it has devised clever ways to move around: it’s using our movements (which is why a lot of our lymph nodes are at the joints), a series of one-way valves, and tiny muscles to slowly pump these toxins away for clearance. Sloooowlyyyyy………

And it’s all good while we live a healthy active life – but it doesn’t take much to end up with a sluggish lymphatic system. Injuries, operations, illness, bed rest, a sitting lifestyle, overweight, a witch’s curse etc all put a huge pressure on the lymph system making it sluggish and encouraging toxin build up. (ok maybe not that last one lol)

So sometimes it needs some encouragement to enable us to heal and live better.  Lymphatic drainage massage is rumoured to help the lymph system speed up 20-fold! This massage will only go skin deep where the lymph flows, and with gentle pressure and excruciatingly slow movements it shepherds the lymph towards the closest lymph nodes for processing. Did I mention sloooowlyyyy?

It is especially important at sites of swelling, be it post-operation, post-injury or oedema, to encourage lymph movement to start the healing. Stagnation is the hotbed of all ill.

To be fair, every type of massage and movement will act to speed up lymphatic drainage, and it is used during massage session freely where needed (so when I slow down for some light strokes, I promise you it is for good reason); but the lymphatic drainage massage is the most efficient if there is swelling of any kind.

If you think that this is what you may need, give me a call to chat through you needs so we can devise a cunning plan to get you back to your best self!