Manual Lymphatic Drainage (Dr Vodder Method)

What is Manual Lymphatic Drainage?

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a very gentle, 'light touch' form of massage based on pumping, circular and spiral shaped movements, which encourage the lymph fluid to flow more freely around the body.

What is the Dr Vodder method of MLD?

The Dr Vodder method is an advanced massage technique which moves the skin over the underlying tissues using repetitive, circular and spiral shaped movements with a pressure increase (30 Torr), followed by a decrease in pressure leading to a pressure less phase. This change in pressure creates a pumping effect, which encourages the flow of the lymph fluid and drains excess fluid out of the connective tissue.

The technique works with the skin and not on the skin. The direction of the increase of pressure and respectively the moving of the skin lies in the direction of the lymph flow.

As no oils are used it is completely safe even for those with sensitive skin.

The Dr Vodder technique always starts with lymph nodes and lymph vessels found at the neck and the junction of the large lymph channels found in the venous arch on both sides of the body.

The strokes are performed evenly and rhythmically inducing deep relaxation.

What are the benefits of Manual Lymphatic Drainage?

MLD renews, nourishes, strengthens and regenerates the cells, removes waste products, relaxes the nervous system and increases the immune system.

It also prevents and remedies many chronic conditions, e.g.:

Pain - joint swelling, muscular pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, migraine, chronic headaches
Skin - cellulite, aids in weight loss
Fluid retention - swollen feet and ankles (inc sprained ankles), puffy eyes or face
Respiratory conditions - sinusitis, nasal congestion, catarrh
Immune conditions - recurring colds & flues, recurring inflammation & infections, allergies, auto-immune disorders
Digestive conditions - chronic constipation, flatulence, bloating, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Stress, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, lethargy

MLD is also used for:

Post plastic surgery (e.g. face, neck abdomen, thighs etc) - it reduces pain, bruising and swelling
Post operative inflammation (e.g. after liposuction etc) - it reduces inflammation, bruising and prevents scarring
Post traumatic events (e.g. accidents, sport injuries etc) - it reduces swelling, pain, bruising and inflammation
The prevention, treatment and control of lymphoedema (e.g. after breast- or prostate cancer)
The treatment of lipoedema and phleboedema

What is the Lymphatic System?

The lymphatic system is a network of tubes throughout the body that drains fluid (called lymph) from tissues and empties it back into the bloodstream.

The lymphatic system consists of lymphatic vessels, lymph fluid and lymphatic tissue/organs such as lymph nodes, tonsils, thymus, spleen and Peyer's patches.

The main role of the lymphatic system includes:

Managing the fluid levels in the body
Filtering out bacteria and other body toxins
Producing and storing lymphocytes (a type of white blood cells which fight off pathogens)
Absorbing and transporting fatty acids and fats to the circulatory system
Protecting our bodies from pathogens (e.g. bacteria and viruses)

The lymphatic system is a very important part of our immune system that protects us from disease.

Unlike the circulation of the blood, the lymphatic system has no pumping mechanism. Instead it relies, for example, on muscular movement and breathing to assist the flow of the lymph fluid. Unfortunately the lymphatic system can become very sluggish (due to our sedentary lifestyles and high fat/high salt diets) leading to puffiness, bloating, constant tiredness, low immunity and frequent infections.

Manual lymphatic drainage increases the flow of the lymph fluid through the lymph nodes encouraging the production of lymphocytes and hence aiding in the prevention of disease.