Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), also known as Lymphatic Massage, is a specialized and gentle therapeutic approach designed to enhance your body’s natural healing processes. It is a technique that stimulates the flow of lymph fluid throughout your body’s lymphatic system. This system plays a crucial role in immune function, healing, managing inflammation and swelling, and overall health.
Nimbus Massage offers Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage which can help with general immune support and “detox” (which is really just speeding up your body’s natural internal cleansing processes). It is also great to help manage symptoms of many common conditions such as allergies and sinus pressure, migraines, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lipedema, Dercum’s disease, CVI, and more. This can also be used to help reduce swelling, from pregnancy, being on one’s feet a lot, or even a recent minor injury.
We offer a specialized approach to well-being that addresses various health concerns such as:
Allergies/Sinusitis – Focusing on the head and neck can help clear stuffy sinuses.
Auto-Immune Conditions – The lymphatic system is strongly intertwined with the immune system and has a role in inflammation. MLD can help calm the system if dealing with an auto-immune condition like RA, Lupus, Psoriasis, Eczema…
Chronic Illness/Chronic Pain – With gentle pressure and focus on easing inflammation, reducing stiffness, and clearing the system; MLD can be a nice support for people dealing with chronic illness or pain like Fibromyalgia, Migraines, EDS…
Fat Disorders – In some cases (but it doesn’t work for everyone) MLD can help ease tenderness in the tissue and any swelling associated with fat disorders such as Lipedema, Dercum’s Disease, and Multiple Familial Lipomatosis.
General Wellness/Detoxification – Many people seek out MLD for gentle immune support and clearing of the system.
Injury/Burn recovery – By clearing bruising, reducing swelling, easing stiffness and pain and paving the way for healthy recovery, MLD can support the healing process after an injury or burn. For those healing from surgery, we also offer Post-Op Lymphatic Massage.
Skin Health – MLD has long been used to support healthy skin and reduce skin inflammation.
Swelling – For people who get swelling from being on their feet all day, to those who swell during pregnancy, or even those who have vein challenges that lead to swelling; MLD and compression can help move the swelling out of the tissue.
Therapeutic Lymphatic Massage can help people with a broad set of needs. Most people should start here if they want to try lymphatic massage– for general wellness, for immune support, for easing inflammation. We do have more specialized lymphatic services for after surgery or lymphedema management.
This type of work is very gentle, rhythmic, and soothing while it does its work. It is quite different from a deep tissue muscular massage but therapeutic in its own way. Book a session and see how Therapeutic Lymphatic Massage works for you! Feel free to reach out to discuss your case. You may also check the FAQs for more information.
Some medical conditions cause increased stress to the systems affected by Lymphatic Massage. Due to the increased risk for complications, we are unable to perform Lymphatic Massage if you have any of the following:
Some people liken a full body Therapeutic Lymphatic Massage to “getting an oil change” in your car.
By manually moving your lymph fluid along, it helps the body with its natural waste removal process. It helps out anything it was struggling to get rid of which makes everything work a little better. Through working with the lymph nodes, it helps support the immune system. Most of us could use a little boost here.
It can also help ease symptoms of certain chronic and inflammatory conditions. Or help people manage minor swelling from an active life or recent injury.
Ready to experience the benefits of Therapeutic Lymphatic Massage? Let’s give you a walkthrough on what to expect.
Fill out your intake form in advance and arrive a few minutes prior to your session so that we can review the information with you. If you have a complex medical history which requires a long intake process, some of your appointment time may be used reviewing your health history. Think about your goals, focus areas, and things that have/haven’t worked for you in the past. Oh, and drink water!
Lymphatic Massage uses light, rhythmic skin stretching in a specific pattern to manually move lymph fluid through the system. Because most of the system lies right below the skin, the pressure stays very light. It aims to move excess fluid and cellular waste and stimulate the immune system. As a side benefit, many people experience relaxation and reduced pain and stiffness.
Therapeutic Massage targets fascia and muscles. It aims to reduce muscle spasm, tension, and stiffness by addressing these structures directly. Pressure may range from light to firm depending on the goal.
Yes. The two can be combined. Typically, one would be used as a spot treatment during a full session of the other.
These are different terms for the same technique. Other terms include MLD, Lymph Massage, Manual Lymphatic Massage, Lymph Drainage, Lymph Drainage Massage and other variations using those words. We use the terms Lymphatic Massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and MLD at Nimbus. We add the word Therapeutic here to differentiate between our Post-Op, Lymphedema, and Oncology Lymphatic services and to highlight its therapeutic uses.
No, Lymphatic Massage is gentle and not painful. Light pressure skin stretching moves the lymph fluid, which rests right under your skin. Moderate pressure massage pumps the lymph nodes.
By massaging the lymph nodes and aiding the flow of lymph fluid, Lymphatic Massage works in a few ways:
Massaging areas full of lymph nodes primes them to action. Lymph nodes filter the fluid, check for things that shouldn’t be there (like bacteria), and put the immune system into action if needed.
The Lymphatic System also removes things in the body (like old cell pieces) that have completed their work and need to clear out to make way for the body to keep working optimally. Lymphatic Massage boosts the body’s capacity for moving things along.
Lymphatic Massage can also reduce swelling by manually speeding up the rate at which the body processes fluid.
By interacting with the immune system and clearing out the tissue, Lymphatic Massage has a role in modulating inflammation.
The light pressure and rhythmic flow can also be quite relaxing!
The timing of results can vary depending on the individual, the condition, and their overall health and treatment plan. Most people experience immediate easing of at least some symptoms (especially sinus pressure, minor swelling, and pain and stiffness). More chronic issues respond better to a series of sessions while some health conditions make the results come more slowly.
After a serious injury it is important to get checked by a medical provider. Once cleared, Lymphatic Massage can often be applied even before other massage may be appropriate. As a general rule of thumb, wait at least three days after an incident to let the body go through its early healing process.
Therapeutic lymphatic massage may not be suitable for everyone, especially with certain medical conditions. You may refer to the “Who it’s not for” section above for a basic list of conditions. Anyone who has recently had cosmetic surgery or who has a history of cancer or lymphedema (links to other pages) should see a provider who has additional training. You may also contact us [links to Contact Us page] to discuss your specific questions.
For most healthy people, Lymphatic Massage is quite sage. Some individuals may experience minor side effects like increased urination or mild fatigue after a session. However, it’s important to consult with a qualified therapist and inform them of any underlying health conditions or concerns because in some cases Lymphatic Massage is not appropriate.
Staying hydrated, maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, and managing stress are often recommended to support the benefits of lymphatic massage and overall well-being.
Nimbus Massage has Licensed Massage Therapists in Richmond, Virginia that have undertaken studies in Lymphatic Massage. We have team members who also have advanced lymphatics training to work with people who do have specialty needs.