Improve Circulation After Surgery
No one wants to be laid up for a long time after undergoing a surgical procedure. After all, usually we undergo surgery in order to improve our health and quality of life. So it’s natural to do everything possible to increase your healing time after a surgical procedure.
Of course the healing process after surgery is different for every person. Your recovery will depend on the type of surgery, whether you are coping with a chronic or long-term illness, and your overall state of health before and after your procedure.
But there are things you can do to make your recovery time as short as possible. Eat a healthy diet (as allowed by your surgeon’s instructions) even if you don’t always feel like eating, and always drink plenty of water and fluids. Care for your wound to avoid infection. Get plenty of rest but also be sure to move around (within the limits set by your surgeon).
While these things can be tough at first, when you aren’t feeling well, they will ensure that the healing process stays on track. And of course, always follow your surgeon’s post-operative instructions and be sure to keep all follow-up appointments with your surgeon and other health care providers.
Incorporate Manual Lymphatic Drainage Into Your Post-Surgery Recovery
Getting regular Manual Lymphatic Drainage, or MLD for short, after surgery can also be a highly effective way to help your body heal. This gentle therapeutic technique can help control post-surgical pain, reduce swelling, and improve your immune system.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage also improves circulation and blood flow. But how does improved circulation help the healing process? It’s pretty amazing, actually.
The body heals from injury—or surgery—by naturally re-growing new tissue and cells to replace the injured ones. To do this, each individual cell needs oxygen and food. The cells get the necessary nutrients and oxygen through our blood. If blood circulation is poor, our cells don’t get the nutrients and oxygen they need to grow and replicate quickly. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for the body to heal.
MLD stimulates the healing process by promoting smooth and effective circulation, thereby making sure that the cells get the nutrients and oxygen they need.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage also keeps cells healthy by helping them eliminate toxins and waste. As blood brings much-needed food and oxygen, cells eliminate harmful by-products into a type of interstitial fluid between the cells called lymph.
Injury or surgery can prevent the proper flow of lymph throughout the body, causing swelling and inhibiting the body’s ability to remove toxins and harmful by-products, which also inhibits healthy healing. In addition to promoting proper blood flow, MLD also eliminates blockages of lymph and helps it flow correctly to improve the healing process.
Is MLD a Type of Massage?
Manual Lymphatic Drainage is a specialized form of massage therapy. It involves gently gliding, stretching, compressing, and cupping the body. When performed in specific sequences, the light, rhythmic movements promote the flow of fluid and blood, without compressing the blood vessels which might constrict flow.
MLD may not, however, be what you might traditionally think of when you think of “massage”. Many types of massage, such as Swedish massage and myofascial release, focus on kneading, pushing, and contracting muscles, ligaments, and other connective tissues. While relaxing and useful for some types of injury, these types of massage are not appropriate in a post-surgical setting.
MLD is a specialized technique that requires advanced training and should also be performed by a massage therapist with a license in this particular form of massage. But when performed by a qualified, experienced massage therapist, manual lymphatic drainage can help improve your circulation and help you stay on the road to a successful recovery from surgery.
Contact Our Mobile Massage Clinic | The Villages, Florida
In Home or In Office Massages by Jacqueline in the Central Florida area. Certified for many different massages and treatments. Specializing in Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) post surgery recovery massage.
To schedule an appointment with Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Advanced Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist, Jacqueline Bosco CMLDT, Oncology, please call (813) 298-5603. We believe nothing is more important than human touch.
Providing massage services to patients in The Villages, Florida, Sumter County, Leesburg, Eustis, Mount Dora, Tavares, Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Wildwood, Bushnell and surrounding areas.