Emma Taylor
24 August 2022
Massage therapy is becoming one of the most reliable options for people to live comfortable and healthy. Though it is not true that you can live a healthy life with the help of massages only. But massages are an important component of a healthy life.
There are several types of massages and they all have different roles and benefits. Here, we are going to talk about a special massage called lymphatic drainage massage.
We will talk a great deal about it including how it is done and its benefits. Let us have a look at it.
What is lymphatic drainage?
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it is necessary to know about the process of lymphatic drainage. Lymph is an important chemical that occurs in liquid form inside our body. The Lymphatic system provides the heart with lymph with the help of lymph vessels.
Lymph vessels help the lymphatic system to provide the cells of our body with essential nutrients. Lymphatic drainage is the process by which our body removes cellular wastes. This drainage is the most important function of the lymphatic system.
When the cells finish processing those nutrients, waste material is produced. The process of removal of cellular waste and other toxins is called lymphatic drainage. It is very essential to keep our body detoxified in order to maintain proper health. People start getting sick when cellular waste gets accumulated. When people get some surgery to face other medical issues, toxins get accumulated inside their bodies.
A brief introduction to lymphatic drainage massage
The lymphatic system is a system present just beneath the skin of the human body. This is the reason why the lymphatic drainage massage is performed in a quite different way. All the efforts in this massage is to enhance the movement of fluids in our body.
This massage is not done like traditional massages instead it is done with the least pressure because the lymphatic system is quite close to the skin. High pressure is avoided here because the main target is not the muscles.
It is very essential to maintain a proper sequence while performing this massage. The massage usually begins from the central portion of the human body and moves towards the extreme portions. The lymph nodes present in the central region of the body are called regional lymph nodes.
The main motive behind starting the massage from regional nodes is to empty the regional nodes. Waste and other liquids flow to the regional nodes from the other lymph nodes. When central nodes are empty, liquid flows quickly to these nodes so that they can be moved further.
When should you go for a lymphatic drainage massage?
There are several situations when getting a lymphatic drainage massage becomes more important. We will discuss some situations like that in order to help you make the right decision.
To help your body fight infection
There are several occasions when the amount of toxins increases inside the human body. Whether it be the post-workout time, unhealthy lifestyle, or poor diet choices, they all lead to the increased amount of toxins in our body that in turn decreases our ability to fight infections.
With the help of a lymphatic drainage massage, you can take those toxins out of your body. The lymphatic system is responsible for maintaining the proper movement of white blood cells in the human body.
When you are get lymphatic drainage massage, you are enhancing the movement of WBC in your body that would help you fight infections more efficiently.
Lymphatic massages are helpful after injury and surgery
In the time when the human body gets injured or goes through surgery, the lymphatic system of our body gets disturbed. Swelling is the most immediate response of the human body after an injury. The swelling is related to the accumulation of toxins in some ways. Injury causes some bodily fluids to accumulate in a specific region. That is the main reason behind inflammation. Inflammation is a highly responsible swelling in the human body.
A lymphatic drainage massage will help you a lot in flushing out those toxins and help you reduce the swellings in your body. The enhanced movement of these fluids will be really helpful in taking out excessive liquids from the specific parts of the body.
Our bodies also go through something like this after surgery. The lymphatic drainage needs to be usual shortly after surgery. Having a massage of this category may help you get in that state. Surgery disturbs the natural lymphatic functions inside our body. Some lymph nodes may get removed or damaged during surgery.
It will lead to the accumulation of lymph or other fluids in specific parts of your body. Such an accumulation may cause swelling, pain, or even other health issues. Manual lymphatic drainage will help you in getting out of this situation.
Lymphatic drainage massage helps in enhancing the immunity
Your immune system plays a major role in keeping your body healthy. The immune system in the human body relies mostly on WBCs. Getting a massage of this category helps our immune system to work more efficiently.
As you already know that the lymphatic system maintains the right flow of lymph that in turn helps our immune system. Getting this massage will refresh your immune system and hence your body will fight infections more easily.
Final words
This article was an effort to help you get some fundamental information about lymphatic drainage massage. You might get some mixed opinions if you talk to experts about this matter but normal people have reported several benefits.
Apart from the benefits mentioned above, this massage technique helps people in recovering faster from some disease or after surgery. It also improves the hormonal balance inside your body and makes you more relaxed than before.
Even if you have read hundreds of articles on this topic and have talked to several people, you should never get one without talking to your doctor. Talking to the doctor becomes even more important when you have some underlying disease.
