Lymphatic treatment for mastitis?
Mastitis is inflammation of the breast glands and is common among breastfeeding women. In our experience, we have had success with the use of specified lymphatic massage to assist in the treatment of mastitis since it assists to decongest an inflamed breast. It is important however, to understand the difference between a lymphatic massage and treatment by a certified lymphedema therapist.
Before we talk about what the difference is between a lymphatic massage and treatment by a Certified Lymphedema Therapist, I think we need to talk about what the lymphatic system is. The lymphatic system is connected to the circulatory system. The arteries bring the blood out to the cells. The veins bring 90% of the fluid back to the heart. The lymphatic system runs parallel to the venous system and picks up the other 10% of the fluid, sends it to the lymph nodes which are full of white blood cells, and then returns it to the bloodstream shortly before it dumps into the heart.
The lymphatic system is made up of lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes. Most people know that the lymph nodes swell when they are sick. The lymph nodes are full of white blood cells which are a vital part of your immune system. That swelling in the lymph nodes means that there are more white blood cells working in those nodes to clear that infection.
Let’s go a little deeper into this process. For example, those lymph nodes can also swell after a vaccine (and that is very normal and very appropriate). Think of it this way: you are on the International Space Station. You find out that aliens want to dock with your ship and then take over. You get a copy of their docking mechanism through intel. Everyone goes to work: Communications lets everyone know what their plan looks like. Your engineers figure out a way to cap it so it cannot dock. The team then makes those caps. Security patrols the region keeping watch. The white blood cells in the nodes are doing the same thing.
Your body is always doing this in the background. You eat food. Your body needs to process what microbes were in that. You breathe. There are more than 10,000 bacteria alone per square meter that you breathe. Your body is always interacting with the microbiome inside and outside. Your immune system is amazing, and the lymphatic system typically does a fabulous job 24/7.
So why would you need someone to work on your lymphatic system? For most people, the lymphatic system works just fine. Just like a massage can make your muscles feel better, a lymphatic massage can help clear excess congestion within the lymphatic system.
Someone who is doing a lymphatic massage has some training in the lymphatic system, but typically just the normal lymphatic system. They know what direction the lymph is supposed to flow, what type of strokes to do with their hands and what sequence to do those strokes. Generally, you will feel better after the session. You may find you are tired or need to urinate a bit more because the extra fluid and waste products that your body has been more sluggishly moving through the system has just made it back to the blood.
Comparatively, a Certified Lymphedema Therapist has significantly more training in the lymphatic system and knows how to manage issues when things have gone wrong. These people will typically be a physical or occupational therapist, but could also be a massage therapist, physician or nurse.
The most typical scenarios, in which things have gone wrong, are swelling in the arm after breast cancer surgery and radiation or swelling of the legs with major vein problems. The type of swelling that happens is called lymphedema. When lymphedema is involved, the lymphatic system or vascular system is not normal, and you need someone who knows the ropes. Treating the body like it has a normally functioning venous and lymphatic system when one or both systems is compromised is not going to be helpful.
Treatment for lymphedema goes far beyond a lymphatic massage. There may also be the need for some manual therapy to manage scar tissue. The direction of the “massage” is different. There can also be a need for bandaging, wound management, and compression garments.
If you have a normal lymphatic system and want a lymphatic massage, go for it. There are lots of trained massage therapists out there who do lymphatic massage. If you have been diagnosed with lymphedema, please see a Certified Lymphedema Therapist to help you manage the issues that are specific to your case.
Written by our Certified Lymphedema Therapist:
Mary Ellen Kramp, DPT, CLT-LANA
(See Mary Ellen’s professional courses available here)
References:
Grada AA, Phillips TJ. Lymphedema: Pathophysiology and clinical manifestations. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Dec;77(6):1009-1020. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.03.022. PMID: 29132848.
Global airborne bacterial community—interactions with Earth’s microbiomes and anthropogenic activities, Jue Zhao, Ling Jin, Dong Wu, Jia-wen Xie, Jun Li, Xue-wu Fu, Zhi-yuan Cong, Ping-qing Fu, Yang Zhang, Xiao-san Luo, Xin-bin Feng, Gan Zhang, James M. Tiedje, Xiang-dong Li, PNAS 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2204465119, https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2204465119
