Does your body ache, or are you under a lot of stress? Perhaps you've tried popping pills to get rid of the pain and anxiety. But did it work for the long term? Maybe not.
Well, now you can try a more holistic approach: lymphatic drainage massage.
Like any other massage, lymphatic drainage massage is also suitable for your soul. A professional masseuse will use circular movements to offer you relaxation. That’s how you can feel the stress leaving your body.
With gentle stretching techniques, the massage will stimulate the lymphatic system to balance the circulation of the bodily fluids, including interstitial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and body plasma. All these bodily fluids are vital to life.
As bodily fluids circulate well, you can experience overall detoxification. It thus promotes your overall well-being.
If you've tried all the remedies to achieve relaxation and reduce stress but nothing has helped, you've come to the right place.
In this blog, you will discover the benefits of lymphatic drainage massage and how it can improve your quality of life. It will also discuss how the massage works and who can benefit from it.
What Is Lymphatic Drainage Massage?
Before exploring the benefits of lymphatic drainage massage, you should know what it is.
The lymphatic drainage massage uses light pressure on the muscles to stimulate circulation and reduce soreness. The massage therapist will use a series of circular movements on the surface of your skin where the lymphatic system is present.
It is a core part of the immune system that disposes of waste products, such as toxins and bacteria, that your body naturally processes. Through massage, the therapist will pump the muscles and engage the regional lymph nodes to remove toxins from the body.
The massage will move the toxins to the organs responsible for removing them from the body. Once these toxins leave your body, you can experience a state of relaxation. That way, the massage will enhance your overall well-being.
How Lymphatic Drainage Massage Works?
Understanding what lymphatic drainage massage is and how it works can help you decide.
The massage focuses on the movement of lymph fluids through the network of organs and blood vessels that drain the toxins and waste from swollen areas.
Using rhythmic light stretching movements, the massage therapist will work towards the lymph nodes to filter toxins and waste. It will thus improve blood circulation, facilitating tissue detoxification and supporting the immune system.
But how does that happen? Through the following steps, you can understand how the lymphatic drainage massage works:
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Preparation: A professional lymphatic drainage massage works on areas away from the swollen body parts. These include neck, groin, armpits, etc. The therapist will apply enough pressure to gently stretch the muscles and clear pathways for lymph fluid to move freely through the vessels.
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Stimulating lymph nodes: The therapist will activate the lymph node clusters through gentle circular motions. As they unlock the clusters, it allows bodily toxins to move to tissues and reach organs that remove them.
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Rerouting fluids: The therapist will continue using light skin-stretching techniques to move the lymph fluid from the congested area towards cleared lymph nodes. As the fluid reaches the body's clean pathways, it helps remove toxins.
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Deep breathing: When the therapist uses circular motions with the palms, the massage will incorporate diaphragmatic breathing exercises. These exercises will stimulate deeper lymphatic pathways and enhance the fluid movement.
Key Benefits of Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Like any massage therapy, lymphatic drainage massage also offers different benefits. Gentle strokes move excess lymph fluid from swollen areas towards healthy lymph nodes.
As that happens, the healthy lymph nodes carry fluids, along with toxins and waste, to organs that remove them from the body. It thus results in detoxification of the body.
After detoxification, you can experience reduced swelling, thereby relieving stress on your body. Apart from that, you can also discover other benefits of lymphatic drainage massage. These are as follows:
- Decrease Swelling and Fluid Retention
The lymph fluid buildup in the body can cause swelling. Various factors contribute to the buildup, including injury or an infection. Furthermore, being overweight or eating high-sodium foods can increase your body's water retention, causing swelling.
With lymphatic drainage massage, the therapist stimulates stretch receptors in tendons, ligaments, and muscles. It removes excess fluids from these areas to prevent swelling.
Additionally, one of the core benefits of lymphatic drainage massage is that it minimizes fluid retention in the body. The masseuse will use gentle strokes on the skin's surface to guide excess fluids towards functioning lymph nodes.
As it reaches those nodes, the excess fluid will be reabsorbed, and the entire lymphatic system will drain it away. It will thus maintain a balance in bodily fluids, promoting good health.
2. Boosts Immune System Function
The lymphatic system forms an integral part of the immune system. It is responsible for circulating lymph fluid, which carries white blood cells, and for removing toxins from the body.
Often, due to injury or infection, the lymphatic system becomes blocked. As a result, it hinders the circulation of the lymph fluids that carry the toxins. To free the blockage, lymphatic drainage massage becomes essential.
The light pressure on the skin surface allows the fluids to move freely toward the functional lymph nodes. As they are again reabsorbed into the lymphatic system, this reinforces the removal of waste and toxins from the body.
Along with waste, the lymphatic system also flushes out pathogens from the body. When pathogens leave the body, the lymphatic system enhances the body's defense mechanisms to fight off germs and infections. That way, it helps strengthen the immune system function, offering better physical health.
3. Increases relaxation
When the flow of bodily fluids is blocked, it results in physical discomfort. That discomfort increases cortisol levels, a stress-releasing hormone. In such a scenario, you would seek relaxation.
Offering relaxation is one of the significant benefits of lymphatic drainage massage. With its gentle, rhythmic strokes, the massage aims to relieve muscle tension. The professional masseuse uses their palms to create circular movements on the skin's surface.
While doing so, the massage releases serotonin and endorphins. These are feel-good hormones that replace stress hormones, offering individuals a sense of relaxation.
Moreover, the massage stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system. It slows an elevated heart rate, helping you reach a calm state of mind. In that way, your body attains relaxation.
4. Improves Sleep
When your body is in a "fight or flight" state, proper sleep feels like a task. Through the lymphatic drainage system, your body shifts from a "fight-or-flight" state to a "rest and digest" state. That means the massage ensures to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Often, when blood circulation slows, it disrupts your sleep cycle. It can occur due to a blockage in the flow of lymph fluid.
Using skin-stretching techniques, the therapist moves the fluids in the entire lymphatic system. As a result, the body experiences a sudden increase in blood circulation, delivering more oxygen to cells and tissues.
Such a process removes excess fluids from the body and restores fluid balance. The restoration eliminates physical discomfort resulting from fluid buildup. Once the discomfort leaves your body, you can get better sleep.
5. Promotes Skin Health
The toxin and fluid buildup obstruct blood circulation. As blood flow is hindered, it becomes more difficult to remove dead cells and impurities, which can make the skin look dull.
To achieve your skin's natural brightness, you can get a lymphatic drainage massage from a professional. The massage will stimulate the lymphatic system to drain the excess fluids and toxins.
With a gentle circular motion, the therapist will break the fluids and ensure they flow through the vessels until they exit the body. As a result, your skin experiences a boost in circulation, carrying the vital oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
As your body receives more oxygen and nutrients, it increases collagen production, enhancing your skin's natural glow. Furthermore, restoring lymph flow through massage ensures better absorption of skincare products, promoting your skin's health.
Who Can Benefit from Lymphatic Drainage Massage?
Knowing the benefits of lymphatic drainage will help you consider it for reducing physical discomfort, such as swelling, stress, or pain. It will also boost circulation, delivering oxygen and other vital nutrients to different parts of the body.
That way, it will improve your immune system and skin health. From its benefits, you can understand that lymphatic drainage massage is suitable for most people. However, some people in particular make the most from the massage. They are:
- Overweight individuals who have poor circulation- The massage manages the flow of lymph fluids to reduce water retention, thus improving their weight. Also, when the therapist uses gentle strokes to break down toxins and wastes, it boosts blood circulation throughout the body.
- People with lymphedema- If you experience swelling in arms or legs due to lymph fluid buildup, it means you have lymphedema. In such a scenario, lymphatic drainage massage breaks up the buildup. It ensures the smooth flow of excess fluid out of the body, reducing swelling.
- Individuals with a poor immune system- Someone with a poor immune system can benefit from lymphatic drainage massage. It will remove toxins from the body, enhance blood circulation, and improve the immune system.
- People struggling with arthritis: Using circular motions on the skin's surface, the therapist will relieve muscle tension. As the muscles reach a state of rest, the massage will ease and reduce chronic pain, including arthritis-related pain.
Are There Any Side Effects or Risks?
Indeed, lymphatic drainage massage benefits various individuals. The gentle strokes on the skin help break down lymph fluid and allow it to flow freely. It then results in reabsorption within the lymphatic system, preventing individuals from infection and swelling.
However, despite its benefits, lymphatic drainage massage carries certain risks. Learning about these risks and side effects will give you a general idea of the massage, enabling you to make an informed decision. The common risks/side effects of the massage include:
- Cardiac edema- The redirection of excess fluids through blood vessels will speed up the lymphatic system, pushing the fluid towards the heart. It can thus worsen cardiac edema.
- Congestive heart failure: Lymphatic drainage massage helps break down excess fluid, ensuring it travels through the limbs to the venous system. Since the heart is unable to pump, the extra fluid that flows back into it can be dangerous.
- A history of clot condition- The gentle pressure that a therapist uses in lymphatic drainage massage not only frees lymph fluids but also potential clots. When the clots break loose and travel through the bloodstream, they lodge in a critical organ.
- Renal disorders: People with renal disorders cannot filter the lymph fluid, which the massage returns to circulation. As a result, it increases the fluid buildup, leading to kidney stress.
- Active infections or cellulitis- Lymphatic drainage massage stimulates the flow of lymph fluids that normally fight infections. However, when an active infection or cellulitis is present, fluids can transfer pathogens into healthy tissues, spreading the disease or infection.
Before you seek a lymphatic drainage massage, it is essential to inform the therapist of your medical history or any existing conditions. If you have any of these issues, the massage can pose dangers or side effects.
What to Do After a Lymphatic Drainage Massage?
While keeping the contradictions and risks in mind, you can schedule an appointment for a lymphatic drainage massage. Since it involves manipulating lymph fluid as it travels through the body to remove toxins, seeking a professional's help is ideal.
By now, you know that the therapist uses light pressure and skin-surface stretching to move the excess fluids in the body. The free movement of fluids activates relevant organs to flush them out, reducing swelling and any discomfort.
These are the things you can expect from the massage. But do you know what to do after a lymphatic drainage massage? Well, here are certain things you should follow and avoid after the massage:
- Lymphatic massage aims to remove excess fluids containing toxins and waste from the body. After a session, you may experience dehydration. To boost hydration, drink plenty of water.
- The purpose of the massage is to remove excess water weight from the body, which is caused by sodium-rich foods. To manage water weight, it is advisable to choose foods low in sodium.
- The lymphatic system relies on muscle movement. After the massage, a stroll down the street or light exercise can help you achieve optimal results.
- Avoid tight clothing, as it can restrict lymph flow. During and after a session, wear loose clothing to enhance the flow of lymph fluids.
- Caffeine causes dehydration and constricts blood vessels, disrupting the natural flow of lymph. To prevent it from happening, you can avoid consuming caffeine for at least 24 hours.
Minimize Stress and Physical Discomfort with Lymphatic Drainage Massage at On The Side Day Spa
By now, you know the benefits of lymphatic drainage massage in reducing stress and physical discomfort. To experience the gentle strokes on your skin, it's time to get a massage.
By managing the natural flow of lymph, the massage will relax tight muscles and put you in a better mood. Also, it will remove toxins from the body, boost blood circulation, and reduce swelling caused by injury or infection.
To reap all these benefits, book a lymphatic drainage massage at On The Side Day Spa. Our wellness retreat has trained therapists who are thorough with massage techniques.
With gentle skin-stretching, our professionals will focus on moving the lymph fluids back into the circulatory system until the organs flush the excess out of the body. That way, the lymphatic fluids will also remove toxins and waste products, enhancing your overall well-being.
Check out our lymphatic drainage massage to detoxify your entire body and restore calmness.
