LymphaTouch as part of pre- and postoperative edema management

Edema is a normal reaction to injury or surgery. Acute injuries and surgery are associated with extensive damage to soft tissue and lymphatic vessels. After knee replacement surgery, the quadriceps may become weak, which in turn slows walking speed. Untreated, prolonged swelling can worsen pain and cause problems with mobility and range of motion.

After acute injuries and surgery, edema is most commonly treated with cold, elevation and compression. Chronic edema is treated with manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandaging, exercise and local skin care. Orthopaedics has begun to ask whether active swelling treatment also has a place in pre- and postoperative rehabilitation. LymphaTouch was originally developed for treating chronic edema, and in recent years researchers have examined how it fits into pre- and postoperative rehabilitation.

One of LymphaTouch's functions is to activate the lymphatic system and move lymph fluid using technology, whereas in manual lymphatic drainage the same is done by hand. Both have been found to reduce swelling fluid in the affected area effectively. In a randomised controlled trial, Weber et al. (2023) compared negative pressure therapy with manual lymphatic drainage for swelling after elbow surgery. Negative pressure therapy reduced swelling as well as manual lymphatic drainage did, and it also significantly reduced pain compared with manual lymphatic drainage two, four and five days after surgery.

Knee replacement surgery: the operated knee before LymphaTouch treatment and after 30 minutes of treatment.

Other studies have shown that 30 minutes of negative pressure therapy can effectively reduce pre- and postoperative swelling. LymphaTouch can be used on the same day as the surgery or injury. Over the first five days, LymphaTouch treatment reduced swelling in the distal parts of the limbs by up to 12.2%.

A 53-year-old patient who had hip replacement surgery was able to return to work one month after the operation, with LymphaTouch included in physiotherapy.

"I felt lighter and healthier, both physically and mentally, right after the first treatment. Afterwards, the circumference of my operated leg had gone down by 0.5 to 2 cm, which gave me real confidence that I would recover from the surgery quickly. I recommend the treatment to anyone going through hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation."

LymphaTouch is an effective tool for pre- and postoperative rehabilitation alongside compression and other therapeutic methods. Read how LymphaTouch has broadened the tools for edema treatment at Docrates Cancer Center.

References

Földi, E., Földi, M.,& Rockson, S. 2018. Complete Deconstive Physiotherapy

Dresing, K., Fischer, A-C., Spering, C. & Saul, D. 2021. Effective peri-operative and post-operative decongestive instrument-based negative pressure treatment and mechanical vibration for anti-oedematous swelling treatment of a trauma and orthopaedic patient at the upper extremity – A quality study. International Journal of Burns and Trauma. PMID: 34336378

Lampinen, R. et al. 2021. Treatment of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema with a Negative Pressure Device: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study. Archives of Phydical Medication and Rehabilitation. April 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2021.03.022

Pua, Y-H. 2015. The Time Course of Knee Swelling Post Total Knee Arthroplasty and Its Associations with Quadriceps Strength and Gait Speed. Journal of Arthroplasty. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2015.02.010

Saul, D., Fischer, A.C., Wolfgang L. & Dresing, K. 2020. Reduction of Postoperative Swelling with a Negative Pressure Treatment – A Prospective Study. doi:10.1177/2309499020929166.

Villeco, J. 2012. Edema: A Silent but Important factor. Journal of Hand Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2011.09.008

Weber et al. 2023. Postoperative swelling after elbow surgery: influence of a negative pressure application in comparison to manual lymphatic drainage-a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery. DOI: 10.1007/s00402-023-04954-3