Lymphoedema is an abnormal, long-term swelling of part/s of the body caused by a collection of lymphatic fluid ( including water and proteins) in the tissues below the skin.
It occurs when there is a dysfunction in the lymphatic system.How does lymphoedema present?
Lymphoedema is most commonly seen in one or both arms or legs, but may present in the face, body and genitals. It is a persistent swelling that may range from a mild increase in size of the limb/area to a grossly swollen limb with changes to the quality of the skin. Severe cases of lymphoedema can be debilitiating. Lymphoedema is sometimes, but not always painful.
Lymphoedema is an abnormal, long-term swelling of part/s of the body caused by a collection of lymphatic fluid (including water and proteins) in the tissues below the skin and occurs when there is a dysfunction in the lymphatic system.
Lymphoedema is most commonly seen in one or both arms or legs but may present in the face, body or genitals. It is a persistent swelling that may range from a mild increase in the size of the limb/area to a grossly swollen limb with skin changes that affect the quality of the skin. Severe cases of lymphoedema can be debilitating and impair quality of life. Lymphoedema is sometimes, but not always painful.
Gold Standard of treatment is Complete Decongestive Therapy – CDT. This includes (but is not limited to) Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage, multi-layer compression bandaging, skin care, exercise program, other modalities such as low-level laser, pneumatic compression devices, oscillation, elastic taping, etc. Once the swelling is reduced then one MUST be fitted with a good quality compression garment to maintain the reduction of oedema achieved in therapy.