Lymphedema Therapy

For your patients who develop lymphedema after cancer treatment, Premier Health offers specialized therapy to help reduce and manage swelling caused by damage to the lymphatic system. Here’s what we offer your patients.

If you suffer from lymphedema, you know how it can limit your day. We have a program that can help.

What Causes Lymphedema?

Lymphedema is a swelling caused by damage to your body’s lymphatic system. It can be the result of trauma, surgical removal of lymph nodes in fighting breast cancer, or simply poor lymphatic drainage. Swelling frequently occurs in the head, neck, limbs, breast or trunk, and may be short-term, long-term or intermittent. It can be painful, and limit your mobility and your ability to function normally.

Why Is Early Treatment Important?

If not diagnosed early, lymphedema can be a debilitating progressive condition with no known cure. But early diagnosis and management can prevent lymphedema’s progression and minimize its impact.

How Can Therapy Help?

Our therapists are trained and certified in complete decongestive therapy, including manual lymphatic drainage. They can offer you research-based care to control lymphedema’s effects. Our objective is to teach you and your family members how to manage the condition by administering your own treatment.

Following a thorough evaluation of your condition, we’ll develop a treatment plan that may include:

• Compression (bandaging or using compression garments)
• Education about the condition, precautions and skin care
• Instruction on massage, bandaging techniques and exercise
• Manual decongestive lymphatic drainage
• Recommendations, as appropriate, for long-term support and compression garments
• Therapeutic exercise