Contraindications for Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a gentle and safe massage therapy technique. This protocol effectively reduces pain and soreness in tissues and joints, and mechanically reduces swelling and bruising of tissues after surgery. It's also effective in preparing you for surgery because it activates the lymphatic system before the trauma of surgery. As a general maintenance measure, regular MLD flushes the lymphatic system of toxins. On top of that, it's the most relaxing massage you can get!

There are very few contraindications for MLD. Lymphatic massage can be included in the treatment of an abundance of pathologies. However, a few absolute contraindications are worth noting before you schedule an MLD session with your certified manual lymphatic drainage therapist.

1. Acute cellulitis is the inflammation of the skin, caused by bacterias staphylococcus or streptococcus, often located near surgical wounds or ulcers. It is characterized by redness, pain or tenderness, enlarged lymph nodes, swelling, and warmth of the infected area. In extreme cases, acute cellulitis could lead to sepsis. 
2. Untreated congestive heart failure, or cardiac edema. If you suspect that your heart is not functioning properly, please see your physician. If you are experiencing symptoms of heart failure, do not receive manual lymphatic drainage.
3. Acute untreated deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is characterized by sudden swelling of the leg or arm and pain in the leg while walking or standing, among other symptoms. If a blood clot is lurking deep in the vein, a manual lymphatic drainage session could potentially cause it to loosen and travel to the lung causing pulmonary embolism.
4. Fever is another contraindication. A fever is your body telling you it's working on fighting an infection of some sort. Let your body deal with itself. No MLD if you have a fever. 

There are other relative contraindications for manual lymphatic drainage, including any malignant disease (cancer) and renal dysfunction (kidney disease). In these cases, your lymphatic massage therapist will want to work with your medical team to ensure safe and effective results. 

Similarly, various conditions in certain locations of the body could be affected by MLD sequences. For example, hypothyroidism could flare during an MLD neck sequence, because the activated lymphatic vessels could encourage additional thyroid hormones to be introduced into the bloodstream.  It's important to consult with your CMLDT and your doctor. I encourage any client to coordinate communication between your therapist and your doctor.

Finally, and this is a personal precaution I'm taking as of this post on August 2, 2021; I will be asking my clients to please refrain from having a lymphatic massage within two weeks of taking a dose of any experimental shot.

While there are no official studies about the effects of MLD on a newly-vaccinated body (that I'm aware of), several doctors, including Dr. Charles Hoffe, a clinical practitioner in British Columbia, Canada, asserts that:

"When the COVID-vaccine is injected into your arm, we now know that only 25% stays in your arm (deltoid muscle) and the other 75% is literally collected by the lymphatic system and fed into the blood circulation.  These packages of messenger RNA, in a single dose of Moderna vaccine, for example, there are 40 trillion of these messenger RNA packages injected into your system.  These particles absorb into blood capillaries..." He goes on to explain that the spike proteins could ultimately cause micro-clots which could damage the heart, lung, and brain tissues –– tissues that do not regenerate.

Dr. Hoffe has been removed from his hospital duties for asking questions about the alarming results of his patients' D-dimer tests and the possible damage to capillaries. I've listened to his arguments on various video calls with other doctors. (If you're curious, you can check that out, too.)

While I can't comment on the injuries he claims his patients are experiencing, I do know that the lymphatic system is indeed intricately linked to the circulatory system. Since we don't know for sure yet the long-term effects of mRNA technology in the human body, I'd like to take a step back and make sure my hands and practice do not contribute to the acceleration of any harm in the bodies of my clients. 

Since I don't understand the implications of MLD to a recently injected body, I hesitate to perform this therapy before some time has passed for the body to naturally do whatever the body's systems are meant to do. Whether two weeks is enough time for a healthy body to adopt this technology and to adapt to its effects, I can't say. Without any studies or data, I'm taking my best guesses and precautions. I hope my clients and future clients will understand.

While not exactly a contraindication, a recent injection of any of the new pharmaceutical products is something to consider before seeking a session of manual lymphatic drainage.