Lymphedema Therapy
Megan Lord is a cancer rehab physical therapist with lee health. “65 to 90% of the cancer patients have at least one rehab need.” One of her specialties is helping those who are dealing with Lymphedema. “Any of those patients that had lymph nodes removed during surgery, or had lymph nodes removed in radiation can have reduced transport capacity of their of their lymphatic system. So they build up with fluid in the arm, leg, or head and neck.”
Lymphedema can increase your risk of infection, wounds may heal slower, and joints may feel stiff or sore. “We do certified treatments of manual lymphatic massage, the use of compression, and certain exercises to help move the fluid out of that area,” said Lord.
If your lymph nodes have to be removed because of your cancer treatment, they don’t grow back. “You help them with other routes and reroute that fluid to other areas that have working lymph nodes to help rid the fluid,” said Lord.
While there’s no cure, therapists can help treat and relieve symptoms. You can learn more about cancer rehabilitation by searching for it on leehealth.org.
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