Lymphatic Massage for Head & Neck to Reduce Swelling or Lymphedema

Lymphedema or soft tissue swelling of the head and neck is common after an illness or after treatment for throat cancer whether surgery and/or radiation therapy. Although compression is commonly used for arm or leg lymphedema, compression is not possible for the head and neck region. Rather lymphatic massage is utilized instead. Beyond massage, exercise is important as muscles act as a pump to stimulate and squeeze the lymphatic vessels to get fluid moving out.

In this video, we will focus on lymphatic massage. Performing the massage first thing in the morning is best for head and neck lymphedema because laying flat all night negates gravity’s influence in helping to keep this region drained when upright during the day.

The overall goal of manual lymph drainage for head and neck lymphedema is to get the fluid moving out of the head and neck area and down towards another region like the chest and armpit areas.

Make sure to use as much of a flat hand and your whole palm or your all your fingers and not just a couple fingers or your fingertips. You want to try to use as much surface area as possible against your skin to get the most benefit. Using lotion or some type massage oil is helpful as well to minimize skin friction.

It's best to perform lymphatic massage sitting upright instead of laying down in order to take advantage of gravity to move the fluid down and out of the head and neck area. Do not perform lymphatic massage in any area that is painful or if you have any new surgical incisions or scars that are not fully healed, otherwise you risk opening up the wound.

Before we begin, make sure to take deep breaths in and out using your diaphragm. Also known as belly breaths, make sure you continue these deep breaths in and out throughout the entire lymphatic massage sequence.

Video created by Dr. Christopher Chang:
https://www.FauquierENT.net

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