@Diane60 there is a modality that could help with your swelling and discomfort from inflammation. It’s very a gentle treatment too, and it's called Manual Lymphatic Drainage. (MLD)
It encourages your body to help rid itself of excess swelling, inflammation and soreness.
Our bodies actually need some inflammation to assist in healing, but too much can be troublesome, for sure. Inflammation is similar to carrying a fever, which our body does to try and heal itself
MLD can ease the inflammatory process while helping to ease the swelling and just generally make you feel better all around.
There are some easy things that you can do for yourself and I would be happy to share them with you but I think you would benefit from seeing a therapist who is fully certified and specializes in Lymphatic Drainage, specifically the Vodder Method.
I mainly see clients post surgically (oncology) but have also worked with joint replacements and MLD not only gives them relief but also gets them back in touch with their body again.
So! Just in case you are interested in trying a few of the techniques, I shall leave them here for you:
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Take deep breaths.. deep, as in breathing in to a count of 3 or 4, whatever is best for you. hold it for another count of 3-4, then blow out completely, still using the count that's comfortable for you. A series of at least 6 of these could help get your excess swelling to move. To ensure you are taking proper deep breaths, place your hand on your naval and watch while taking in your breath, if doing this properly you should see your hand move up.
Then, as you slowly breath out, to the same count of either 3, 4 or even 5, gently press down and slightly upwards with the palm of your hand.
Do this whenever you feel up to it during the day or night. The more supine that you can get in the recliner or bed, the more effective this can be.. you have lymph nodes located in your groin and sitting up too much can cause a restriction of the lymph flow.
You can, after the breathing, place your hands lightly on your upper thigh, right where the crease is in your groin and lightly stroke upwards towards your naval.
I did this quite a bit post op and while it takes a while for the body to wake up and respond, it will and it will help get things moving.
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Please feel free to tag me if you need help finding an MLD therapist-- in fact some Physical or Occupational practices have MLD therapists on their teams.
