swelling in left leg up to thigh

[Pompal 09.]

HI,
I have a new, 60ish client who has swelling in her left leg up to her thigh. She's had it for at least three years, does not know what triggered it. (Her doctor checked to see if there was a blood clot, but no, no clot.) Till now her stretching has been very limited, but she has just in the last month or so started an exercise regimen which includes a great deal of stretching and strengthening, including some hip openers, but has seen no difference in the leg--I'm not sure if that's enough time to see a difference, but she felt she would be able to tell if that were helping with it. Lymph drainage seems to reduce it only till it swells up again.
Any ideas or resources? Thank you so much!!!

 

[Kamal]

Send her to an acupuncturist/herbalist as an assist. Maybe she has too much or too little of some element (wind, heat, damp, etc.)???

 

[CUPiiD97]

if lymph drainage helped it probably is a cirulatory issue. regular lymph drainage and massage is probably all she needs.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Have her continue to exercise until her medical pros say to stop. The pumping action of skeletal muscle will improve circulation of blood, and movement improves circulation of lymph and interstitial fluids. It should also help her improve overall health in other ways, regardless of the edema.

As a trainer that works mainly with clients that have health issues, I urge patience and caution. Realistically, she may go several months before she sees major change in the condition - but when it comes it will probably be long-lasting improvement.

Continuing with lymph drainage, massage, and possibly adding acupuncture or other modalities will enhance the benefits of her activity. She should also consider that there may be a nutritional component.

 

[Orchid Quynh Lan]

Thanks so much, everyone! I'm passing all of this on. Great to hear exercise and stretching might do the trick over time. Will keep up the lymph drainage. Acupuncture and chinese herbs are a great idea, and will have her consider a nutritionist.

And as usual, any other input is very welcome!

Also, just fyi, on National Public Radio today, an interview with the author of a book on the medical effects of loneliness (not of being alone, but of *feeling* lonely). I can't find anything on the NPR website about it, strangely, but the author said that decreased circulation is a nervous and muscular response to loneliness...!

 

[Gin]

Diabetes?
Congestive heart trouble?
Is the edematous tissue "pitting"?

 

[Warren]

Has she ever had any radiation/chemotherapy? Any lymph node surgery? The reason I ask is...

One of my lymphedema clients is a pretty textbook case of some of the after-effects of chemo/radiation that they don't always tell you about at the time. She survived breast cancer about 10 years ago, and she received the standard allopathic cancer therapy protocol. About 4-5 years afterward, she developed lymphedema in her arms. Her lymphatic system basically just stopped working in those areas, and it has necessitated WEEKLY lymphatic drainage visits ever since, and it probably will for the rest of her life. At least she has an earthy sense of humor about it; she now calls standard medical cancer therapy "the gift that keeps on giving". LOL.

(Extra info, in case this helps anyone: She also has to wear compression bandages, drink lots of water, and exercise--all 3 of these, along with regular MLD visits, are an absolute must for someone in this situation; if any piece of this is missing, they will suffer much more. If they are doing all of these things on a regular basis, then they will look and feel relatively normal and live a normal life.)

I'll tell this second story as an FYI: Another client with edema was in a VERY interesting and scary situation. This, I reckon, could happen to anyone, since the cause is unknown. She woke up one morning and presto!--one entire half of her body was swollen, from her jaw to her leg. It was NOT triggered by anything in her past (based on the info she volunteered); she just simply woke up with it one morning for no known reason. She was about 45 at the time, that was 5 years ago, and it has NOT gone away since. Yikes!

OK I'm done babbling. First experience ever with hydrocodone yesterday, and my cerebrum's just coming back online LOL.
Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[brattylilsis25]

Just remembered: If you can find a Vodder-style lymph drainage practitioner, you may want to refer this client.

Vodder lymph drainage makes excellent use of compression wraps, modified exercises, and other techniques for client self-care between manual treatment sessions. This aspect of teaching the client to do some things for herself can be tremendously empowering, especially when dealing with a long-term problem.

 

[FeveDrercor]

Have her continue to exercise until her medical pros say to stop. The pumping action of skeletal muscle will improve circulation of blood, and movement improves circulation of lymph and interstitial fluids. It should also help her improve overall health in other ways, regardless of the edema.
quote]

This is not true if a person has lymphedema.

My professional recommendation is to refer your client BACK to his/her MD, or to another for a second opinion, until lymphedema is ruled out and they figure out what is wrong. Until then, working on that quadrant of the body would technically be beyond your scope of practice, and you should avoid any and all massage to that area. It would probably be ok to continue massage work on the rest of the body, but again, this could be a very serious medical condition, so it all depends on how comfortable you are working with someone whose condition is unknown to you.

 

[have_a_go_mate]

I agree with Cy.
I attended a level one lymph class last month (Upledger)- Bruno Chikly, MD method. They - (lymphedema specialists) told us to refer back to MD. If you move the fluid out the proteins stay back and cause fluid to return as well as fibrosis. They need to be diagnosed. Some massage could permanently damage lymphatic vessels.

 

[Kaykay034]

Just remembered: If you can find a Vodder-style lymph drainage practitioner, you may want to refer this client.

Vodder lymph drainage makes excellent use of compression wraps, modified exercises, and other techniques for client self-care between manual treatment sessions. This aspect of teaching the client to do some things for herself can be tremendously empowering, especially when dealing with a long-term problem.

Actually, both Vodder & Upledger schools teach these techniques, but not in the introductory classes. So what you're looking for is a lymphatic therapist who has received advanced level training in decompression therapy (the fancy name for bandaging).

 

[parkermbg]

While I second the suggestion of a good lymph drainage practitioner, I would also be recommending your client seek a second opinion for her condition first & foremost. There is always the chance of a missed diagnoisis, which could be serious.

Many years ago the father of a friend was suffering from congestive heart failure, & emphysema, he also had swollen legs (possibly phlebitis) as a part of the symptom picture.

While this may or may not be a part of your client's problem it is an example of potentially life-threatening condition. (I certainly wouldn't share that with the client of course, as you don't want to scare her!)