Edema is a normal reaction after injury or surgery. Acute injuries and surgeries are associated with more extensive damage to soft tissue and lymphatic vessels. After knee replacement surgery, weakness of the foreleg muscles may occur, which in turn causes a slower walking pace. Untreated and prolonged swelling can worsen pain and cause difficulties with mobility and range of motion.

After acute injuries and surgeries, cold, elevation and compression are most commonly used to treat edema. For the treatment of chronic edema, manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandages, exercises, and local skin care are used. Orthopedics has woken up to the question of whether more active swelling treatment also has a place in pre- and postoperative rehabilitation. The LymphaTouch device was originally developed for the treatment of chronic edema, and in recent years it has been investigated how the LymphaTouch device fits into pre- and postoperative rehabilitation.

One of the functions of LymphaTouch is based on activating the lymphatic system and transferring lymphatic fluid using technology, while in manual lymphatic drainage the same is done with the hands. Both have been found to be an effective method of reducing swelling fluid in the swelling area. Weber et al. et al. (2023) investigated how negative pressure therapy compares to manual lymphatic drainage for swelling after elbow surgery in randomized controlled trial.  Negative pressure therapy compares to the same good swelling treatment as manual lymphatic drainage, but negative pressure therapy significantly reduced the pain sensation compared to manual lymphatic drainage therapy at two, four and five days after surgery.

Knee replacement surgery. Operated knee before LymphaTouch treatment and after 30 minutes of treatment.

Other studies have shown that 30 min negative pressure therapy can effectively reduce pre- and postoperative treatment. The LymphaTouch device can be used the same day after surgery or injury. For the first five days, LymphaTouch made it possible to reduce swelling of the distal parts of the limbs by up to 12.2%.

The 53-year-old hip techno joint surgery patient was able to return to work a month after surgery with LymphaTouch in physical therapy.

“I felt lighter and healthier both physically and mentally right after the first treatment. After the treatment, the circumference of the operated lower limb was reduced by 0.5-2 cm, which gave me concrete faith that I would recover faster from surgery. I recommend the treatment to anyone undergoing and rehabilitating from hip replacement surgery.

LymphaTouch is an effective tool for pre- and postoperative rehabilitation, in addition to compression and other therapeutic methods. Read more about how LymphaTouch has enabled more extensive tools for the treatment of edema  at Docrates Cancer Center.

References

Földi, E., Földi, M.,& Rockson, S. 2018. Complete Deconstive Physiotherapy

Dresing, K., Fischer, A-C., Spering, C. & Saul, D. 2021. Effective peri-operative and post-operative decongestive instrument-based negative pressure treatment and mechanical vibration for anti-oedematous swelling treatment of a trauma and orthopaedic patient at the upper extremity – A quality study. International Journal of Burns and Trauma. PMID: 34336378

Lampinen, R. ym. 2021. Treatment of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema with a Negative Pressure Device: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study. Archives of Phydical Medication and Rehabilitation. April 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2021.03.022

Pua, Y-H. 2015. The Time Course of Knee Swelling Post Total Knee Arthroplasty and Its Associations with Quadriceps Strength and Gait Speed. Journal of Arthroplasty. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2015.02.010

Saul, D., Fischer, A.C., Wolfgang L. & Dresing, K. 2020. Reduction of Postoperative Swelling with a Negative Pressure Treatment – A Prospective Study. doi:10.1177/2309499020929166.

Villeco, J. 2012. Edema: A Silent but Important factor. Journal of Hand Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2011.09.008

Weber ym. 2023. Postoperative swelling after elbow surgery: influence of a negative pressure application in comparison to manual lymphatic drainage-a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery. DOI: 10.1007/s00402-023-04954-3