St. Lukes Elks Rehab Blog

Lymphedema is when an area of the body swells due to the collection of lymph fluid. This can be any part of the body: arm, foot, leg, breast, abdomen, head, face, chest wall, genitals…The lymph fluid builds up when the lymph system has in some way become impaired.  Causes of an impaired Lymph System include:

• Treatment of lymph node removal and radiation for cancer:  this reduces the amount of fluid the lymph system is able to transport per unit of time, and can lead to Lymphedema right away, or years down the road.
• Scar tissue from trauma or surgery:  Trauma from injury or surgery if it blocks or affects the lymph flow.
• Congenital malformation:  some people are born with a lymphatic system that was not developed fully.  This can show up at birth, within the first year of life, in the teen years, or as an adult fallowing a somewhat minor injury.
• Venus insufficiency:  if the veins are not returning the blood as efficiently as they should, then the blood system is not taking bake its 90% of the clear high protein fluid it releases to nourish the skin and surface tissues as the blood pools, and that means more than 10% is remaining for the lymph system to transport.  The lymph system can step up to the plate for a while, even years, but over time it gets tired and gradually is unable to keep up.  Veins can become stressed to insufficiency due to obesity, pregnancy, blood clots, or simple genetics.

The cause of the lymphedema, and other medical conditions the person may have, need to be taken into consideration during treatment, but the basic treatment is the same for all. 

Filed under: Lymphedema