Disclaimer: all opinions and techniques in this post series are solely based on Mark’s personal and professional education and experience knowledge. There are other professional options and approaches to addressing body fluid dynamic treatment and management.
When you jump off a step and land on both feet, your solid mass – bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles all stop abruptly. But the fluid in our body continues to flow in the direction of the motion with some force until it encounters a physical obstruction of sufficient resistance. Picture a soaking towel thrown at a screen. The towel stops and some of the water keeps going through the screen.
This premise of gravity effect allows us to manipulate lymph flow, deepen blood flow, distribute inflammation away from its central location, move fluids across membranes, and can create circulation in the cerebrospinal and digestive fluid space. All of which allow physiological systems to be properly challenged and become more robust. This holds especially true when we stimulate our vascular networks. They will grow more, and bigger vascular networks provide greater capacity to carry and exchange the molecules of life.
The following movements are simple and important ways to take advantage of this gravitational phenomenon. It is a great way to reduce lymphedema after surgery anywhere in the body:
For the upper body:
- Arm Shakes
- hold your arm as high as is comfortable with support if necessary
- shake your arm loosely as if trying to throw your hand off your wrist
- keeping your arm loose and feeling the energy of that shaking of the arm, reverberate up the entire arm to the shoulder
- sustain this activity for as long as tolerated
- Arm Swings
- start with your arm as high as you can comfortably lift it
- swing it downward as if attempting to throw your hand off your wrist to the floor
- let the swing gently flow through
- once comfortable with the movement, alternate arms and repeat
- Wrap and Slaps
- bring your arms out to your sides
- keeping the arms as loose as possible, bring them across your body and around yourself, giving yourself a big hug
- open your arms up again
- give yourself another big hug but switch which arm was the top and bottom arm
- once comfortable with the movement, play with the speed and repeat
For the lower body:
- Mild cardio (ie. going for a walk around the block, stationary bike, elliptical, etc.)
- Leg Shakes
- hold your leg out in front of you as high as is comfortable with support if necessary
- shake your leg loosely as if trying to throw your foot off your ankle
- keeping your leg loose and feeling the energy of that shaking of the leg, reverberate up the entire leg to the hip
- sustain this activity for as long as tolerated
- Wall inversions
- start by going up and down a flight of stairs 1-2 times to activate blood flow in the legs
- lay on your back with your legs up against the wall. The more vertical the legs, the more gravity will impact the flow of the fluids in your legs
- stay here for a minimum of 15 minutes
It is important to remember that with chronic lymphedema, this technique is a management strategy. Without ongoing management the lymphedema will return and likely worsen with time.