An overview of manual lymphatic drainage

Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) is a technique whereby gentle pressure is applied to the lymphatic drainage system by a trained specialist. MLD is used in the treatment of patients with conditions such as lymphoedema or lipoedema, or following some surgical procedures (MLD UK, 2024a). Lymphoedema of any origin is usually treated with complex physical decongestive therapy, which comprises MLD and other methods, including compression therapy, exercise therapy, skincare and patient education (Kasseroller and Brenner, 2024).

The specialist practitioner will have been trained only at a recognised institution, where they are shown demonstrations, supervised in practice, learn theory and maintain ongoing clinical development. Courses require a minimum of 130 hours of tuition and study to meet the expectation to register as an MLD therapist (MLD UK, 2024a). The list of all the therapists trained in MLD can be found on the MLD UK website: https://mlduk.org.uk/find-a-therapist/.