Lymphatic drainage to be prepared for the summer season

Pregnancy, especially in the last few months, often involves circulation problems with consequent swollen and heavy legs. How can we improve lymphatic circulation to reduce the symptom?

We are well aware that it is not always easy to plan a pregnancy, and perhaps the unpredictability of this physiological state of a woman represents the essence of life.

However, the month of conception is very important, as facing the last months with the coolness of spring is absolutely different from supporting a big belly in the hot summer months!

Today we talk about it with David Di Segni, physiotherapist of mdmfisioterapia.it who has been dealing with circulatory disorders for years, often collaborating with gynecologists who follow women during pregnancy.

How circulation works

Let’s start by saying that all of us have venous and arterial circulation, but above all we have lymphatic circulation. The lymph is a whitish liquid, which many people don’t know, but which we probably got to know, perhaps by cutting our finger with a knife, and not having got deep enough, we appreciated the release of a transparent substance similar to water: that was the SAP.

Lymphatic circulation, unlike arterial and venous circulation, is not moved by an engine like the heart which, with its contractions, pumps blood to every part of the body, but this liquid moves thanks to the contraction and movement of the muscles of the whole body .

For this reason, elderly people who are bedridden have swollen legs among many pathologies and characteristics. They simply have the muscle pump out of order.

During the gestation period, however, it happens that the hormonal imbalance (increased production of estrogen and progesterone and other hormones), problems of a biochemical nature (increase in the liquid component of the blood compared to the protein component), a sedentary lifestyle (perhaps fear of endangering the baby ..) cause liquids to accumulate, especially in mothers’ legs, with often serious repercussions even in the postpartum period.

With the arrival of the beautiful season, the great heat, and the increase in the weight of the child which compresses and in any case modifies the normal circulatory activity … the classic conditions of swollen legs from pregnancy arise, especially the ankles, the front of the tibia , and unfortunately increases the problem of cellulite .

Address the problem as soon as possible

Unfortunately, most of the women who go to the physiotherapist always arrive late, that is, when they complain about the problem to the gynecologist, who, after “Omelette done”, then prescribes lymphatic drainage.

Without going into too much detail, just think of the lymphatic circulation as a series of very thin and superficial tubes, which flow into a series of transit stations called LYMPH NODE STATIONS, which have the purpose of purifying the lymph and returning it to the circulation on which they depend. .

If, as happens, the stations become clogged, and the circulatory factors fail (above all muscle contraction..), it happens that the limb or segment begins to suffer, and swelling appears.

This condition is absolutely normal in most women, but at the end of the pregnancy, when everything will return to normal, if the clogging remains high, there will be many deposits, and the classic postpartum cellulite will appear. For this reason, many women lose their figure after their first pregnancy, and returning to their pre-natal condition will be very difficult.

What to do to alleviate this annoying problem

• Drinking a lot certainly helps, but be careful not to hold your pee too much
• Try not to gain too much weight, the rule of gaining one kg a month is valid
• Walk at least 1 km at a brisk pace every day (of course, don’t run, and remember that walking to look at the shop windows, with frequent stops, does not help at all)
• Wear comfortable shoes, not tight, and above all with a 2 cm heel
• As long as possible (too hot…) wear graduated compression stockings (70 den)
• Place a small pillow under the mattress (between the mattress and the base) to facilitate the drainage of liquids during the night
• Limit salt and foods that are too tasty

Manual lymphatic drainage

To these simple tips, add manual lymphatic drainage according to the Vodder or Leduc method . These two types of massage are the most effective, with sometimes astounding results. They must be performed in serious structures, and above all by medical or physiotherapy personnel. The maneuvers are very gentle, almost a light touch and the sensation is really very pleasant and relaxing.

Avoid aesthetic draining massages like the plague, as although pleasant, they do not act on the correct anatomical structures, and precisely because of your pregnancy condition, you must know how to perform the maneuvers. I recommend the pressure exerted will be important, as if the massage is too deep it will not act on the correct anatomical structures.

In the first period it will be useful to do 2 sessions a week, to then maintain the situation with 1 session a week until childbirth… and continue if possible in the following two months, to help circulation return to its ideal condition.

Elastic taping

Elastic taping can help, which favors drainage and more resistant accumulations of lymph.

Remember that in this phase perseverance will be important, and above all to think that the economic investment will be repaid by a better aesthetic condition at the end of the pregnancy.

I am attaching a video taken on youtube, to show the type of massage, and above all the very delicate pressure: