MLD

Hi and welcome back to Melbourne Thai Treatment Blog | Remedial Massage & Thai Massage Studio, Coburg.
In this post, we are going to talk about MLD.

What is MLD?
Where and when did this type of massage start?

Why is MLD is different from other types of massage?
How does MLD work?

As you may be aware, either Thai Massage or Remedial Massage, are not a soft touch approach to the body.

Indeed this is one of the differences between MLD and other techniques.

MLD aims to work on the lymphatic system, and not the musculoskeletal system.

So, MLD stands for “Manual Lymphatic Drainage”.

The aim of this technique is to boost the capacity and ability of the lymphatic system.

Now, before we go ahead with the explanation of how MLD works, let’s look at its history.

MLD is a technique implemented by Dr Vodder and his wife Estrid Vodder, with the help of many other scientists and researchers.

Dr Vodder can be described as a visionary of the lymphatic system role.

He dedicates his life to the realisation of this technique.

Dr Vodder and his wife formulated a series of hypotheses on how the lymphatic system works, and how is essential to speed up recovery from diverse types of conditions.

All their hypothesis, along the 20th century, were then confirmed and transformed in theory thanks to the works of many other scientists.

As per result, after their first few years of hypothesis formulations, in the early 20th century, they could start promoting their work and run seminars and classes about MLD all around Europe.

Nowadays, is in Austria in the village of Walchsee -Tyrol -Austria that resides the Dr Vodder Academy –Lymphedema Clinic Wittlinger.

The Austrian clinic was founded in 1971 and since that the MLD spread all around the world, with courses that are taught in any continent.

I am about to complete my Level 1 and 2 in applied MLD with Dr Jan Douglass.

As more levels will be available within Melbourne city, I will enrol it.

Now, after a brief history introduction, let’s look in too how MLD works.

In order to understand the importance of this technique, let’s analyse the body anatomy and the lymphatic system’s role.

Indeed, for doing so, let’s compare the lymphatic system with the blood circulatory system.

• Firstly, the lymphatic system is an open system of “capillaries” (lymph vessels) and “veins” (pre collector and collectors).
• Secondly, It differs from the blood circulatory system as it transports lymph and not blood, and is open and not close.
• Thirdly, the lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump as is the heart for the circulatory system. In fact, the lymphatic system, push the lymph around through a mechanism of osmosis pressure (at the lymph vessels system) and throughout an inner system of inner valves.

Furthermore, the lymphatic system has filtering stations: lymph nodes.

Is here where specific white cells live.

Indeed, the role of the white cells is to help fight back infections carried by viruses and bacteria.

The role of the lymph nodes is wither, but we will see this in the next blog post.

Said so, the lymphatic system’s main role is to collect waste.

This happens at 2 different levels.

At the superficial level (80%) where the lymph vessels are (lower dermis and the superficial zone of the subcutaneous tissue) and deep level of the body (20% below the deep fascia)  and return this waste to the blood system which will then direct all the waste to the organs that clean the body, such as liver, kidney etc.

But how exactly the lymphatic system works?

So, our body is covered in skin, right.

Below the skin, before the fascia and muscle layers, we got what we called lymph vessels (the equivalent of capillary for the blood system).

The lymph vessel spread on a vertical level all along the body in different concentrations.

As per role, the lymph vessel collects the Lymph-obligatory load, that is the waste and excess material that the body doesn’t need.

Lymph-obligatory load is made from water, protein, lipids, exogenous substances, cells etc…

The collection of the lymph-obligatory load comes through a suction and osmosis approach.

From the lymph vessel then, the lymph obligatory load travels down to the pre-collectors.

Indeed, pre-collectors are lightly bigger than the lymph vessel

Furthermore,  rather than spread along the undersurface of the skin, they travel deep down and pass the lymph fluid to the collectors.

As per result, the collectors, that interconnect the lymph nodes, transport the lymph-obligatory load to the blood circulatory system.

Another specification to look for is that the lymphatic system is divided into superficial and deep.

But we will look at this specification in the next blog post, where we will also talk about the watershed and body quadrant.

So, now that we have a better idea of what the lymphatic system is, and how it works, we can say that massage techniques as Thai Massage, Remedial Massage, or even Relaxation Massage are not the most indicated for helping the lymphatic system in doing a greater job.

They still would improve its work, but as the lymphatic system seat right below the skin, and works by light stimulation, friction applied from this technique would not be the ideal touch.

Even though, no damage occurs to the lymphatic system when major pressure is applied to it.

That’s why MLD must be applied with a really light touch, light enough that doesn’t create any pain.

In conclusion, soon as the second half of December, MLD service will be available at Melbourne Thai Treatment studio.