A Quick Guide To Lymphedema, Its Causes, Symptoms And Effective Treatment

Posted by Jae Stang on January 30th, 2019

A crucial part of keeping your body healthy is a healthy lymphatic system. It is responsible for the circulation of lymph fluid throughout your body. Lymph fluid, which is rich in proteins, moves through the lymph vessels and carries along all impurities, viruses and bacteria to the lymph node. The node is responsible for filtering those impurities and flushing them out of your body. When the amount of collected lymph fluid is too high, it leads to the condition called lymphedema. It is characterized by swelling in your hands and legs. However, it can simultaneously affect other body parts as well. The swelling is often accompanied by pain. There are various methods of reducing the swelling and the pain, such as medical compression pumps. Before we discuss the treatment, let us look at the causes and symptoms.

Causes and symptoms of Lymphedema

Lymphedema can be the result of a damaged or obstructed lymphatic system. The damage can be because of a variety of reasons, some of which are as follows:

The most common among them is cancer treatment. Radiation therapy for cancer may lead to inflammation of the lymph nodes, which can have an adverse effect on the lymphatic system.

Infection in the lymph nodes may also lead to them getting blocked or destroyed. These nodes can get infected if there is an infection in another part of the body.

There are various surgical procedures that involve the removal of lymph nodes. The scarring or removal of these nodes can cause lymphedema.

The condition can also be genetic. It may happen if your lymphatic system is not well developed.

Lymphedema is characterized by the following symptoms:

• Swollen arms or legs, including your fingers and toes
• Pain and a feeling of heaviness in the affected limb/limbs
• Gradual fibrosis
• Infections
• Restricted limb movement

How to treat Lymphedema

Lymphedema is a painful condition and it can make your life extremely difficult. Luckily, there are may effective treatment methods for this. Your doctor might ask you to undergo a lymphoscintigraphy, which is a scan to detect blocked or missing lymph nodes. Compression is a critical aspect of the treatment of lymphedema. Bio compression lymphedema pumps move the excess liquid back to your lymphatic circulation system and help to reduce the swelling. Multi-layer wraps and compression garments are also effective forms of therapy. You must seek medical help as soon as you notice any of the symptoms. Treating conditions like these at the earliest can help you avoid further risks.

Author’s bio: The author is a blogger. This article is about lymphedema.