By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    How Not to Become a Victim of Medical Scams
    How Not to Become a Victim of Medical Scams
    December 22, 2021
    11 Ways You Can Care for Your Elder Family Members Health
    11 Ways You Can Care for Your Elder Family Members Health
    April 6, 2022
    How Can Brain Injury Lead To Dangerous Long-Term Effects?
    How Can Brain Injury Lead To Dangerous Long-Term Effects?
    August 30, 2022
    Latest News
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
    How a Level 3 RQF Helps in Health and Social Care
    April 9, 2025
    Breathing Easy: The Impact of Air Conditioning on Indoor Air Quality and Health
    April 6, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    medicaid drug costs
    Is Managed Care the Answer to Reduce Medicaid Drug Costs?
    August 14, 2013
    Mobile Health Around the Globe: Good work in Africa; Cell Phones Improve Health Education in Family Planning.
    August 20, 2012
    medical device standards
    FDA Updates List of Recognized Standards, Confusion Ensues
    September 5, 2013
    Latest News
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 13, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
    Do Abuse Reporting Systems in Assisted Living Protect Residents’ Health?
    April 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: What is Lymphedema and How is it Treated?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > What is Lymphedema and How is it Treated?
Specialties

What is Lymphedema and How is it Treated?

Helene King
Last updated: March 22, 2013 11:37 am
Helene King
Share
6 Min Read
http://www.dreamstime.com/-image17834499
SHARE

Nothing unusual had happened in “Janet A’s*” daily life, so she was shocked when her arm suddenly started to swell up. She went to Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Maryland for help.

Nothing unusual had happened in “Janet A’s*” daily life, so she was shocked when her arm suddenly started to swell up. She went to Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Maryland for help.

There, medical experts diagnosed her with lymphedema, the buildup of lymphatic fluid in one or more areas of the body. This swelling can occur anywhere but is seen most often in the arms, legs, face or genitalia. Janet began working with Cindy German, an occupational and certified lymphedema therapist who heads the Lymphedema Clinic at Northwest Hospital.**

With Cindy’s guidance and support, Janet found out that she developed the condition 25 years earlier after breast cancer surgery and that it surfaced as a result of a skin irritation that further compromised her lymphatic system.

More Read

When was CPR Developed and How Was it First Used?
What Does a Good Death Mean to You and Your Family? Have You Had the Conversation?
Nixed NHS Procedures Spark Concern for Varicose Vein Patients
Do it like Disney: Developing Orthopedic Centers of Excellence
What To Expect When Getting Your First Dermal Fillers

After learning about skin care, how to bandage her arm and what exercises she could do, Janet’s arm went back to its normal size, she was able to leave the program and wear her favorite jacket again.

Janet’s is just one success story where lymphedema is concerned. Some people are born with the condition, and others develop it after surgery, radiation, trauma or an infection. To understand why this is such a challenge, you have to first understand the lymphatic system.

In order to fight disease, everybody has to have to have a strong immune system that can rid the body of bacteria and other harmful materials. To make this happen, toxins are forced out of the blood stream into the lymphatic system. If lymph nodes are taken out or are not working correctly, fluids can buildup and cause a road block of sorts. Because the body keeps producing more fluid, it continues to build up in the tissue and can cause swelling. Since this fluid cannot drain properly, the affected area is more prone to infection.

The symptoms of lymphedema include:

http://www.dreamstime.com/-image17834499

  • Skin feeling tight
  • Decreased motion in one or both hands, arm, legs or feet
  • Tough to fit into clothes or jewelry on one side of the body.

If someone was born with lymphedema, the symptoms can appear all of a sudden. People, like Janet, can also develop it if their immune system is compromised because of outside influences, such as cancer, trauma and infections.

In Janet’s case, a skin irritation, caused by a change in her laundry detergent, triggered the lymphedema, but it can also be sparked by things like a change in air pressure, extreme temperatures, bug bites, scratches or cuts.

While this condition is not curable, there are many different ways to successfully treat it. Among them are compression garments, massage, certain exercises and a sequential pump, which pushes fluid out of an extremity.

In the Lymphedema Clinic at Northwest Hospital, Cindy enlists the help of medical professionals from a variety of disciplines such as wound care, breast care, urology and primary medicine to treat the whole patient.

When lymphedema strikes, it can vary from mild to severe. In the most serious form, limbs not only swell, but fluid seeps out of a person’s pores. If not treated, the skin can open, causing wounds, blisters and infections.

Because the side effects from lymphedema are visual as well as painful, helping patients both medically and emotionally is important. Having swollen limbs can feel heavy and cause poor posture. Clothes and shoes don’t fit, and a person often becomes immobile, which can also cause weight gain and low self-esteem.

However, Cindy says there is help at a variety of levels. In addition to expert medical treatment of the lymphedema, itself, there is also adaptive equipment to help someone with the tasks of daily living- such as reachers and sock donners-, re-learning how to walk again, as well as strength and endurance training.

Cindy says that she loves many parts of her job, but seeing patients blossom is what she loves most. She says watching her patients progress and seeing them be able to manage and control their lives again is priceless.

*This is not the patient’s real name.

**Cynthia German, Cindy, OTR/L, CLT, is an occupational therapist at Northwest Hospital, who is certified in lymphedema treatment and is also an instructor in the Healthy-Steps program, the only medically based program to treat this condition.

TAGGED:lymphedema
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025
The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
Health care
May 13, 2025
fitness
What Personal Trainers Can & Can’t Say When it Comes to Nutrition
Fitness Wellness
May 12, 2025
online nursing degree
Online FNP Programs Help Advance Your Nursing Career
Career Nursing
May 12, 2025

You Might also Like

PregnancySpecialties

Age Is Just A Number: Everything You Have To Know About Pregnancy In Your 40s

October 6, 2021
Image
Specialties

What Makes Us Who We Are

April 5, 2013
SpecialtiesWellness

Can CBD Oil Be Used To Treat Inflammation? Here’s What To Know

July 15, 2019
bioinformatics with Hallam Stevens
DiagnosticsMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsSpecialtiesTechnology

BioPharma Beat: A Data-Driven History of Bioinformatics

March 4, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?