The importance of the role the lymphatic system plays in our bodies is becoming increasingly evident. The lymphatic system involves an intricate network of vessels that rinse the body’s tissue spaces, preventing them from becoming overwhelmed with cellular debris, toxins, viruses, and bacteria. Our daily environment is becoming progressively more inundated with chemicals and disease states that we come in contact with during our daily routines.

Evidence suggests a strong relationship between the benefits of manual lymphatic drainage and those suffering with post-COVID congestion. While working on lymphedema patients during the COVID pandemic, we quickly became aware of the ramifications an inflammatory response can have on the entire body. Even though a COVID cytokine storm is an extreme example of how inflammatory conditions can impact fluid retention in other parts of the body, it serves as an example of how we can apply the way we look at all inflammatory conditions and how they create fluid retention, as well as and the repercussions it has on the body and its systems.

Lymphatic fluid moving through our body will return to the heart by entering a vein on the side of your neck called the venous cava. Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, degenerative joint disease, sciatica, migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and muscle tears, all create an increase in the volume of water in the body, which the lymphatic system is responsible for removing. For this reason, we encourage our clients to view all inflammatory conditions and the ramifications multiple conditions can have on the body –  especially when they occur in combination.