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Writer's pictureTayler Kurtzman

Using PDTR To Address Those Lingering Lymphatic Issues

The lymphatic system works with the cardiovascular system to transport lymph around the body, a clear watery fluid derived from blood. This helps remove the waste and toxins from the body that is created during nutrient exchange around the blood vessels. The lymphatic system is also responsible for your immune system so it is important to keeping this system functioning to avoid infections and sickness.

If you have an issue with your lymphatic system you might start to notice:

  • Edema

  • Prone to being sick or infections

  • Sinus problems

  • Pain that worsens over night but improves with movement during the day

Massage and P-DTR on helping the lymphatic system

First it's important to note that below I am describing swedish massage techniques and not Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD). I have no training in MLD and it is a specialization designed specifically for lymphatic work.


Massage therapy is an amazing tool for helping to stimulate the lymphatics. By applying swedish massage techniques towards the heart and in line with the lymphatic system you can promote the flow of lymph and help decrease inflammation.


I remember when I first learned cupping early on in my career, I went to a family reunion and my aunt was using crutches for months after a surgery and couldn't walk on her swollen leg. I did a little dynamic cupping from the ankle moving up towards the hip in the evening before bed and over night it not only decreased the edema but she texted almost everyone attending the reunion telling them she could stand up on her own for the first time in a long time and didn't wake up in pain. It was a powerful moment early on in my career.


So swedish massage and cupping therapy can be amazing for promoting the lymphatics but what if there is a structural blockage. If there are locked muscles this is like someone stepping on a tube and blocking the flow of lymph. If you're unfamiliar with neurology work a locked muscle is often noted to be strong and unable to properly relax due to the brain/nervous system not allowing so to help compensate something else in the body. Hypertonic/locked muscles sometimes, but not always, can compress nerves, lymphatics, veins/arteries.


So P-DTR can use assessments to locate and treat these locked muscles compressing the lymphatics and return them to a normal state allowing proper flow of lymph.


So after releasing the muscles with P-DTR following up with massage therapy can be extremely beneficial.


Client Experience with P-DTR:

Recently I had a client who came in who was struggling with lymphatic issues for the last 2 years and had tried a large variety of things to help resolve the problem around the armpits and lower limbs. These areas felt very swollen.


When she came in I started with a P-DTR assessment to determine if there is indeed a lymphatic issue and she came back positive for having an issue somewhere in the body. Then using my treatment protocol I was able to determine that there was a locked pectoralis minor on the left side that was causing problems. Upon clearing that I determined there was another issue with a locked left psoas and also returned it to a normal functional state. I relieved the compressions and upon repeating the assessment we found that there were no other issues to be found that I could address.


I saw her again a week later and she was dumbfounded and kept asking what I did to her. She explained that the lymphatics in her left arm and lower body were feeling much better and she tried everything to get these results. I just explained the 2 corrections we did using functional neurology. We spent the next session doing some quality control and working on anything else that could bolster the results we acheived. She was very satisfied!


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