Light, rhythmic work that helps move fluid when swelling is the thing limiting movement. It is the opposite of deep pressure, and it is most often useful after surgery or injury. Sessions at Fit Body Therapy in Los Altos are one-on-one with Angelo dela Cruz, practicing since 1996.
Read This Part First
The phrase “lymphatic drainage” is used for two different things, and people arrive expecting one or the other.
Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage — the Vodder, Leduc and Casley-Smith curricula — is a specific clinical training used in the management of lymphedema, including after lymph node removal. If you have diagnosed lymphedema, or you have had nodes removed and were referred for lymphedema care, you want a certified lymphedema therapist. That is not what happens here, and you should book with someone who holds that credential.
What happens here is light, rhythmic, superficial work used inside an orthopedic session when post-operative or post-injury swelling is restricting range and making firmer work unproductive. It is a tool for movement, applied by someone whose training is in orthopedic bodywork.
Both are legitimate. They are not substitutes, and it is worth knowing which one you are looking for before you book anywhere.
Why Pressure Is the Wrong Tool for Swelling
The lymphatic system has no pump of its own. It relies on muscle contraction, breathing and movement to move fluid, and its vessels sit very superficially — a great deal of the network is immediately under the skin.
That is the reason deep pressure is counterproductive here. Firm work compresses the superficial vessels you are trying to encourage rather than assisting them, and in a swollen, recently operated area it also tends to provoke exactly the guarding that keeps the region stiff.
Light and rhythmic is not a gentler version of deep tissue. It is a different intent aimed at a different tissue.
Where It Fits in Recovery
After a joint replacement, a repair, or a significant injury, swelling does two things. It limits range mechanically, and it makes the area intolerant of the manual work that would restore glide.
So it is often the first phase rather than the whole plan. Reduce what is limiting the tissue, then move on to the scar and adhesion work that resolves the longer-term restriction. On this site that continues as instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization and manual scar work.
Who Books This
- Post-surgical recovery where swelling is limiting range weeks after the procedure
- Post-injury swelling that has outlasted the acute phase
- Areas too sensitive for firmer work, as a way in before deeper treatment
Not the right fit for: diagnosed lymphedema, active infection, deep vein thrombosis, or congestive heart failure. Those need medical direction, and in the case of lymphedema, a certified lymphedema therapist. Clear it with your surgeon or physician first if you are early in a recovery protocol.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you a certified lymphedema therapist?
No. Angelo is a CAMTC certified massage professional and AMTA member practicing orthopedic bodywork. If you need lymphedema management, you want a CLT, and it is worth asking for that credential specifically.
Will this help with post-surgical swelling?
Often, when swelling is the thing limiting your range and you are past the acute phase. Check with your surgeon about timing first — protocols vary by procedure.
Is this a detox treatment?
No. Your liver and kidneys handle that. The lymphatic system moves interstitial fluid and supports immune function, and the reason to do this work is swelling that is limiting movement — not detoxification, which is a marketing idea rather than a mechanism.
Do I book it separately?
No. You book a session, and the assessment determines whether this is the right starting point.
Book a session at Fit Body Therapy in Los Altos and we will work out whether this is the right first phase for where you are in recovery. Serving Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale.