Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Manual Physical Therapy Specializing in Manual Lymphatic Drainage
What is Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)?
A gentle, powerful therapy to restore flow, calm the nervous system, and unlock deeper healing.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) is a specialized, light-touch technique designed to stimulate the lymphatic system — the body’s natural detoxification and fluid-balancing network. Using slow, rhythmic movements on the skin, MLD encourages lymph fluid to move more freely, improving circulation, reducing swelling, and supporting your immune system.
In our modern world, many of us live in a chronic sympathetic “fight-or-flight” state — stressed, tense, and disconnected from deep, restorative breathing. MLD works at the intersection of the lymphatic and nervous systems, guiding your body toward a parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” state, where healing, repair, and restoration can truly occur. Clients often notice that during a session, their breath naturally deepens, their heart rate slows, and their entire system feels calmer.
When the superficial lymphatic system is stimulated and flowing freely, it creates a clearer picture of the body’s true restrictions. As a manual therapist, this allows me to identify and address deeper joint, fascia, or muscle restrictions with greater precision — maximizing the effectiveness of your treatment and supporting long-term balance and mobility.
Benefits of Manual Lymphatic Drainage:
- Reduces swelling and water retention
- Improves circulation and tissue oxygenation
- Enhances immune system function
- Supports recovery after injury, illness, or surgery
- Promotes relaxation and stress relief
- Encourages deep, diaphragmatic breathing and nervous system reset
- Helps the body release stored tension and restriction at a deeper level
Contraindications:
Manual Lymphatic Drainage is safe for most people but may not be appropriate if you have:
- Acute infections or fever
- Untreated blood clots (thrombosis)
- Uncontrolled congestive heart failure
- Active cancer (unless cleared by your physician)
- Severe kidney problems
- Certain uncontrolled thyroid conditions
If you have a medical condition, please consult your healthcare provider before booking an MLD session.
Check out our MLD techniques
Cranio-facial Buccal Massage and MLD Session
Cranio-facial Buccal Massage and MLD Session
Cranio-facial Buccal Massage and MLD Session
Contraindications For Buccal Massage: No recent lip fillers or botox injections, no acute infection or recent dental work.
Upper Body Flow & Function
Cranio-facial Buccal Massage and MLD Session
Cranio-facial Buccal Massage and MLD Session
60 minute treatment session
Combines MLD for the upper body, abdomen, head, neck, & shoulders with specialized manual therapy techniques & breathwork to retrain functional movement patterns into the clients body.
Lower Body Fit & Function
Cranio-facial Buccal Massage and MLD Session
Lower Body Fit & Function
From physical therapy to massage therapy and more, we offer a wide range of services to help you achieve optimal health and wellness.
Abdominal Techniques
Complete Full Body MLD Session (includes face, hands, feet)
Lower Body Fit & Function
Contraindications for Abdominal Technique: Recent abdominal surgery within past year. Pregnant.
Complete Full Body MLD Session (includes face, hands, feet)
Complete Full Body MLD Session (includes face, hands, feet)
Complete Full Body MLD Session (includes face, hands, feet)
With multiple locations throughout the area, we make it easy for you to access the care you need, when and where you need it.
Full Body MLD Session (excludes face, hands, feet)
Complete Full Body MLD Session (includes face, hands, feet)
Complete Full Body MLD Session (includes face, hands, feet)
Don't let pain hold you back any longer. Schedule your appointment today and start your journey to a pain-free life with FUNCTION MOTION PREVENTION PHYSICAL THERAPY.
Additional PT Techniques
Manual Therapy
We use a combination of soft tissue and joint mobilization techniques to assist patients with releasing restriction in their body. Our techniques include myofascial release, functional mobilization, strain counterstain, trigger point release, soft tissue mobilization with joint movement, soft tissues release with breathing facilitation, and acupressure. We also use neuromuscular techniques (PNF, contract-relax stretching), to retrain movement patterns back into system.
Breathing Facilitation
Breath integration is a fundamental part of our work. Every patient will have their breathing pattern evaluated, assessed, and treated. Manual therapy techniques are use to treat the diaphragm, anterior chest, cervical spine, and cranial-facial structure to assist the client with finding a more efficient breathing pattern. Restoring your airway and finding an efficient breathing pattern in your body is an integral piece to access your core musculature, and improve your function, mobility, and strength.
Postural Education
Your therapist will educate you on proper sitting and standing postures. They will often provide manual facilitation of these postures to help your body learn where it should be in space to maintain those postures. "Sitting up straight" is not a straight spine. We teach you how to find and maintain the proper curvatures of your spine in both sitting and standing postures.
Corrective Exercise Prescription
Based on what movement patterns are limited in your assessment, your physical therapist will prescribe mobility and stability exercises directly related to the movement pattern that is most dysfunctional. Treating movement patterns is not your traditional physical therapy. Please understand that although you may have come in for low back pain, your therapist may initially prescribe exercises that work on your breathing, neck mobility, or ankle flexibility, before they give you exercises for your back. Your body is a magnificent machine that has many parts, which make up the whole. All of the parts need to be addressed in order for your body to work efficiently and as a system again.
"The Whole is greater than the sum of the parts" - Aristotle. We look at your whole system, not just the parts.
What to expect with Manual Therapy
Manual therapy is a highly effective treatment technique physical therapists use to decrease pain, restore mobility, and function in the body. Drink a lot of water before and after your session to re-hydrate and assist with the restoration of balance in your body, and rid your body of toxins. Occasionally patients will experience increased redness or bruising following a manual therapy session. This is due to small bursts of capillaries that result from the therapist breaking up soft tissue adhesions in your system.