Acute cardiovascular responses to a session of Manual Lymphatic Drainage

Abstract

Introduction: Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) creates pressure differentials to promote the movement of lymph and interstitial fluid, for their relocation into the bloodstream and can thus act on the variables responsible for determining blood pressure (BP). Objective: To investigate the behavior of hemodynamic parameters, such as BP and Heart Rate (HR) during and immediately after a session of MLD. Materials and methods: 23 healthy young volunteers with a mean age of 22 ± 2.97 years (18-29), underwent a session of MLD and evaluation of systolic BP, diastolic BP and HR after 10 minutes of initial rest, at the end of the implementation of the protocol in SP, PP and after 15 minutes of final rest. Results: No changes were found in systolic BP or diastolic BP before, during and immediately after the MLD session (p = 0.57, p = 0.20, respectively). There was increased heart rate after the final 15 minute rest when compared to the HR after MLD in SP(72 ± 1.9 vs. 76 ± 1.9, p = 0.002), however, without clinical relevance. Conclusion: During a session of MLDwith healthy young women, no significant hemodynamic changes occurred, demonstrating that this techniqueis safe from the cardiovascular point of view.