POST OP MASSAGES
Post Op Massages
All you need to know about it
Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) and post-operative manual therapy are both types of manual therapy that can help with post-operative recovery, but they differ in their focus and techniques:
“Focus:
MLD focuses on the lymphatic system, while post-operative massage therapy focuses on all the parts compromised during surgery.Techniques:MLD uses a gentle touch to stimulate the entire lymphatic system, while post-operative massage therapy could focus on the region surgically treated.
BenefitsMLD can help reduce swelling and inflammation, support the immune system, and promote detoxification.Post-operative massage therapy can help improve circulation, reduce swelling and stiffness, and relax muscle tissue.
Post-surgical lymphatic massage is a series of gentle, rhythmic motions that imitate the body’s natural lymphatic pulsations. Unlike regular massage therapy, where the therapist needs oil to slide easily over the skin, lymphatic massage professionals must avoid using oils so they can make the proper motions.
Post op after facelift , after cosmetic surgery massages are essential part of your results.
Why Post Op are different than regular lymphatic drainage?
With the surge of cosmetic surgeries and the high demand for post-op therapists, many people are attempting to perform massages on post-op patients. Estheticians, nurses, and nurse assistants, amongst others, are making “massages” to patients after their surgery without the proper training and, unfortunately, outside their scope of practice.
They also provide other modalities, such as pressotherapy and lymphatic drainage machinery, with a wide variety of devices that claim to be effective, but unfortunately, they waste valuable recovery time.
Post-op is another specialization of massage therapy. In the same way, manual lymphatic drainage, or MLD, requires additional training and certification.
It is not the same as performing lymphatic drainage on a breast cancer patient who has had the lymph nodes removed as performing a session on a person who needs to detox or someone who has undergone a liposuction 360.
This is one of the main reasons why many surgeons recommend avoiding post-op massages, as they consider it to be risky. In reality, a properly trained post-op therapist can undertake your after-cosmetic surgery protocol, ensuring a safe and quicker recovery.
Our therapists are experienced in working with you as soon as your surgeon clears you up, as soon as 24 hours after liposuction, tummy tuck, any other surgery.
Browse our most frequently asked questions to know more.
When should I book POST OP OR THE FIRST CHOICE?
Ideally, it should begin 24 hours after your surgery and no later than the third day, unless otherwise noted by your surgeon.
Before the fourth day and when you have not received any therapies or massages, professionally or not, not even self-massage.
Typically between 10 and 15 sessions, should be enough if the correct technique has been applied.
It is always convenient to purchase a package so we can allocate time for your treatment instead of booking sessions one by one.
Plan ahead as our services are very popular and availability is limited.
Things to keep in mind when booking individual sessions:
- It’s important to remember that post-op is a treatment that requires multiple sessions within a specific timeframe. Some patients believe they can save money by getting ten regular massages at a discounted spa and then only coming to us for one session, expecting all issues to be miraculously resolved. Others may come in for just one monthly session and expect results similar to those in magazine covers.
- The protocol emphasizes the areas surgically treated. The minimum time per session is 45 minutes for one area. It is necessary to increment 15 minutes for each additional area.
- Please scroll down for our more frequently asked questions about Post Op.
- Have you performed a self-massage? Have you received massages elsewhere? If you answer yes and you’re before the third week of surgery, see our Post-Surgery Drainage®.
- Schedule a consultation if you are unsure of the best course of action.
Book your first session of weekday Post-Surgery Drainage below and feel the difference. If you are fresh out of surgery, let us handle your post-op and be your first choice! For “Our Very Own” therapeutic plan, click here!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I want to book only 45 minutes, but I have lipo in multiple areas. Would that be enough?
If you are about to dye your hair and the box recommends leaving the color in for 40 minutes, washing it off after 15 minutes won’t work effectively. The same happens here that each area needs time for the therapist to work on.
How many sessions will I need?
Depending on the condition you are when you come to our practice. The therapist will do a quick evaluation with your first session.
My doctor recommended a total of ten sessions and I already did eight. Can I book just two?
Sure, you can. The first session includes a quick evaluation; based on that assessment, the therapist will suggest whether your arrival condition is optimal for discontinuing the treatment or if more sessions are needed.
What difference does it make buying the sessions in package than individually?
Buying sessions in a package allows us to establish a protocol and distribute them strategically for a better outcome. When you book individual sessions as you go, they are always like the first session, not allowing a proper treatment protocol to be implemented. Additionally, we cannot guarantee availability.
I still have the drains, can you still do the therapy?
Our therapists are trained and experienced in post-op. They can work on you even if you have the drains sill in.
I had three sessions at the surgery place and the masseuse opened the incisions with a Q-tip for me to drain. Can you do that?
Introducing any object into the incision is not only outside the scope of practice of a massage therapist but is a massive risk for the patient.
Lymphatic drainage and post-op modalities are never incisional. Furthermore, in most states, it is against the law.
