Our practice employs a physical therapist who holds a doctorate in edema treatments. So you can come to us for the best help imaginable, and we are also happy to share our advice. In the article below we take a closer look at edema treatment for legs.
What is edema in the legs?
Very simply put, you can say that edema is a (localized) accumulation of fluid. To understand how this occurs, it is extremely important to begin by framing the system that is responsible for the fluid balance in our body: the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is made up of lymph vessels and lymph nodes, also known as lymph nodes. Through the lymphatic system flows lymph fluid, a clear liquid that includes immune cells, waste products and a high concentration of proteins. The lymph nodes are like the purification stations of the lymphatic system. They remove waste products from the lymph fluid and render bacteria and viruses harmless. Thus, they have an important function in the defense against infections. Proper interaction between the lymphatic system, blood vessels, muscle pump and other fluid regulating systems ensures a stable fluid balance in our body.
There are several ways in which the functioning of this system can become disrupted, resulting in edema (or “swelling”) of all forms.
What is edema legs treatment?
Edema is very common in the arms, after breast cancer, for example. But also in the legs, for example in men after prostate cancer surgery, or due to venous pathology (varicose veins,…) this is a common problem. As described above, there are several components of treatment that can help treat edema. So this also applies to edema in the legs.
