Lymphedema Therapy

Megan Lord is a cancer rehab physical therapist with lee health. “65 to 90% of the cancer patients have at least one rehab need.” One of her specialties is helping those who are dealing with Lymphedema. “Any of those patients that had lymph nodes removed during surgery, or had lymph nodes removed in radiation can have reduced transport capacity of their of their lymphatic system. So they build up with fluid in the arm, leg, or head and neck.”

Lymphedema can increase your risk of infection, wounds may heal slower, and joints may feel stiff or sore. “We do certified treatments of manual lymphatic massage, the use of compression, and certain exercises to help move the fluid out of that area,” said Lord.

If your lymph nodes have to be removed because of your cancer treatment, they don’t grow back. “You help them with other routes and reroute that fluid to other areas that have working lymph nodes to help rid the fluid,” said Lord.

Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.