Surgery is a BIG thing for our bodies. There’s the medication and anaesthetic, the trauma to skin, muscles and other tissues, the emotional stress . . . .

Now admittedly these can vary HUGELY depending on the procedure – open heart surgery is a totally different conversation to an arthroscopy for instance. But all three things happen in all surgeries, whether you are excited to have it (cosmetic surgery for instance) or concerned.

I spoke about what you can do before surgery to improve the results (short answer – exercise and specific supplements), this week let’s talk about the 3 key things you can do to improve your results after surgery.

50% less pain and swelling

Yup, that’s right – you can reduce your pain and swelling by up to 50%. And it won’t even hurt.

Getting lymphatic drainage massage after surgery will reduce your pain and swelling by up to 50%. And, because it’s such a gentle therapy, you can start it almost immediately.

We use two main methods at our clinic, manual and electro lymphatic. Both are gentle enough to start within 1-2 weeks post-operative. However, some of the other mechanical methods can put a lot of pressure on the wounds (it’s what they are designed to do after all!) which means you should wait a little longer before starting, closer to 6-12 weeks depending on your wound healing.

Often recommended and scheduled to improve results after cosmetic surgery, lymphatic drainage can actually help after pretty much every type of surgical intervention.

At the Supermarket

What you put in your trolley can affect how quickly you heal. Following an anti-inflammatory diet for a few weeks after surgery can help your body recover more quickly. Lisa, our Digestive Expert, has written an indepth plan that you can follow.

Motion is lotion

Whatever your surgery was for, getting mobile safely as quickly as possible will help.

It gets the good, healing blood flowing to the wound and helps the bad get moved away by your lymphatic system.

While usually part of the program for orthopaedic surgery, careful, safe movement and exercise will help you recover faster and with less long term effects from most surgical procedures.

What first?

If you aren’t sure what is best for you then you can book a free telephone consultation with us to help you get to the right people in the right place as quickly as possible.

We are also happy to help with personalised treatment plans over email, WhatsApp and in person as required.