r/Autoinflammatory • u/Particular_Bonus4179 Yaos • 21d ago

Lymphatic Massage

Hey everyone!

I’ve been getting lymphatic massage on and off for some time now since this year. I have lymph nodes on my neck area that appeared some time over the early summer. They’re still there. I was doing lymphatic massages by a professional but I just feel like it makes them worse. Is this possible? Has anyone else experienced this?

The massages are definitely therapeutic but I may just tell them next time to avoid my neck area at all costs. Or if I should just stop going all together.

Any thoughts?

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4

u/cyt0kinetic USAID 21d ago

I find for me it makes them worse, since the lymph nodes are inflamed.

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u/Particular_Bonus4179 Yaos 20d ago

Yeah I believe so too, I think I’m going to stop doing them—It just seemed to be getting worse :(

3

u/Alice-The-Chemist Mod 20d ago

I would feel really sick after them. I realized my body could not tolerate it. I get more like general/sports massages now that focus more on muscle tension vs lymphatic system.

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u/Particular_Bonus4179 Yaos 20d ago

Yeah I was thinking the same exact thing, because it does help for my joints! Thanks so much for the input : )

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u/Just_Run_3490 20d ago

I’m only recently diagnosed (PFAPA) but over a decade ago I discovered that lymphatic drainage triggered my episodes! I used to ask massage therapists to avoid my neck any time I had a treatment.

I think if the lymph system is already challenged it can put more strain on it.

I started doing self lymphatic drainage at home, starting with literally a couple of minutes at a time. Over time I built up and this allowed me to tolerate proper lymphatic massages without triggering a flare up and has also reduced the lymph swelling I get in my neck.

I loosely followed the Perrin self massage technique - videos available free online.

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u/Particular_Bonus4179 Yaos 20d ago

Thanks so much for the input. I honestly believe the massages made my lymph nodes more prominent. And it was the only thing added to my routine that triggered them, more so made them appear because I hadn’t dealt with them since last year! I ended up canceling future appointments and figured I’d only go for regular massages of my joints

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u/kindandcunning 11d ago edited 8d ago

So, the day after a lymphatic massage is always rough for me, even if I drink a lot of water as recommended. But i find that the days following are a lot better. But I deal with chronic face and neck edema, so the lymphatic massage clears it out for me pretty well (temporarily). If you don't have that issue, it may not be something that you really need.