title: The experience of manual lymph drainage as an aspect of treatment for lymphoedema.
abstract: The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of the patient's experience of a course of manual lymph drainage (MLD for cancer-related lymphoedema. The study used an interpretative approach. Six patients took part in unstructured interviews with the researcher 1 month after a 3-week course of daily MLD, provided by a trained MLD therapist. The researcher also recorded personal observations and thoughts throughout the study period. A number of themes emerged from the data illustrating patients' hopes and expectations regarding MLD. These were often linked with a desired response to treatment. Feelings of relaxation and calm during and after daily MLD were described and the treatment was also found to allow patients time-out to sleep, think or reflect. This small study adds to the limited body of knowledge about MLD and will help lymphoedema therapists identify how this treatment may influence the care of their patients and how resources could be allocated in its future provision.
authors.affiliation: Lymphoedema Services, The Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT, UK.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woods
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012106:Research