One Eleven Health Hub

LYMPHEDEMA AND LIPEDEMA - WHAT TO KNOW

Lymphedema and lipedema are more common than most people think. They also get missed, or written off as just swelling, just weight, or just getting older.

They are not the same condition. Both can leave a limb feeling heavy, tight, uncomfortable, and harder to move. Gentle Vodder trained Manual Lymphatic Drainage can help by stimulating the lymphatic system and moving accumulated fluid toward areas that can still drain it.

The cause is not always obvious. Lipedema is still considered idiopathic. We do not have one proven cause, though it often runs in families and is seen far more often in women. Primary lymphedema can also appear without a clear trigger, and a family history can make it more likely. Secondary lymphedema is different. It has a known reason, most often damage to or removal of lymph nodes.

That is how a lot of secondary lymphedema starts after cancer treatment. When lymph nodes have been taken out, or the area has had radiation, drainage in that limb changes. Swelling does not only show up straight after surgery. It can appear months or years later. If a sleeve, ring, or shoe suddenly feels tighter on the treated side, that matters, even when the cancer treatment was a long time ago.

If you are currently in treatment for cancer, or still under the care of an oncologist, please get permission from your oncologist before starting MLD. This does not replace oncology or surgical follow-up. Once you have that go-ahead, MLD can help with fluid, heaviness, tightness, and comfort in a limb that is no longer draining as it used to.

A Vodder trained lymphedema therapist cannot diagnose lymphedema or lipedema. Only a doctor can do that. Nurses, physiotherapists, and massage therapists may all train in MLD. What matters is proper Vodder training and how the work is done. If several of the symptoms below sound familiar, an appointment with your physician can help you get a diagnosis. In the meantime a Vodder trained lymphedema therapist can start helping with comfort, heaviness, and fluid congestion.

WHY MLD CAN HELP

When lymph flow is sluggish, fluid sits in the tissues. That extra volume puts pressure on nerves and the structures around them. People often describe heaviness, tightness, aching, or clothes and jewellery that suddenly feel too snug.
Gentle Vodder MLD works with the lymphatic system rather than forcing it. The aim is to help stagnant fluid move toward areas that can drain it better, so the tissues are under less pressure and the limb often feels lighter.

HOW IT WORKS

The work is slow, rhythmic, and very light. Specific hand techniques follow lymphatic pathways and encourage the vessels to take up and move fluid. It is not a deep massage. That lightness is what many people with lymphedema need, including post-cancer lymphedema, and what many people with lipedema need when fluid has built up as well.
Not all lymphatic drainage is the same. Some work advertised as MLD, including firmer “Brazilian” style treatments, is built for body sculpting and uses much more pressure. That is a different technique and a different goal. Vodder MLD for lymphedema and lipedema is slow, light, and specific. It is not a contouring massage.
MLD is one part of care. Compression, skin care, movement, and medical follow-up still matter, and those pieces are discussed with you during the initial consultation. Fitting for compression garments is referred out to local pharmacies.

CELLULITIS

This part matters. If a swollen limb becomes red, hot, painful, or you have fever or flu-like symptoms, that can be cellulitis. It can become serious quickly if it is not treated early. Contact your doctor or urgent care the same day. MLD is not the first step while an infection is active. Once it has been medically treated and you have been cleared, lymphatic work can be discussed again.

A QUICK LYMPHEDEMA CHECKLIST

This is not a diagnosis. Use it as a reason to book in, and to speak with your doctor if several of these apply:
• Swelling in an arm, leg, hand, foot, or another area that does not fully settle • A heavy, tight, or too-full feeling • Clothes, rings, watches, or shoes feeling tighter on one side • Aching or reduced movement • Swelling that is worse later in the day • Skin that starts to feel thicker or firmer over time • Repeated skin infections in the same area • New or returning swelling in a limb months or years after lymph node surgery or radiation
Lipedema looks different. It more often shows as symmetrical, painful, diet-resistant fat, commonly in the legs, often with easy bruising. The feet are often spared at first. Some people have both. A physician makes the diagnostic call. MLD can still help with the fluid and discomfort that often come with it.

WHAT TO BOOK

If you think you may have lymphedema or lipedema and you have not spoken with anyone yet, a 45 minute consultation only appointment is usually the best place to start. That visit is for history, what you are noticing, and whether MLD is appropriate. If the picture is more involved, stay with that 45 minute consultation first rather than jumping into a long treatment.
If the condition is already diagnosed and has been well managed and controlled, book 60, 75, or 90 minutes. Which length fits best depends on the area or areas where symptoms are present, and how many limbs need work.
If you are not sure which to choose, call or text 902 529 1916. Leave a message if we cannot pick up and we will get back to you.

WHY THE TRAINING MATTERS

Lymphatic work is a specialty. MLD is practised by more than one profession, including nurses, physiotherapists, and massage therapists. Neil Thorogood is a Registered Massage Therapist and Vodder trained lymphedema therapist at One Eleven Health Hub in Lower Branch, near Bridgewater on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. He is trained in Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) through Vodder School International, Levels 1, 2 and 3.

BOOKING

Online booking and direct billing are now available for most major insurance companies.
Book with Neil Thorogood, RMT https://oneelevenhealthhub.janeapp.com
Call or text 902 529 1916 mailto:[email protected] 111 Lower Branch Road, Lower Branch, NS Minutes from Bridgewater, Exit 12 off Highway 103
One Eleven Health Hub. Vodder MLD and CDT.

Why is it so important to decongest before being fitted for compression garments?

Compression garments are designed to contain and maintain — not to reduce a swollen limb.

If you are fitted while your limb is significantly swollen, your garment is being made to fit the swelling you already have.

Decongesting first allows the limb to be reduced and shaped before measurements are taken. Then your compression garment can do what it is meant to do — help maintain that reduction.

I have seen the difference firsthand during my own treatment this year, and it has really reinforced for me just how important this step is.

Decongest. Measure. Fit. Maintain. 💙

💙 DO YOU LIVE WITH LYMPHEDEMA OR CHRONIC EDEMA?

There may be funding available to help with the cost of your compression garments!

Round 2 of the LANS Compression Garment Funding Pilot Program is NOW OPEN!
Applications are being accepted September 1 – December 1, 2026.
The program provides funding support for eligible compression garments for Nova Scotia residents living with lymphedema or chronic edema.

If the cost of compression garments has been a barrier for you, this is definitely worth looking into!

Want to know if you're eligible or how to apply?
Visit:
🌐 www.LymphedemaNovaScotia.com

We’re sharing this because we know how important properly fitted compression can be for managing lymphedema and chronic edema, and we want to make sure our patients and others throughout Nova Scotia know that this funding is available.

💙 Please SHARE this post with anyone you know who may benefit. You never know who might need this information!
And if you need support with lymphedema management, Manual Lymphatic Drainage or decongestive therapy, Neil is here to help. He is Vodder-trained in Manual Lymphatic Drainage and a certified Lymphedema & Decongestive Therapist.

💙 Let’s spread the word and help get this information to the people who need it!

PRE AND POST SURGERY. POST INJURY

Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) at One Eleven Health Hub, Lower Branch, near Bridgewater.

TO WORK TOWARD:
• Less swelling
• Less pressure
• Less pain
• Faster recovery

That tight, heavy, too-full feeling after a sprain, a knock, or surgery is often extra fluid sitting in the tissues. Fluid takes up space. Space raises internal pressure. Pressure on the nerves usually means more pain.

MLD is not a deep-tissue massage. In this instance, with swelling present after injury or surgery, deep-tissue work on the congested area is usually the wrong tool. Extra pressure on already swollen tissue can add inflammation, add pain, and slow early recovery. MLD is a light, rhythmic, skin-deep treatment that helps move some of that fluid out of the congested area. As swelling drops, pressure drops. With less pressure on the nerves, pain often eases.

WHO IS IT FOR?
Pre-surgery, post-surgery, and post-injury, when swelling is present or likely.
On the South Shore that often means an ankle or knee sprain, a shoulder injury, orthopaedic surgery, or general surgery.
If you live with lymphedema, lipedema, or post-cancer swelling, MLD is also a core part of Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT).

USED AT THE RIGHT TIME, MLD CAN HELP
• reduce post-injury swelling
• reduce post-surgery swelling
• decrease pain by lowering internal pressure on the nerves
• support cleaner tissue healing and help limit excess scar tissue
• make walking, sleeping, and getting back to daily life easier
Less fluid. Less pressure. Less pain. More room to heal.

WHEN TO START
Early treatment is best practice. Pre-surgery MLD, when there is time for it, can prepare the tissues before the operation.
After surgery, always get authorization from your surgeon before treatment. Work can begin as soon as that clearance is given. Same-day treatment is possible for some people. After a general anaesthetic, most people are better the day after. A short series of visits is usually more useful than a single session.

SUGGESTED NUMBER OF VISITS
• Before surgery: a couple of sessions if there is time
• After surgery or injury: 2 to 3 visits a week for the first couple of weeks
• After that: less often, only if swelling, tightness, or discomfort is still there
The suggested number of sessions is discussed and agreed by patient and therapist at the first post-injury or post-surgical appointment. With the patient’s consent, that number can be reduced or increased later, depending on how the area responds.

WHY THE TRAINING MATTERS
Lymphatic work is a specialty. Neil Thorogood is a Registered Massage Therapist at One Eleven Health Hub and a Vodder-trained Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) therapist (Vodder School International, Levels 1, 2 and 3). That training is specifically for swelling, pre- and post-surgical care, lymphedema, lipedema, and injury recovery.

BOOK
Online booking and direct billing are available for most major insurance companies.
https://oneelevenhealthhub.janeapp.com
A 60-minute treatment can be enough for some more common injuries, for example an ankle sprain. For a more serious injury or post-surgical visit, a 90-minute MLD assessment and treatment is usually the better first booking. It leaves time for a full intake discussion, assessment if needed, and treatment. Unsure which to choose? Call or text and we will help.
Book Manual Lymphatic Drainage with Neil Thorogood, RMT, CDT
One Eleven Health Hub, Lower Branch, minutes from Bridgewater, Exit 12 off Highway 103
https://oneelevenhealthhub.janeapp.com/ /3
Call or text 902 529 1916
mailto:[email protected]
111 Lower Branch Road, Lower Branch, NS B4V 4M4

Sharing this post of Krystals and I just wanted to add a little note of gratitude to everyone who has come out to the community acupuncture sessions that Krystal and I have offered this year. ❤️
We donate our time so that these sessions can be available to everyone for free, and we’re so grateful to those who choose to make a donation when they attend.
Those donations allow Krystal to purchase back-to-school supplies for local families to pick up for free.
Thank you for helping us turn these small community sessions into something that can give back in another way. We really appreciate everyone who has supported them. ❤️
And a very special shoutout to Krystal, who puts so much time and heart into this. She’s the one out there shopping for all the supplies, putting everything together, and making it happen, and she’s still doing it all this year with a brand-new baby! 🥹❤️
Krystal you are a superstar
Thank you to everyone who has supported our acupuncture sessions and helped make this little community project possible. ❤️

One day only! ALL school items are FREE

12 to 2 pm
724 king street in Bridgewater
First come first serve

Please bring remaining donations by Thursday in our lobby in the box

☀️ Summer Holiday Notice ☀️

One Eleven Health Hub is now closed for our summer break.

The clinic will reopen on Monday, August 17th, and we'll respond to all phone calls, emails, and messages as soon as possible after we return.

If you'd like to book a massage therapy appointment with Neil while we're away, online booking remains available 24/7 at https://oneelevenhealthhub.janeapp.com

Thank you so much for your continued support.
We look forward to seeing you back in clinic soon

Maria & Neil
One Eleven Health Hub

We have two last massage therapy appointments available this week, Then we will be closed for the next 2 weeks for our Summer vacation.

Wednesday 29th 1pm - 90 or 60 mins available.
Thursday 30th 4pm - 60 minutes

Community Acupuncture has been cancelled for this evening!

Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

Do You Long to Slow Your Racing Mind & Truly Relax?

If you’re constantly battling a racing mind that just won’t slow
down or shut off, you’re not alone.

While many massage therapists offer relaxation massages,
very few provide the deep mental wind down that Manual
Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) delivers for many clients.
Although its primary role is to stimulate the lymphatic system,
boost immune function, and help remove excess fluid from the
tissues, this gentle, non-muscular treatment also powerfully
activates the parasympathetic, “rest & digest” system. It quiets
the racing mind and leaves many people feeling profoundly
calm, relaxed, and often ready for bed.

Perfect for unwinding after work, when you need it most!

Discover the deep relaxation of manual lymphatic drainage,

Book with Neil Thorogood, RMT at 902-529-1916 or book

online at oneelevenhealthhub.janeapp.com
(select 60 minute MLD treatment — no bandaging required).

📍 One Eleven Health Hub – Lower Branch, South Shore,
Nova Scotia (just minutes from Bridgewater)
💆 Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), Myofascial Release
(MFR), Neurofascial Reset (NFR), & General Swedish
Massage

* We do direct bill with most insurance companies *

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Tickets are now available for this years Atlantic menopause show in November - This should be an amazing day packed full of information. I was on a training course last year and unable to go - but I’m looking forward to attending this year. Apparently tickets sold out quickly last year so grab them while you can!

Atlantic Menopause Show presented by IWK Foundation Dive into the Atlantic Menopause Show for real talks, expert tips, and good vibes all about women’s midlife journey!