Table 1.
Lymphatic exercises | Physiological rationales |
---|---|
Muscle-tightening deep breathing | Whole body lymph fluid has to be drained through the lymphatic ducts above the heart. Muscle-tightening-deep-breathing stimulates lymphatic ducts to promote lymph fluid draining. |
Lymph fluid drains when muscles move. Muscle-tightening-deep-breathing creates the whole body muscle movements that create muscle milking and pumping action and help drain lymph fluid. | |
Deep breathing enhances muscle pumping in the upper body by contracting the external intercostal muscles, the accessory muscles of inspiration, and the diaphragm during inspiration and the internal intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles during expiration. | |
Deep breathing decreases oxidative stress and oxygenates body tissues. It decreases inflammation and promotes wound healing. | |
Muscle-tightening pumping Over-the-head pumping Horizontal pumping Push-down pumping |
Muscle-tightening pumping exercises create arm muscle milking and pumping, including the main anterior upper arm muscles (biceps brachii, brachialis, coracobrachialis), the posterior muscle of triceps brachii, and deltoid muscle (ie, the anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, and posterior deltoid). The pumping of these muscles increases lymph fluid flow and decreases the fluid build-up in the arms. |
Muscle-tightening pumping exercises build the arm muscles that help lymph fluid flow and drain. | |
Shoulder exercises Shoulder rolls Clasp and spread Reach to the sky |
Improved limb mobility facilitates local muscle movements that
create muscle milking and pumping to promote lymph fluid flow
and drainage. Shoulder exercises create arm muscle milking and pumping by moving the main anterior upper arm muscles (biceps brachii, brachialis, coracobrachialis), the posterior muscle of triceps brachii, and deltoid muscle (ie, the anterior deltoid, lateral deltoid, and posterior deltoid). |