Post-Operative Lymphatic Care
Gentle Support For Your Body During Recovery
Supporting your body through the changes that come with surgery.
Surgery places significant demands on the body.
Swelling, fluid accumulation, tightness and changes in tissue mobility can be a normal part of the recovery process, but they can also leave you feeling uncomfortable and disconnected from your body.
Post-Operative Lymphatic Care at Embody is designed to provide gentle, supportive hands-on care during appropriate stages of recovery.
Treatment is individualised around your procedure, your stage of recovery and the guidance of your surgical or medical team.
Treatment Options
60 MINUTES | $185
A focused treatment for targeted areas of post-operative swelling, fluid retention or tissue restriction.
90 MINUTES | $245
Our recommended option when more comprehensive lymphatic support is appropriate.
What Happens To Your Body After Surgery?
Swelling and changes in the tissues can occur as part of the body's response to surgery.
Your lymphatic system plays an important role in managing fluid within the tissues, and surgical procedures can temporarily alter normal lymphatic pathways.
You may notice:
Swelling or puffiness
A feeling of heaviness or fullness
Tight or restricted tissues
Changes in sensation
Areas of tenderness
Reduced comfortable movement
Every procedure and every body is different.
Your recovery needs to be individualised too.
How We Approach Your Treatment
Post-operative treatment is not about forcing fluid through the body.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage uses gentle, rhythmic techniques designed to support lymphatic fluid movement.
Depending on your stage of recovery and medical clearance, treatment may also incorporate carefully selected techniques to support comfortable tissue mobility.
Your treatment may include:
Manual Lymphatic Drainage | Vodder Method®
Gentle fascial techniques where appropriate
Breathing techniques
Nervous-system regulation
The techniques used will depend on your procedure and what is appropriate at the time of your appointment.
Your Surgeon Comes First
Your surgeon or medical team is responsible for your post-operative medical care.
Before booking, you should follow their specific instructions regarding:
When hands-on treatment can begin
Areas that may or may not be treated
Incisions and wound care
Compression
Exercise and movement
Any specific post-operative restrictions
Medical clearance may be required before treatment.
If your surgeon has given you specific instructions that differ from general information on this website, their advice takes priority.
Scars & Tissue Changes
As your body progresses through recovery, you may notice changes in the texture and mobility of tissues around surgical sites.
Scar tissue continues to remodel over time.
Once your incisions are appropriately healed and your medical team has cleared you for hands-on work, scar and fascial techniques may be considered where appropriate.
Scar therapy is not performed over open wounds or unhealed surgical sites.
Who Is Post-Operative Lymphatic Care For?
This treatment may be appropriate following procedures or medical treatment where lymphatic support has been recommended, including:
Cancer surgery and cancer treatment
Lymph-node removal or lymph-node dissection
Breast surgery, including mastectomy and reconstruction
Cosmetic surgery
Abdominal procedures
Body contouring procedures
Orthopaedic surgery
Other surgical procedures where post-operative lymphatic support has been recommended
Post-operative lymphatic care may be used to support swelling, fluid movement, comfort and recovery following appropriate procedures.
Suitability depends on your individual surgery, medical history and stage of recovery.
If you are undergoing or recovering from cancer treatment, have had lymph nodes removed, or are unsure whether MLD is appropriate for you, please speak with your surgeon, oncologist or medical team before booking.
When Should I Book?
There is no universal timeline.
Different procedures have different recovery requirements, and your surgeon may have specific recommendations about when lymphatic treatment can begin.
Please don't book based solely on a general timeframe you have seen online.
Your medical team's clearance and instructions should guide your treatment.
When To Contact Your Medical Team
Post-operative swelling can be expected, but some symptoms require medical assessment.
If you experience sudden or worsening swelling, significant redness or heat, increasing pain, fever, unusual discharge, shortness of breath, chest pain or anything that concerns you, contact your surgeon or seek appropriate medical care.
Post-operative lymphatic treatment is supportive care — it does not replace medical follow-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need clearance from my surgeon?
Depending on your procedure and stage of recovery, yes. We recommend following your surgeon's instructions before commencing hands-on treatment.
Will you work directly over my incisions?
Not while wounds are open or healing. Any work around surgical sites is adapted to your stage of recovery and medical guidance.
Can you treat my scar?
Potentially, once the area is appropriately healed and you've been cleared for hands-on work. Scar therapy can be incorporated when appropriate.
Will MLD remove my swelling?
MLD may support lymphatic fluid movement and comfort, but post-operative recovery varies considerably between individuals. We don't promise a particular outcome.
Can I have other techniques during my post-op treatment?
Only when appropriate for your procedure and stage of healing. Post-operative care is more conservative than a standard bodywork session.
Post-Operative Lymphatic Care
60 min | $185
Focused post-operative lymphatic support.
90 min | $245
A more comprehensive treatment where appropriate.
Gentle Support. Thoughtful Recovery.
Your body has been through something significant.
Recovery isn't about rushing it.
It's about giving your body the time, space and appropriate support it needs along the way.
At Embody, we meet your body where it is.
Quisque iaculis facilisis lacinia. Mauris euismod pellentesque tellus sit amet mollis.