Lymphatic Drainage Therapy in Spokane

Lymphatic drainage therapy — also called Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) — is a specific manual technique that uses light, rhythmic strokes to encourage movement of lymphatic fluid through the body.

What the lymphatic system does

Your vestibular apparatus is located deep within the inner ear and is responsible for providing your brain with information about head position, balance, motion, and spatial orientation. It’s how your brain knows where your head is in space and how fast it’s moving. It helps you stay upright and keeps your vision steady as you move. When the vestibular system is working, you don’t notice it.

When it isn’t, it’s common to feel off balance, dizzy, woozy, nauseated, lightheaded, or as if the world is spinning. When this happens, walking becomes risky because you’re more likely to fall, and even driving, reading, or scrolling on a screen can become difficult or trigger more symptoms.

Vestibular rehabilitation works to reduce dizziness and other symptoms and restore balance by leveraging the brain’s ability to compensate through three main neurological processes.

When to seek lymphatic drainage

If you have any of the following, you should be seen by a Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT) — not a general massage practitioner offering “lymphatic drainage”:

Lymphedema (chronic swelling, often unilateral, frequently following lymph node removal or radiation)
Lipedema (a connective tissue disorder primarily affecting women, characterized by symmetrical fat accumulation in the legs and arms)
Post-mastectomy or post-surgical lymphedema
Chronic venous insufficiency with secondary lymphedema

For these conditions, look for therapists with credentials such as CLT-LANA (the Lymphology Association of North America), Vodder School certification, or training through the Klose Training, Norton School, or Académie Vodder programs. Proper treatment involves more than manual drainage alone — it includes compression bandaging or garments, meticulous skin care, exercise prescription, and patient education on long-term self-management.

Patient Support

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509-413-1630

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info@synergyspokane.com

Commonly Used Therapies:

We offer massage therapy and rehabilitation support for injuries related to auto accidents, work injuries, sports injuries, and chronic pain.

What a typical session involves

Where lymphatic drainage is offered, a session typically lasts 45–60 minutes. The therapist works with the patient lying down, partially clothed depending on the area being treated. Strokes are extremely light — designed to engage the surface lymphatic vessels without compressing deeper tissue. The session begins at the neck (where major lymphatic ducts return fluid to circulation) and progresses toward the area of concern.

The technique is not painful, and most patients describe it as deeply relaxing. There are specific contraindications — including active infection, untreated cancer, congestive heart failure, and acute thrombosis — that any qualified provider screens for during intake.

Synergy's current scope

Synergy Healthcare’s clinical focus is physical and occupational therapy across orthopedic, neurological, and chronic pain conditions. We do not currently provide lymphatic drainage therapy for new patients, and we do not provide it for patients with lymphedema or lipedema at any time. If you’ve been referred for lymphatic drainage as part of post-surgical or cancer-related care, please ask your physician for a referral to a Certified Lymphedema Therapist.

For services we do provide — including chronic pain treatment, post-surgical rehabilitation, Graded Motor Imagery, Frequency Specific Microcurrent therapy, Clinical Pilates, and Craniosacral Therapy — please contact us to discuss whether we’re the right fit.