Case Study | Enhance Recovery Today — Schedule a Massage

Acute Soft Tissue Damage

Client Complaint

Severe bruising of upper arm due to shooting a shotgun at a skeet/trap range
Injury occurred a few days prior to client’s regular massage appointment
Client had mild pain at time of visit, that “felt very deep into the soft tissue”
Client had no limitations in range of motion.

Objective Findings and Assessment

Severe discoloration and swelling at site of impact
Damage appeared to be limited to blood vessels below the surface of the skin
Although appearing severe in nature, function was normal and muscular structure did not appear damaged
Goals for the session included reducing further damage and bruising. Utilizing Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) I was hopeful we could move the damaged cells and fluid out of the damaged area and avoid prolonged healing and fibrosis at the site of the injury.

Treatment and Follow Up

This was a long term client and we were going to radically digress from their usual sessions which typically are full body with specialized focus on problem areas. I explained that MLD is a feather light technique and while it would feel like I was not doing much it is a very effective and appropriate technique for this kind of injury. I took a photo before we began, after we finished and asked the client to take photos every 12 hours until 72 hours post treatment in order to objectively document progress and findings. I also asked the client to elevate the arm above the heart (gravity helps drain the fluid) and use ice if they had discomfort but it wasn’t necessary.

Results and Observations

The photo essay to the right tells the story. I knew that this was likely easy to resolve having experienced success in the past using MLD for severe bruising due to falls and blunt force trauma. However, the technique is highly effective for a number of conditions that include edema, swelling and inflammation. I implement MLD primarily for post surgical swelling and acute injuries. In the case of a total knee replacement, for example, it is more challenging to move that much fluid away from the surgical site because the trauma from the surgery itself is much deeper in the tissues and involves the actual joint. However, I have had success with that and showing a client the effects of MLD and its success with this case helps to demonstrate effectiveness of the technique. A bonus of MLD is that what I do in the course of one treatment jump starts the Lymphatic System and the movement of the fluid away from the damaged site typically continues for 72 hours. So it is a method that continues to work after clients leave my office.

Conclusion

As I had hoped, the treatment worked. The client was happy and I had a successful case study. Again, I had suspected the MLD would work well and to be able to show the progress in photos over a 72 hour period is fantastic.