Careful post-surgical work depends less on technique than most people expect. It depends on information.
When I know where you are in recovery, what your surgeon has said, and what has changed since your last visit, I can build a session that respects all of it. When I do not know, the responsible choice is to do less or to wait.
Helpful Things to Share
- the type of surgery and the date it happened
- instructions your surgeon or physician gave you
- whether clearance for massage has been given
- where your incisions are
- whether you still have drains
- whether you wear compression garments, and when
- medications relevant to your recovery
- any recent complications
- unusual swelling
- redness or warmth
- fever
- drainage from an incision
- significant pain
- shortness of breath
- calf pain or one-sided leg swelling
- anything that has changed since your last medical follow-up
This is not a diagnostic list and it is not exhaustive. Some of these symptoms deserve prompt medical attention rather than a massage appointment. If something could represent an emergency, seek emergency care.
You Do Not Need to Speak “Medical”
You do not need the correct terminology, a procedure code, or a tidy summary. Plain description works perfectly well: “this side feels more swollen than last week,” “this spot is tender and I do not want it touched,” “my surgeon said no compression until Friday.”
If you are unsure whether something matters, mention it anyway. I would rather hear a detail that turns out to be irrelevant than miss one that mattered.
Intake is a conversation, not an exam. Nothing here is a medical evaluation.
I May Ask You to Check With Your Surgeon
If something falls outside what I can responsibly work with, I will ask you to check with your surgeon or physician first. That is a professional boundary rather than an inconvenience or a judgment about your recovery.
Asking for clearance also protects you. Your surgical team knows what was done and what your tissue can tolerate; I do not, and I should not guess. Suspected complications go back to your healthcare team, not into a massage session.
I do not provide lymphedema treatment or management. Diagnosed or suspected lymphedema should be evaluated and managed by an appropriately qualified healthcare provider or lymphedema specialist.
Your Recovery Can Change From Visit to Visit
Recovery is rarely a straight line. Swelling shifts, energy shifts, restrictions get lifted or added, and a follow-up appointment can change the picture entirely. Each session should be planned around your current status rather than assuming yesterday’s plan still fits today.
So we check in every time, even if the last few sessions went smoothly. It takes two minutes and it is the most useful part of the appointment.
If you are still weighing timing, see When Can I Start Post-Surgical Lymphatic Massage? and When Swelling Needs Medical Evaluation Instead of Massage.
The consultation is not a medical evaluation.
Related Resources
What Is Manual Lymphatic Drainage?
What MLD is, how it differs from traditional massage, why the pressure stays light, and what a session feels like.
Read the article →Lymphatic & Post-Surgical SupportWhy Is Manual Lymphatic Drainage So Gentle?
Why MLD is intentionally light, what light pressure does and does not mean, and how it compares with deep tissue massage.
Read the article →Lymphatic & Post-Surgical SupportWhen Can I Start Post-Surgical Lymphatic Massage?
Why there is no universal timeline, what factors matter, and why your surgeon's instructions come first.
Read the article →Lymphatic & Post-Surgical SupportManual Lymphatic Drainage vs. Regular Massage: What’s the Difference?
How MLD and customized therapeutic massage differ in purpose, pressure, and pacing, and which to book.
Read the article →Lymphatic & Post-Surgical SupportWhen Swelling Needs Medical Evaluation Instead of Massage
When new, sudden, painful, or post-surgical swelling should be medically evaluated before any massage appointment.
Read the article →