LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE PROTOCOL
Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Lower Body (Tummy + Legs + Feet) 
The client is lying down on their back.
Start pumping lymph nodes – inguinal, popliteal, ankle, and feet (8 times each) lightly and very slowly
TUMMY:
- Pump iliac crest lymph nodes 8x
- Pump xiphoid 8x (with breathing)
- Effleurage lower tummy towards iliac crest 4x / pump iliac crest 8x
- Press / decompress lower tummy towards iliac crest 4x / pump iliac crest 8x
- Effleurage upper tummy zones 1, 2 and 3 towards the sides and then up till the armpit 4x each zone / pump armpit 8x
- Press / decompress upper tummy zones 1,2 and 3 towards the sides and then up till the armpit 4x each zone / pump armpit 8x
LEGS:
- Pump inguinal 8x
- Effleurage thigh zone 1,2,3 and 4 towards inguinal 4x each zone / pump inguinal 8x
- Press / decompress thigh zone 1,2,3 and 4 towards inguinal 4x each zone / pump inguinal 8x
- Bracelet thigh towards inguinal 1x
- Pump popliteal 8x
- Effleurage knee zone 1 and 2 towards popliteal 4x each zone / pump popliteal 8x
- Press / decompress knee zone 1 and 2 towards popliteal / pump popliteal 8x
- Bracelet leg 15/20x towards popliteal / pump popliteal 8x
- Pump ankle 8x
- Effleurage foot towards ankle 4x / pump ankle 8x
- Press / decompress foot towards ankle 4x / pump ankle 8x
- Bracelet foot towards ankle 4x / pump ankle 8x
- Bracelet full leg towards inguinal / pump inguinal 8x
- Repeat on other leg
Upper Body (Hands + Arms , Upper Breast, Face)
The client laying down on their back
Start pumping lymph nodes – inguinal, armpit, sub clavicular (8x each) lightly and very slowly
ARM:
- Pump armpit lymph nodes 8x
- Effleurage zones 1 and 2 – 10x / pump armpit 8x
- Press/decompress zones 1, 2 , 3 and 4 – 10x / pump armpit 8x
- Bracelet zones 1, 2 , 3 and 4 – 10x / pump armpit 8x
FOREARM:
- Pump arm crease lymph nodes 8x
- Effleurage proximal 5x
- Effleurage distal 5x / pump arm crease 5x
- Press/decompress 5x proximal
- Press/ decompress distal 5x / pump arm crease 10x
- Bracelet proximal 5x
- Bracelet distal 5x / pump arm crease 10x
HANDS:
- place client’s hand on therapist’s – palms together
- mobilize the styloid process – bones near the wrist
- effleurage the hand 4x + pump wrist 8x
- the last one goes to the arm crease and pump there 8x
- friction between the metatarsals
- therapist glides 5 fingers to client’s each finger until their knuckles
- efleurage the hand 4x
- the last goes to the shoulder then pump armpit 8x
UPPER BREAST:
- Pump lymph nodes up/low clavicular
- Effleurage each side of the upper breast towards clavicula 5x / pump 8x
- Press/decompress each side of the upper breast towards clavicula 5x / pump 8x
FACE
- Start pumping chin, submandibular, auricular and occipital lymph nodes
- Effleurage from occipital to sub/up clavicular 5x / pump clavicular 8x
- With your thumbs alternating move lymph from chin down to submandibular 8x / pump chin lymph nodes
- Effleurage chin towards the ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- Press/decompress chin towards the ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- Effleurage Jaw towards the ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- Press/Decompress Jaw towards the ears / pump ear lymph node 8x
- Press lips with thumbs and first fingers squeeze them softly and move lymph towards ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- With four fingers inclined effleurage from the curve of the nose to ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- With four fingers press/decompress from the curve of the nose to the ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- With four fingers effleurage from middle of the nose to ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- With four fingers press/decompress from middle of the nose to the ears 5x / pump ear lymph nodes 8x
- With both thumbs and first finger make a mask around the eyes closing at the edge 5x
- Effleurage both eyebrows 5x
- Effleurage forehead alternating baby fingers from eyebrows to the line of the hair 5x
- Effleurage forehead with four fingers from the middle to the edge 5x
- Press/decompress forehead from the middle to the edge 5x
- Last movement take lymph to the ears / pump ears lymph nodes 8x
- Move lymph from the ears towards the submandibular 5x / pump submandibular lymph nodes 8x
- Move lymph from the submandibular lymph nodes towards clavicular lymph nodes / pump clavicular 8x