Which practice helps sustain drainage after MLD?

• A. Compression garments help sustain drainage.
• B. Take hot baths immediately after.
• C. Skip compression to avoid dependency.
• D. Exclude exercise.

Answer: (A)

After manual lymph drainage, keeping the benefits going relies on external support that helps keep fluid moving and prevents it from re-accumulating. Compression garments provide that support by applying gradient pressure, which helps maintain the channels opened during MLD, promotes continuous lymphatic and venous return, and stabilizes the tissues so edema doesn’t rebound as you go about daily activities.

Hot baths cause vasodilation and can increase fluid leakage into the tissues, which can undo the gains from MLD and make sustained drainage harder.

Skipping compression removes that external control, making it easier for fluid to pool again due to gravity and normal tissue pressures.

Excluding exercise isn’t helpful either because gentle movement and muscle pump activity support lymph flow; without it, sustained drainage is harder to maintain.

So wearing compression garments is the best practice to sustain drainage after MLD.