Complete Decongestive Therapy

Complete (or Combined) Decongestive Therapy — CDT — is not a single treatment but a program with four pillars, each doing a job the others cannot:

• Manual lymphatic drainage to encourage stagnated fluid around blocked areas towards healthy lymphatic pathways.
• Compression, through multi-layer bandaging in the intensive phase and fitted garments for maintenance, so the gains from each session are not lost between visits.
• Skin care, because tissue affected by lymphoedema is more vulnerable to infection and needs to be kept intact and healthy.
• Exercise and movement, since the lymphatic system relies on muscle activity to move fluid.

Kylie holds a Certificate of Currency in the Dr Vodder Method of Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Combined Decongestive Therapy, alongside training in the supporting techniques a program draws on: Coban two-layer compression systems, Mobiderm bandaging and kinesiology taping.

The two phases

The intensive phase aims to reduce. Sessions run frequently — daily or several times a week, commonly for around three weeks depending on your presentation — with bandaging after each session. Kylie tracks the tissue and measurements throughout.

The maintenance phase aims to hold the ground gained. Sessions space out, a compression garment replaces bandaging, and the self-management skills Kylie has taught you — self-massage, skin care, movement — carry the day-to-day work. Managing lymphoedema is very much a partnership: you will notice changes first, and the plan adjusts around what you notice.

Enhanced with technology

Within a CDT program Kylie also draws on low level laser over lymph node groups and affected tissue, Hivamat deep oscillation, and pneumatic compression sleeves — modern additions that sit alongside the classical method rather than replacing it.

A CDT program begins with an Initial Assessment, and the usual safety considerations for manual lymphatic drainage apply.