Trampolines for lymphedema.....

After reading about the use of a mini-trampoline for helping lymphatic circulation, (article cite listed below) I asked my lymphedema doctor about it. He said had heard of it working best for leg lymphedema, but had not heard anything about it particularly helping arm or hand lymphedema. He was sure it wouldn’t hurt me to try. So I started slowly, to see if it would help resolve my right hand and arm lymphedema (LE), which had not been responding well to conventional treatment. 

My mini-trampoline is about 40 inches in diameter. I got it at a sporting goods store for $40. A friend of mine keeps hers behind her couch when she’s not using it. I keep mine near the TV. That way I can watch part of a movie every day while I exercise. It makes the time go much faster. And if I get busy, 2-15 minute sessions count the same. 

Five minutes a day is all I did to start. I was told that doing too much, too fast, would leave me with flu-like symptoms. I stayed at 5 minutes a day for at least a couple of weeks, until I felt comfortable (I was recuperating from chemo, with significant neuropathy in my hands and feet, at the time; you may be able to advance more quickly than I could then, just watch carefully to see how you feel, as you increase time). I kept a chair-back next to the trampoline, at first, in case I needed support. It is possible to buy a mini-trampoline with a bar handle for support, if that would make you feel safer. I happened to have this one already here. I wear shoes (and my orthotics) on the trampoline. 

Pumping my arms and legs, I walk in place on the trampoline. My feet never leave the surface of the trampoline. It looks like an exaggerated race-walk stance. It is the muscle-pumping action of the legs and the arms that is so important for draining the lymphatics. This is one of the reasons that walking is such good exercise. The difference for me is that I can easily talk myself out of walking in bad weather, too hot or too cold. With the trampoline right here in my living room, I have fewer excuses! 

Increasing the time by 2 ½ minute increments, I spent about 3-4 months getting up to my present 30 minutes a day. I just tried to listen to how good, or how tired, I was feeling, and to take my time about it. I do take days off, most often when I am away from home (the trampoline does not fit into the trunk of my car).

An added bonus is that my weight has decreased, as my time on the trampoline has increased, which also helps LE! It is low-impact aerobic exercise. I have increased my tempo as my endurance has grown. The best part is that my lymphedema is now under control, with hand and arm measurements as good, or better, than when I was first treated for LE. It is a simple, inexpensive, weatherproof way to exercise for LE. 

Trampoline Article: p. 110 Supernutrition For Menopause, Ann Louise Gittleman, Avery publishing Group, 1998. 

Author: Cynthia Adams of the Marin Lymphedema Information and Support group.