This summer I had the fortune of completing my Manual Lymph Drainage training at the Vodder School in Austria. The Vodder School Austria is run out of the Wittlinger Therapy Center, Europe’s premier lymphedema treatment clinic.
The advantage of studying in Austria was being able to interact with and treat actual lymphedema patients. Every day our class would be visited by one or two clinic patients, and we were able to interview them, hear their stories and palpate their tissues. Each one of us also performed a full treatment on one patient once we were further along in our training.
Also, our class was taught by world-renowned Hildegard Wittlinger. Dr. Vodder, regarded as the father of lymphatic therapy, developed manual lymph drainage in the 1930’s through his experience treating patients in France and his study of the lymphatic system. Hildegard and her late husband Gunther worked closely with Dr.Vodder to help manual lymph drainage become accepted as an effective treatment method. Manual lymph drainage has evolved from a new and poorly understood form a therapy to the most frequently prescribed form of massage in Germany, fully backed by research and accepted by the German health insurance system.
I was pleasantly surprised of the level of care that lymphedema patients receive in Europe. Patients are entitled to 3 weeks per year in a lymphedema clinic. The Wittlinger therapy center treats patients from Austria , Germany, and other European countries where lymphedema therapy is not available, and it is all paid by the national health system. The idyllic setting in the small mountain village of Walchsee, the local food used in the meals served at the clinic, and world-class facilities and patient care also aid in both physical and psychological well-being, resulting in a holistic approach to patient care, which gives excellent results. Because of this level of care serious complications are less likely to develop, and the patients are able to continue working and live their lives to their full potential. I believe that this form of preventative care costs the health system a lot less overall, since acute conditions and complications are avoided, however, sadly, North America has not come so far, and many lymphedema patients suffer unnecessarily due to lack of knowledge of their condition and poor treatment options.
Hildegard shared her passion of manual lymph drainage with us. Her manual techniques and palpation skills are impeccable, honed by years of practice and treatment of a variety of conditions. Although manual lymph drainage is prescribed for lymphedema, patients are referred to the WIttlinger clinic for other conditions as well, such as burns, skin conditions, Down’s syndrome and multiple sclerosis. Hildegard shared lots of stories of her treatment experiences over the years, as well as of Doctor Vodder and his wife Estrid. She is fully committed to preserving the Vodder method and continuing to promote manual lymph drainage worldwide.
I feel that I received a world-class education at the Vodder School Austria, and I am happy to be able to offer manual lymph drainage as part of my massage therapy practice in Vancouver.