No! While many of our patients have had surgery, we regularly treat patients who have not. We also work with patients who have repetitive use injuries and those who don’t need surgery at all yet struggle with range-of-motion (ROM) restrictions, nerve impingements, and more.

Here are some of the surgical and non-surgical cases we treat regularly:

Postoperative cases:

• Skin Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Bariatric
• Cosmetic
• Reconstructive
• Cesarean
• Hernia repair
• Knee replacement

Non-operative cases:

• Tennis Elbow
• Dupuytren’s Contracture
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Carpal Tunnel
• Sciatica
• TMJ

And more!

Absolutely! While it’s ideal to receive therapy before surgery you are welcome to come see us postoperatively. Please note, our schedule fills very quickly, so be sure to schedule with us in advance when possible.

Our therapies cause zero damage. Manual Lymphatic Drainage is not painful pre or postoperatively. Although some patients find the process of restoring scar tissue to be uncomfortable, many patients experience an alleviation of pain after just one session! Rest assured your therapist will work with you to achieve your desired results.

Absolutely not! We do not perform any scar tissue therapy to your surgical incisions for 6 weeks and we don’t do any therapy where fat may have been transferred for 4 weeks.

Our first step, 1 – 2 weeks before surgery, is to prepare the tissue by increasing the circulation of your blood and the drainage of your lymphatic fluid to nearby lymph nodes. This is a light touch, pre and postoperative therapy called Manual Lymphatic Drainage.

2 – 7 days after your surgery we use MLD to address swelling, bruising, numbness and pain. Your lymphatic system will become congested and sluggish postoperatively. This gentle therapy will ease where you feel uncomfortable, tight and numb, while also addressing unsightly swelling and bruising. We want you to feel pain free and confident to be seen by your friends and coworkers as soon as possible.

When it’s time to address your scar tissue we approach this step with mindfulness and a unique insight; we’ve been in the OR and we’ve seen many procedures live. While in the OR with highly skilled surgeons, we’ve had the opportunity to learn much more than we ever could online or in a classroom. Combining ongoing learning with many years of hands-on experience, we know what you need and how to perform our techniques safely and effectively.

We are consistently communicating with your surgeon and sharing photo updates about your unique case. Working together as part of your team we are informed of any special considerations or complications which may guide us to alter your treatment plan. If we notice something and need a second opinion, we contact your surgeon right away. If your surgeon is out of state or out of the country, we’re happy to try to connect with them.

The most common request we receive from cosmetic surgery patients is the desire to look natural and well-rested vs having had work done. We agree! Many patients hope to receive comments like, “Did you change your hair? Lose weight? You look great!” vs “So, who was your surgeon?”

Speeding up the healing process makes recovery much easier and gets you back to your normal life with more ease and much more quickly!

After finding so much conflicting information online and on social media it can be difficult to know what to do and what not to do postoperatively. We understand how frustrating this can be!

When it comes to liposuction, “lymphatic drainage” has been the recent buzz around the internet.

Here’s the problem: Lymphatic drainage does NOT address traumatized tissue, scar tissue, a normal and expected consequence of liposuction. Lymphatic drainage addresses swelling which is going to come and go for up to six months whether you see a MLD therapist or not. That is the nature of postoperative swelling.

While we will utilize MLD in the early days of your recovery, the best way to fully restore disrupted tissue from liposuction is to have it manually remodeled. Scar tissue needs to be treated properly as soon as possible because, like all scar tissue, it becomes more difficult to restore as time passes. This is something we stress with every liposuction patient.

You’re having liposuction to reduce fat in an area. You do not want lumpy scar tissue to replace the fat and it will. Often when you find a post liposuction photo tagged “botched!” what you’re really viewing is someone who had liposuction, yet did not have proper scar tissue therapy postoperatively. As mentioned above, lymphatic drainage is a light therapy to address fluid; it will not aide in the remodeling of your scar tissue.

We feel for patients who find us weeks, sometimes months postoperatively, devastated and disheartened after spending thousands of dollars on lymphatic drainage and still full of adhesions and lumps.

Like you, we want you to look like you never had liposuction. You can trust that we understand your goals and we know how to achieve them.

Your physical therapist has a lot of work to do with you postoperatively! Because of this, they don’t often have extra time to perform extended hands-on MLD or scar tissue therapy for 40 minutes. We will work with your PT to ensure you’re getting the best of both disciplines without wasting your time or money.

The number of treatments you need depends entirely on what kind of surgery was performed, how your particular body reacts to it, and your personal goals. We will work with you to design a treatment plan customized to meet your needs.

We will never try to sell you on more appointments than you need. For this reason, we do not ask you to commit to packages which may lead to more appointments than you require.

If your treatments are related to cosmetic surgery, this will be an out-of-pocket expense.

If your treatments are related to disease or an injury, you will need to check with your insurance provider to learn what kind of postoperative or post-injury therapy is covered for reimbursement.

Note* We do not bill insurance. After payment we can provide you with a receipt that you may submit for reimbursement. 

In most cases, unfortunately no.

Our therapies have been around for decades, but it’s only recently that more and more surgeons are understanding and endorsing the true value of these pre and postoperative therapies. As many surgeons have told us over the years, “they don’t teach us about pre and postoperative therapies in medical school.”

Specifically related to liposuction patients, the scar tissue can be very stubborn and unsightly if not treated properly. We have patients who have come to us 5+ years postoperatively without having had any treatments or, only having had MLD, who still have noticeable and unnatural-looking scar tissue.  

If we are treating your face, you should not have new Botox or fillers until we’ve completed your treatment plan. If your surgery isn’t near your Botox or filler sites we can work around them. Please let us know your plans and concerns so we may tailor your treatment plan.

A world! Massage targets muscles. Our therapies take place above the muscle and target the lymphatic system, incisions, connective tissue, adhesions, and scarring. There are some cases which require muscular work like breast cancer and orthopedic cases. Our approach is holistic and our aim is full recovery, including ROM whenever possible.

Ideally, at least six weeks before your surgery date. If you’ve already had surgery contact us immediately. We tend to book up very quickly and we want you to get the treatment you need at exactly the time you need it.