Study: the effect of lymphatic drainage on oral cavity cancer

There are clinical and statistical inconsistencies regarding the early treatment of manual lymphatic drainage (MLD). The aim of this study was to compare the short-term effects of early intervention with rehabilitative exercises alone versus a combination of MLD and rehabilitative exercises on pain, range of motion and lymphedema in patients with oral cavity cancer after surgery.

A total of 39 patients who underwent surgery between December 2014 and December 2018 participated in this randomized, single-blinded study at Show Chwan Memorial Hospital. 20 patients belonged to the rehabilitation group (R), 19 patients to the MLD and rehabilitation group (M). The R group received a 30-minute rehabilitative intervention, while the M group received an additional 30 minutes of MLD , for a total of 60 minutes of therapy per weekday. Clinical measurements, including the visual analog scale for pain (VAS), neck and shoulder range of motion, ultrasound and facial distance measurements for lymphedema, and the Földi and Miller lymphedema scales, were recorded before surgery, before the intervention and at hospital discharge.

The VAS pain scores as well as the range of motion of the neck and the internal and external rotation of the right shoulder improved significantly after the interventions. The right facial distance and the skin-bone distance of the horizontal mandible on both sides and the left ascending mandibular branch also showed significant improvements. Thelateral left inclination of the neck and theskin-bone distance of the right ascending mandibular branch improved more in the MLD group than in the rehabilitation-only group.

Early intervention with MLD in combination with a rehabilitation program was effective in improving neck range of motion and lymphedema control in the acute phase of rehabilitation. The preliminary results suggest that early MLD intervention in addition to rehabilitative exercise provides therapeutic benefit, particularly in controlling lymphedema and improving neck range of motion in acute care.