Lymphatic Drainage After Surgery: Warning Signs, Healing Timelines & What Your First Session Is Like
with Luciana Andrus, LMT · Massage Therapist, Just For You Bodywork & Massage, San Francisco
Just had surgery and wondering what lymphatic drainage actually does, or when you're really healed? In this episode of the Top Providers Podcast, Joe Brown talks with Luciana Andrus, LMT, a California-certified massage therapist who focuses on recovery after surgery at Just For You Bodywork & Massage in San Francisco and Mill Valley. Luciana covers what lymphatic drainage is (and what it isn't), the warning signs after surgery that mean it's time to call your surgeon, what a first post-op session feels like and why it should be calm and gentle, the at-home habit that slows recovery, why being cleared at two weeks doesn't mean you're healed, what pregnant and postpartum clients should know, and the red flags of too much pressure, tools and machines right after surgery. This episode is for general information and isn't a substitute for advice from your surgeon or doctor. Talk to your care team before starting any post-surgery treatment.
- 0:00Why you're not healed at two weeks
- 0:35Welcome & meet Luciana Andrus, LMT
- 1:17Growing up in Brazil & caring for her dad
- 1:59Why she focuses on recovery after surgery
- 2:17What lymphatic drainage is (and isn't)
- 2:57Warning signs: when to call your surgeon
- 3:43What happens at a first post-op session
- 5:00The at-home habit that slows recovery
- 5:29Cleared at two weeks doesn't mean healed
- 7:14Pregnancy & postpartum: what moms should know
- 7:54What new therapists get wrong after surgery
- 8:23What she wants clients to understand
- 8:38Wrap-up
For general information, not a substitute for advice from your own doctor.
The guest
Booking details, hours and her full background live on her profile.
Clips from this episode
Under a minute each, cut straight from the interview.
Shorts0:25After surgery: signs she flags to the doctor
Why she reaches out to a client's doctor when she notices something like inflammation at an incision. General information, not medical advice.
Shorts0:28What lymphatic drainage actually is
A calm, hands-on massage technique, done by hand rather than with tools.
Shorts0:34Her view on healing timelines after surgery
Why she treats the two-week mark as part of a longer healing process. Your own timeline comes from your surgeon.
Shorts0:23Does post-op lymphatic drainage hurt?
What a session is meant to feel like: calm, gentle, with little or no pressure.
Shorts0:22Red flag: heavy pressure right after surgery
Why she's wary of heavy pressure, wood therapy or machines on freshly inflamed tissue.
Transcript
A reviewed transcript of this episode will appear here. Until then, the chapters above let you jump to each part of the conversation.