The Effect of LymphaTouch® and Manual Lymphatic Drainage on Extremity Circumference Measurements in Lymphedema

The Effect of LymphaTouch® and Manual Lymphatic Drainage on Extremity Circumference Measurements in Lymphedema: A Retrospective Study

This retrospective study will be conducted using the medical records of lymphedema patients followed in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics and lymphedema unit of Istanbul Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital. Women and men aged 18-75 years with a diagnosis of upper or lower extremity lymphedema will be included. Sociodemographic and clinical data of the patients will be recorded, and participants will be divided into two treatment groups: those who received LymphaTouch® therapy and those who underwent Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD). Pre- and post-treatment extremity circumference measurements will be obtained from patient records, and the differences between the groups will be compared.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Lymphedema
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: No intervention

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 172

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

ChatGPT:

The study population consists of patients with lymphedema who received either LymphaTouch® or Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) treatment.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinically diagnosed with lymphedema
• Aged between 18 and 75 years
• Complete pre- and post-treatment extremity circumference measurements available in patient records

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of systemic diseases such as diabetes, rheumatologic disorders, or malignancy
• Presence of neurological disorders (e.g., polyneuropathy, multiple sclerosis, history of stroke)
• Pregnancy
• History of surgery or major trauma involving the affected limb within the past 6 months
• History of injection therapy or physical therapy applied to the same limb within the past 6 months
• History of infection or active dermatological disease affecting the limb
• Incomplete or inconsistent data in patient records

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
MLD group; Patients with lympedema who received MLD treatment	Other: No intervention; No intervention
Lymphatouch group; Patients with lympedema who received Lymphatouch treatment	Other: No intervention; No intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Extremity Circumference (cm):	he primary outcome will be the difference in limb circumference measurements before and after treatment. Circumference values will be obtained from standardized anatomical landmarks, including the wrist/ankle, and at 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm proximal to the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) or metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint. A greater reduction in circumference indicates a more effective treatment response.	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 10, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 10, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 10, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 16, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 20, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 20, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 16, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Lymphatic Diseases; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Lymphedema
• Other Study ID Numbers: istftreah2

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No