Chronic lymphedema is defined as swelling or edema (excess fluid in the interstitial space) that does not fully resolve overnight by elevating the limb or body part to the level of the heart. Chronic lymphedema is a major clinical problem that is difficult to treat. Osteopathic Pedal Pump is a simple manipulation technique anecdotally thought to reduce leg edema and chronic lymphedema. However, the clinical evidence is only anecdotal and no clinical trials have ever been conducted to test this observation. The purpose of the research is to measure the effectiveness of the Osteopathic Pedal Pump technique for treating lymphedema by measuring before and after treatment limb volumes. The second purpose of this project is to mentor osteopathic medical students in clinical research. There is also a great need to mentor Osteopathic Medical Students because relatively few pursue careers involving clinical research and the benefits osteopathic manipulative treatment remain under investigated.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
50
In this 7 minute intervention, the patient receives 2 minutes of myofascial release of the thoracic inlet and then 5 minutes of the pedal pump technique
Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Stratford, New Jersey, United States
Change in lower limb volume
Patient's lower limb volume measured via volumetric edema gauge
Time frame: Baseline and 1-minute after receiving pedal pump protocol
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