When it comes to clinical practice, what matters most to real-world MLD therapists simply isn’t what’s being measured in “Level I evidence”. To understand this disconnect we need to revisit what evidence based practice really means. Evidence based therapy is a synthesis of research evidence, clinical experience and observation, in the context of the desired outcomes of the recipient. Relying on Level 1 evidence alone is just not enough. Yet systematic reviews and meta-analy

Almost 50 years ago Prof. Dr. Paul Hutzschenreuter measured the effect of Dr Vodder's MLD on the sympathetic nervous system, noting a signif

An easy - and free - way for therapists to assess clinical progress is to use an analogue scale. Image by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash This can be a numeric scale such as the one developed in 1932 by Rensis Likert ( 1 ) to measure attitudes. Typically a 5- or 7-point ordinal scale, respondents rate the degree to which they agree or disagree with a statement. It is essentially a rating scale, usually presented as a score between 1 - 5 or 1 - 10, where the person selects

One of the most important things about this study is that it used self-reported-symptoms (SRS) to determine if lymphoedema was present,...

The study I am involved with through #CNTD on enhanced #self_care for people affected by moderate to severe #LymphaticFilariasis and #Podoconiosis related #lymphoedema has started in Ethiopia. We recruited our participants in November and then did a four-week follow-up in early December. The study methods are the same as in Bangladesh (see the post Lymphoedema in Rural Bangladesh), but the two countries and the patients are worlds apart. Information sessions for potential par

My main role at the Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases #CNTD - so far - has been to design and implement a study to see if we can improve on self-management for people affected by moderate to severe #LymphaticFilariasis and #Podoconiosis related #lymphoedema . And after almost a year of planning we started data-collection in Nilphamari District in north west Bangladesh at the beginning of October. Learning self-care exercises. Anyone can make a difference to their lymp