Lymphedema (also spelled as lymphoedema) doesn’t always stop at swelling. For many patients, fibrosis— the thickening or scarring of connective tissue— plays a crucial role in determining the course of treatment. Therapists who recognize and treat fibrosis, including incorporating targeted compression garments into their lymphedema (lymphoedema) treatment, can transform patient outcomes and offer more effective and lasting relief. Whether you're a patient or a therapist, understanding how fibrosis impacts your lymphedema treatment journey could be the game-changer you need.

Fibrosis: A Common Challenge in Lymphedema Treatment

Fibrosis occurs as a natural part of the body’s healing process. However, when it’s combined with lymphedema, it can complicate both management and recovery. Fibrosis can exacerbate lymphedema by restricting fluid movement, reducing tissue flexibility, and increasing tissue density.  As the tissue becomes thicker and scarred, standard treatments like manual lymphatic drainage and compression garments may become less effective if they don’t also specifically target fibrosis.

There are multiple kinds of fibrosis that can affect lymphedema treatment. While lymphostatic fibrosis is the most relevant when treating the inflammatory processes that cause lymphedema, patients can also experience surgical scarring and radiation-induced fibrosis.

Fibrosis is common in lymphedema patients. In fact, it can play a role in nearly every lymphedema patient’s journey. As Karen Ashforth, MS, OTR/L, CLT-LANA, explains: “Lymphostatic fibrosis is present in all forms of lymphedema. In fact, the stages of lymphedema are defined by the progression of lymphostatic fibrosis… this means every lymphedema patient is also a fibrosis patient.”

Given this, it's clear that recognizing and treating fibrosis early is essential to preventing its progression alongside lymphedema. Common treatment strategies for lymphedema include massage, skin care, exercise, medication, and compression therapy. Fibrosis treatment is commonly incorporated as part of compression therapy.

Compression Therapy Helps Both Fibrosis and Lymphedema

Compression therapy is one of the cornerstones of lymphedema treatment, and it offers significant benefits for both fibrosis and lymphedema.

• Improves circulation: Good circulation plays a critical role in treating fibrosis. Compression therapy works by improving lymphatic circulation and helping to soften tissues, which in turn helps alleviate the symptoms of both lymphedema and fibrosis. Compression is a key component of Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT), one of the most effective treatments for lymphedema care.
• Creates softer, smoother tissue: Fibrosis, in particular, responds well to combining textured materials with pressure during lymphedema therapy. This is called micromassage compression. It improves circulation to facilitate better healing, as well as improving skin texture to create softer and smoother tissue.
• Uses different types of compression for different needs: The type of external pressure used depends on the patient’s individual therapeutic needs. The most common options include compression garments, Velcro wraps, bandaging, and pump compression. Each provides varying levels of compression to address specific patient conditions and comfort levels. The optimal compression pressure and duration of treatment will vary for everyone, highlighting the need for personalized treatment plans.

Use The Opportunity To Treat Fibrosis and Lymphedema Together

Addressing fibrosis and lymphedema simultaneously can improve patient outcomes significantly. As Karen Ashforth points out in the seminar quoted above, if you're already using compression garments with your patients and not addressing fibrosis, you're missing an opportunity to enhance the healing process. Combining the two treatments can reduce discomfort, improve circulation, and accelerate healing.

An important solution for this combined treatment is anti-fibrotic compression garments. Fibrosis responds well to combining textured materials with pressure during lymphedema therapy, so therapeutic recovery garments have been developed specifically for addressing both conditions and making patients’ lives more comfortable. Anti-fibrotic garments combine compression with textured or quilted fabrics (also known as micromassage compression therapy) to actively treat fibrosis and help create softer, smoother tissue.

Compression Garments For Comfort, Healing, and Quality of Life

Compression garments - such as compression bras, camisoles, t-shirts, vests, shirts, and bodysuits - provide mild compression. Their purpose is to provide a comfortable solution that can be worn for long periods of time, both day and night. This approach has proven effective in reducing swelling, improving lymphatic function, and preventing the progression of lymphedema as well as the progression of fibrosis.

Wear Ease compression garments offer advanced solutions designed for patient comfort and healing. Our therapeutic recovery garments support the combined treatment of fibrosis and lymphedema, and include:

• Cutting-edge designs for better outcomes: Wear Ease compression garments are crafted using innovative fabrics and techniques that provide immediate relief from pain while promoting long-term healing. By improving circulation, reducing swelling, and improving skin texture, these garments facilitate the healing process and help patients achieve a better quality of life.
• Our new Karena anti-fibrotic micromassage bra: Specifically designed for post-surgical patients, the Karena bra features a textured lining that softens scars and radiation-induced fibrosis. This micromassage bra offers comfortable compression therapy that gets meaningful results and is great for promoting healing.
• Our 790 Compression Bra: Designed to provide mild compression that offers immediate relief from lymphedema symptoms, this bra can even be worn home from the hospital after surgery.
• Anti-fibrotic pads can also be used with other Wear Ease compression garments, including our Wear Ease compression camisole, to target specific areas affected by swelling and fibrosis. These can help reduce swelling and facilitate healing.

Walking The Path To Healing

By making fibrosis treatment a regular part of your lymphedema therapy protocols, you can offer your patients greater comfort and a more comprehensive path to healing.

Want to know more? Register for Karen Ashforth’s webinar, “Lymphedema and Fibrosis Compression Treatment for the Breast and Torso”.  Karen offers a detailed review of the relationship between lymphedema and fibrosis as well as various types of treatment. This seminar is also eligible for Lymphology Association of North America (LANA) continuing education credit.