When I talk to my patients with lymphedema, I often need to tell them about their lymphatic system. Beyond knowing of lymph nodes or glands in their neck, most don’t recall having heard anything about it. Surprisingly, today’s medical students often have less than 1 hour on the lymphatic system education in medical school. In physical therapy school (35 years ago), instruction was woefully inadequate. Today, more is known – and most therapy schools do spend significant time on the lymphatic system and lymphedema. For those who missed it, here is the lymphatic system in a nutshell.
The Lymphatic System: An Overview
The lymphatic system includes the thoracic duct (main vessel), which receives the lymph fluid from smaller vessels called lymph collectors. The latter receive lymph fluid from the initial lymphatic vessels read more