what is retrograde massage and does it work

Retrograde massage is used after a muscle injury if you have swelling. A therapist will start at the hand or foot of the swollen limb, applying modest pressure pushing upwards to the shoulder or hip. Lymph nodes located in your shoulder and hip recirculate the fluid from your limb into the body for redistribution, thereby reducing your edema.

Generally, you require three to five sessions of retrograde massage to see lasting, significant edema reduction, although you will see some results after only one session. After removing the fluid from the muscles and surrounding soft tissue, you should be able to increase your range of motion because excess fluid will not impede your movement.