Postmastectomy lymphedema management: evolution of the complex decongestive therapy technique

Extremity lymphedema, historically a surgical disease, is now successfully managed with a physical therapy regimen called complex decongestive therapy, which originated in Europe. Herein we present a historical perspective on the understanding and treatment of lymphedema. We review a series of 20 patients with postmastectomy arm edema who were treated with complex decongestive therapy and were followed for 6 months. On average these patients achieved a stable 73% reduction in arm circumference.