The so-called lymph drainage describes the removal of fluids – the lymph – from the body tissue. The system is stimulated by certain gentle grips on the skin and the transport is supported. The lymph vessel system serves the body to remove bacteria, foreign substances, breakdown products and large protein molecules from the tissue.
This is done by the small branched lymphatic vessels starting blindly in the tissue, where they absorb the substances mentioned above, then merging into larger pathways and transporting the lymph away. It is therefore not a closed circuit like the blood vessel system. The lymph channels are interposed between the lymph nodes, which have the task of purifying the fluid as in a filter.
The largest and most important accumulations of lymph nodes are located in the back of the knee, the groin, the armpits, the elbows and the neck. The purified lymph finally pours back into the blood through the so-called venous angle just before the right heart, where the lymphatic system flows into. Three quarters of the fluid absorbed from the body is absorbed by the left vein angle and one quarter by the right.
The venous angle is located in the front shoulder area and is formed by two veins, the internal jugular vein and the subclavian vein – the clavicle vein. The small lymph vessels that begin in the tissue are located in the first layer of skin – just below the surface of the body. To achieve an effect here, very gentle pressure is applied.
The lymph flows upwards in the lymph vessel system towards the heart, i.e. against gravity. In order to prevent the fluid from sinking back again, so-called valve flaps are located in the vessels. This structure is similar to the veins, which also transport the blood back to the heart against gravity.
Another mechanism that supports the lymph in its upward flow is the so-called muscle pump. Through movement and the resulting change in muscle shape, the fluid is pumped further. The pulsation of the arteries has a similar transport promoting effect. Deep breathing also supports the lymph flow, as this creates a negative pressure in the body, which acts like a suction on the vascular system.
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