No prior lymphedema certification is required!
Course Description:
Swelling that is related to orthopedic, surgical, and traumatic conditions can interfere with successful treatment by even the most advanced health care professional. During this two-day, hands-on course, you will learn how to reduce swelling in the upper and lower extremities through compression bandaging and the use of Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD), a light-touch manual technique that stimulates the lymphatic system to remove excess fluid. Applying these techniques will speed healing, reduce pain, increase ROM, and enable a better outcome for your patients. Addressing edema early on will also avoid stagnation of fluid in the tissues beneath the skin which can lead to adhesions, scar tissue, chronic pain, and decreased range of motion.
Instructional Method: Mostly hands-on with some lecture.
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the basic anatomy and physiology of the lymphatic and venous systems.
- Identify ways in which edema can impede tissue healing and orthopedic outcomes.
- Identify the ways in which Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) is more effective than other forms of massage.
- Execute basic bandaging and MLD techniques for the upper extremities (arm and hand) and lower extremities (foot, ankle, knee, and thigh).
- Identify the signs and symptoms of lymphedema and when to refer a patient to a Certified Lymphedema Therapist for treatment.
- Identify contraindications for edema intervention.
Vicki Ralph, MPPA, OTR/L, CLT-LANA holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy Administration/Healthcare Management from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Vicki has been an Occupational Therapist since 1982 and has a wealth of experience working in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient settings in Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Maryland, and Colorado.
Vicki received certification in Lymphedema Management in 2005, and in 2007, she successfully completed certification through the Lymphedema Association of North America (LANA). In 2011, Vicki attended an advanced lymphedema course at the world-renowned Foeldi Clinic in Germany.
Vicki relocated to Denver in 2013 and established an outpatient clinic called Edema Rehab to address lower extremity swelling challenges secondary to oncology, trauma, hereditary, and orthopedic conditions. Previously, she worked at the Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland for over 9 years. During that time, she established and built an inpatient and outpatient lymphedema program within two hospital and outpatient clinic locations. That program has grown to employ 8 lymphedema therapists. In April 2016, Vicki joined UCHealth as a senior OT and has a goal to establish the University of Colorado Health System as a Center for Lymphatic Excellence.
Vicki has served as a course instructor for Klose Training and Consulting since 2010. She teaches both the Lymphedema Therapy Certification and Orthopedic Swelling Solutions courses all over the USA. In addition, Vicki has also traveled to Malaysia to teach both basic and advanced lymphedema therapy to health professionals in that country.
Vicki is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with patients, family members, and healthcare professionals. Her primary focus is geared toward teaching patients to become independent in managing swelling associated with lymphedema, surgery, trauma, and/or obesity. By decreasing swelling, patients benefit from decreased pain and improved range of motion, ADLs and mobility.
Faculty Page
17 hours of instruction are provided in this 2-day Orthopedic Swelling course.
Usual class hours are:
1st day, 8:00am – 6:00pm
2nd day, 8:00am – 5:00pm
Exact class times will be provided in your confirmation letter.
Daily Class Schedule
This course is offered to all (PT, PTA, OT, COTA, ATC, RN, MT, NP, MD, etc.):
- Practicing wound-care therapists and nurses who want to improve their ability to provide adequate and appropriate edema care to accelerate healing and improve ROM and functional ability
- Orthopedic, acute, sub-acute, and neuro therapists who want to improve their ability to deal with post-surgical and dependent edemas such as post-joint replacements, trauma, stroke, and spinal cord injury
- Massage therapists who wish to better address the tissue health of edematous regions
- No prior lymphedema certification is required!
NOTE: Some portions of this course may be outside the scope of practice of massage therapists. It is the responsibility of all health professionals to ensure that they work within the limits of their license.
All classes are held in accessible hotels or medical facilities. In addition, Klose Training is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individual students who have a disability. Students should call Klose Training directly (303-245-0333) at least three weeks before the start of your class to discuss their needs.
The total tuition for this course is $395.00 (includes course handouts), due in full at the time of registration. Once registered, $100.00 is non-refundable; no refunds will be given if a student cancels less than 3 weeks before the start of the class. For details about our refund and cancellation policy, please refer to the Student Agreement below.
Click on the link to
register online or to
print a registration form. If registering by mail or if faxing your registration, please include a copy of your professional license. Registration typically closes 5-6 business days before the start of the course
By registering for this class, you are agreeing to the terms of the following Student Agreement which you’ll be asked to sign and submit on the first day of the class.
Klose Training Student Agreement - Continuing Education CourseThis course totals
17 contact hours and has been approved for CEUs for Physical, Occupational, and Massage Therapists by the organizations and states listed
here. Contact hours are also approved for LANA recertification.
To successfully complete this course, students must attend the entirety of the course and participate fully in the hands-on practice portions.
Directions and accommodations will be emailed with your confirmation information for the class. You may also contact our office at 303-245-0333, or send us an
email.
