Would lymphatic drainage massage be of benifit in reducing the bruising/rash

[Lieth]

accociated with HSP in a 5yr old? Hello there, my 5yr old daughter was diagnosed with HSP(henoch schonlien purpura) about two weeks ago, she still has significant rashing and bruising(urine etc is clear of blood). My partner has a close relative who is into natural and alternative therapy, and she is quite adament that lymphatic drainage massage would clear up the rash/bruising. I am sceptical and will seek medical advice before even thinking about it, but was wondering if any one out there has any thoughts on this, or has heard of any other possible treatments that might help my daughter with this nasty condition. I am sceptical of the whole "massage" therapy idea in this case simply because the nature of the condition means that the blood vessels close to the skin rupture with only the slightest of pressure, and I dont see how anyone manually manipulating/putting pressure on my daughter's little body would do anything other than to make this symptom worse. thank you.

 

[TweetyBird]

I tend to agree with you. Here's a link to info about lymphatic drainage therapy in case you're interested. http://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/index.php/article_id/207/Lymph-Drainage-Therapy

The massage is supposed to gentle and light. But because this isn't ordinary bruising -- this is purpura and this is vasculitis -- I wouldn't want the inflammation aggravated in any way, shape or form. Trust your instincts.

HSP symptoms usually last about a month to 6 weeks. I hope your daughter's resolve before then and that she has infrequent recurrences if any at all. Take heart, recurrences are usually milder.

"but was wondering if any one out there has any thoughts on this, or has heard of any other possible treatments that might help my daughter with this nasty condition." -- There's no specific treatment. Give her Tylenol for joint or abdominal pain, make sure she's urinating throughout the day and not having any bowel problems. Don't worry about the rash. It will go away without permanent effects.