Complex decongestive therapy combined with needle electrode stimulation facilitates postoperative rehabilitation of lymphedema.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of complex decongestive therapy (CDT) combined with needle electrode stimulation (NES) in the management of lymphedema after lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) and to compare its therapeutic outcomes with conventional CDT alone.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 50 patients with secondary lymphedema who underwent LVA at the Department of Traumatic Orthopedics, Weifang People's Hospital, between June 2023 and June 2024. All patients met strict inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to one of two groups: group A (CDT combined with NES; n = 25; 3 males, 22 females) and group B (CDT alone; n = 25; 3 males, 22 females). There was no significant difference in sex distribution between groups (χ = 0.00; P > .99), indicating baseline comparability.

RESULTS: No significant main effect of group was observed for limb swelling rate (P = .46; n = 50), indicating comparable overall swelling levels between groups. A significant main effect of time was found across all timepoints (preoperatively and at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively; P < .01; n = 25), suggesting a general decrease in swelling over time. Importantly, a significant group × time interaction was identified (P = .03; n = 25), indicating that the rate of decrease in swelling differed, with group A showing a greater and faster improvement. For quality of life assessed by the Lymphedema Life Impact Scale (LLIS), the between-group difference was not statistically significant (P = .09; n = 25). However, a significant time effect was observed (P < .01), and a significant group × time interaction (P = .02) indicated a more favorable trajectory in group A. No adverse events, including infection, poor wound healing, or cellulitis, were reported during the study.

CONCLUSIONS: CDT combined with NES demonstrates superior efficacy in decreasing limb swelling and improving Lymphedema Life Impact Scale scores compared with CDT alone in the postoperative management of lymphedema after LVA. This combination therapy significantly enhances postoperative recovery, suggesting its potential as a more effective approach for lymphedema rehabilitation.