Guthrie Launches New Lymphedema Treatment Program
Guthrie has launched a new lymphedema program in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month to treat the condition which often occurs in patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Lymphedema is swelling of a body part (arm, leg, face, neck, trunk, genitals, etc.) caused by abnormal accumulation of body fluid. “We have seen an increased need in the communities we serve for treatment of this potentially debilitating condition,” said Melissa Fox, Guthrie Occupational Therapist. “Guthrie is proud to offer this treatment to allow patients to manage the condition and achieve a higher quality of life.”
The new program is available from ten specially trained therapists and uses a four-step approach called Complete Decongestive Therapy to treat and manage the condition. Therapists develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient that may involve decongesting the limb, compression bandaging, exercise and skin care. Patients with lymphedema have better outcomes when it is treated early.
Lymphedema treatment is currently available in Sayre, Pa., Troy, Pa. and at Guthrie Healthworks in Corning, N.Y. For an appointment, please call 570-887-4801 in Sayre, 570-297-2121 in Troy and 607-937-5555 in Corning.
Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from an 11-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., and Troy, Pa., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers in a regional office network encompassing 47 sub-specialty and primary care sites in 21 communities throughout Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at six convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.