The video has been released at the beginning of Lymphoedema Awareness Week, a campaign to highlight the symptoms of the disease. Lymphoedema is a chronic condition which causes excess fluid to collect in the body’s tissue, resulting in uncomfortable swelling, usually in the limbs.
The Wolverhampton-based hospice runs one of the largest specialist lymphoedema units in the UK, treating more than 800 patients each year. It is estimated that the condition affects at least 100,000 people in the UK.
The video explains the main symptom of lymphoedema (swelling of the limbs) and how it can be treated: skin care, exercise, compression hosiery, bandaging and massage. There is no known cure for the condition, but early detection and intervention can help to reduce the pain and swelling experienced by those with the illness.
“We wanted to create a video which would help to explain the condition in a simple and easy to understand format,” said Stacy Pugh, lymphoedema clinical nurse manager at Compton.
“Unfortunately not many people are aware of lymphoedema and so often symptoms can be mistaken for other illnesses or being overweight. In creating this video we hope that more people will become aware of lymphoedema and seek treatment.”
Matthew Weston, co-founder of Stone’s Throw Media, which worked with the hospice to produce the video, added: “Before we teamed up with the hospice we didn’t know what lymphoedema was ourselves, so we have attempted to explain the condition in a simple and engaging manner without losing the informative aspect of the video.”
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