And this is where Maintain the Drain becomes much more than a tagline. There is good reasoning behind making self-management central: the 2024 German S2k lipoedema guideline specifically includes self-management among its recommendations, while newer exercise research suggests benefits may be greater when exercise is combined with ongoing compression.
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Treatment doesn't end when you leave the room.
McLeod Method™ was developed around a simple idea:
What you do between treatments matters.
In-clinic treatment may provide one part of the support your body needs, but long-term management of Lipoedema and complex tissue concerns requires something more sustainable.
That's why education and self-management sit at the heart of the McLeod Method™ philosophy.
Maintain the Drain
Maintain the Drain is our approach to continuing that support in everyday life.
It isn't about complicated routines or trying to do everything perfectly.
It's about small, consistent strategies that encourage movement, support compression where appropriate, promote general health and help you better understand how your own body responds.
The foundations
Movement
Regular movement supports mobility, strength and function and forms an important part of conservative Lipoedema management.
Emerging research suggests exercise may improve pain and other symptoms, quality of life, function and limb measurements in women with Lipoedema — although the evidence base is still relatively small.
Compression
Appropriately selected compression can form an important part of conservative management.
The type and level of compression required will vary between individuals and should reflect symptoms, comfort, clinical presentation and professional advice where required. Compression is specifically addressed within contemporary Lipoedema guidelines.
Hydration & Nutrition
Nutrition and hydration form part of supporting overall health.
McLeod Method™ does not promote extreme diets or the idea that Lipoedema can simply be “dieted away.”
Instead, we encourage sustainable nutrition that supports the individual's overall health, energy and wellbeing.
Tissue Support
Gentle self-care may help women become more familiar with their tissue, comfort and day-to-day changes.
The emphasis is always on support rather than aggression.
Painful or forceful treatment is not considered a necessary marker of an effective intervention.
Understanding Your Patterns
Your body gives you information.
Changes in discomfort, heaviness, movement, tenderness, clothing fit and how your body responds to different activities can all help build a clearer picture of what supports you best.
McLeod Method™ encourages women to become informed observers of their own bodies.
Consistency over perfection
There will be days when you move more.
Days when you move less.
Days when compression feels wonderful and days when your body asks for something different.
Self-management isn't about getting everything right.
It's about having tools available when you need them.
The goal is independence, not dependence.
A treatment should never leave you believing that your wellbeing exists entirely in someone else's hands.
Education gives you choices.
Understanding gives you confidence.
And consistent self-support gives you something incredibly valuable:
a role in your own ongoing care.
Maintain the Drain.
Support the body.
Keep it moving.
Understand what it needs.
And work with it — not against it.
