Most in our community understand that locating a practitioner who is knowledgeable about lipedema is nearly an impossibility. This listing has been compiled over the years from input from lipedema patients in numerous support groups and is constantly being updated. This resource is meant to provide a first step in locating a practitioner – for diagnosis, treatment, or surgery, and is not a recommendation for any particular practitioner.
It is recommended to contact any practitioner you are considering to ensure that they are still in practice and can help you with lipedema.
A Prayer for Our Practitioners
About
Certified Lymphedema Therapists
There is no single set of criteria that define and certify a “certified lymphedema therapist.” The National Lymphedema Network (NLN) and the Lymphology Association of North American (LANA) are two organizations which have recommended minimum standards for competency, including 128-135 hours of training in decongestive therapy and hands-on experience with lymphedema patients. A lymphedema therapist specializes in the diagnosis, care, and treatment of lymphedema — he or she may be a nurse practitioner, doctor, physical therapist, occupational therapist, etc. Practitioners who specialize in lymphedema therapy are adept at manual decongestive therapy — the form of specialized massage used to stimulate lymph drainage in affected areas of the body — and applying compression wraps. There are several schools for this type of training.
LANA also recommends courses in relevant lymphatic network-focused anatomy and physiology, as well as hands-on instruction. There is a voluntary exam that aspiring a lymphedema therapist may take upon completion of this course work. The exam is the Clinical Lymphedema Therapist-LANA (CLT-LANA). Upon successful completion of the exam, a healthcare provider may proclaim their CLT-LANA certification.
What is a lymphedema therapist and how can one help you? (n.d.). Lymphedema Products. https://www.lymphedemaproducts.com/blog/what-is-a-lymphedema-therapist-and-how-can-one-help-you/
Ways to Search for Therapists
Ways to Search for Therapists
The Lymphology Association of North America (LANA) certifies therapists and offers a therapist locator.
There are several different schools and methods of instruction in lymphatic drainage. Use the links below to locate a therapist near you.
Academy of Lymphatic Studies Therapists (ACOLS)
Casley-Smith Therapists
Chikly Therapists
Klose Therapists
Norton Therapists
Vodder Therapists
You can also use the American Lymphedema Framework Project resource map to locate therapists in your area.
Australasian Lymphology Association offers a directory to find a practitioner.
The Ehlers-Danlos Society offers the Ehlers Danlos Healthcare Professionals Directory for physicians and therapists.
Lighthouse Lymphedema Network offers a directory to locate therapists.
Lipedema Foundation also offers tips on finding a lipedema specialist.
Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LEARN) also offers tips on finding a lipedema specialist.
Lymphedema Association of Ontario offers a directory to locate therapists.
Lymphedema Association of Saskatchewan offers a member directory to locate therapists.
MLD Ireland offers a member directory to locate therapists.
National Lymphedema Network (NLN) offers a resource map to locate therapists.
Pacific Therapy Education offers a member directory to locate therapists.
Therapist Listing
by Country, State & City
Please review the list below to ensure that your therapists are represented, and if not, please contact me so I can add them. Thank you so much for your contribution of information to the site. Sharing our collective knowledge greatly benefits our community.
Australia
Kaori Langley – Kangaroo Point, Queensland
Nicole Little – Mackay, Queensland
Kristin Osborn – Newcastle, New South Wales
Lisa Rowe – Armidale, New South Wales
Canada
Karen Dobbin – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lymph Balance – Calgary, Alberta
Markham Lymphatic Centre – Markham, Ontario
Toronto Physiotherapy – Toronto, Ontario
New Zealand
Lesley Logan – Queenstown
United States
Alabama
Beth Chandler – Birmingham
Tricia Price (601) 968-1496 – Jackson
Therapy Achievements – Huntsville
Alaska
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Arizona
Tami Arthur – Mount Lemmon
Anita Bakke – Cave Creek
Angela Bornhouser – Tucson
Andrea Brennan – Scottsdale
Melissa Buss – Tucson
Karen Bustillo – Gilbert
Susan Couture – Tucson
Mary Crawford (480) 993-7334 – Mesa
Katie – Tempe
Kelli Cooper – Mesa
Leslie Drawdy (520) 901-3580 – Oro Valley
Ava Englund – Benson
Yvonne Eskar (520) 977-7181 – Tucson
Sonda Gilbert (520) 901-3580 – Oro Valley
Patty Graham – Glendale
Jennifer Guerena – Phoenix
Trudi Hoffman – Tucson
Lynette Jamison (602) 249-0212 – Phoenix
Lynn Keeler (520) 901-3580 – Oro Valley
Phillip McCoy – Vail
Michelle Meyers – Scottsdale
Kenya Palacios – Phoenix
Kathy Porter – Chandler
Catherine Tatum – Show Low, Sun City West
Kristen Waldron – Tucson
Gail Wight (520) 8730-1020 – Tucson
Karie Wilson (Rosenthal) – Glendale
Kit Wolfe – Phoenix
Arkansas
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
California
Jasmine Duong – Pasadena
Linda Kahn – San Diego
Kathleen Lisson – San Diego
Tammy Mondry – San Diego
Julie Soderberg – Torrance
Alexandra Spector – San Diego
Colorado
Stephanie Bowman – Centennial
Celene Nassif – Centennial
Molly Sleigh – Colorado Springs
Connecticut
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Delaware
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Florida
Moffitt Cancer Center – Tampa
Georgia
Joan Manning – Sandy Springs
Molly Sleigh – Macon
Hawaii
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Idaho
Sonja Maul – Boise
Illinois
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Indiana
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Iowa
M Tory Haefner – Cedar Rapids
David Rubsam – Cedar Rapids
Kansas
Staci Cook – Wichita
Cheryl Fast – Topeka
Cindy Kreider – Lawrence
Nancy Korroch – Wichita
Kay Laurent – Kansas City
Caryn Mandel – Overland Park
Janis Miller – Olathe
Melissa McMaster – Overland Park NOT CERTIFIED TO WRAP
Jinyu Ren – Overland Park TUI NA, GUA SHA
Brenda Sampson – Lawrence
Stacy Sebol – Overland Park
Waneta Yoder – Wichita
Kentucky
Edema Partners – Louisville
Susan Issac – Cynthiana
Steven Zeiss – Louisville
Louisiana
Suzanne Chandler – Lafayette
Chrissie Olsson – Baton Rouge
Maine
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Maryland
Anne Arundel Medical Center – Annapolis
Massachusetts
Dan Breidel – Lowell
Laurie Callahan – Attleboro
Nancy Hardy – Attleboro
Jen Shanahan – Charlton
Mari Taylor – Boston
Michigan
Colleen Beaumont Lymphedema Services – Farmington Hills
Kari Bechtel-Unekis – Holland
Anne Chmielewski – Royal Oak
Stephanie Farrell – East Lansing
Ammie, Dawn Henry Ford Allegiance Physical Rehabilitation – Jackson
Linda Isbell – Berkley
Cindy Marselli (248) 964-0700 – Troy
Heidi Roe – East Lansing
Cynthia Tan – Royal Oak
Amber, Jen, Monica University of Michigan Health – Northville
Alayna Webb – Kalamazoo
Minnesota
Nancy Hutchinson – Edina
Mississippi
Tricia Grantham Price (601) 968-1496 – Jackson
Missouri
Karen Bock – Kansas City
Mary Calys – Kansas City
Lori Granados – Springfield
“Dr. Ginger” Xinsheng Jiang – Creve Coeur TUI NA
Megan Klotenull – St. Louis
Genny Perso – Columbia
Carol Sawyer – California
Montana
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Nebraska
Mollie Maire – Grand Island
Nevada
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
New Hampshire
Corey Marggraf – Manchester
New Jersey
Ana Pozzoli – Bloomfield
New Mexico
Deana Benjamin deana.benjamin@stvin.org – Santa Fe
New York
Nefatari Ellis-Marin – Brooklyn
Lizabeth Gottsegen – New York
Mount Sinai West Rehabilitation Medicine – New York
Westbury Total Healthcare – Westbury
North Carolina
Jami Blue Lotus Massage – Winston-Salem
Sherrie Cameron – Southern Pines
Jean Coletti – Asheville
Rebecca Fouts – Cary
Margaret Hatfield – Raleigh
Belinda, Stephanie, and Michael Novant Health – Winston-Salem
Physical Therapy for Women – Wilmington
North Dakota
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Ohio
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Oklahoma
Tammy Wales – Stillwater
Oregon
Alice Fernandez – Portland
Kathe Hotz – Beaverton
Camas Weraky – Southeast Salem
Janelle Zychnull – Newberg
Pennsylvania
Melinda Gross – Philadelphia
Rhode Island
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
South Carolina
Diane Dolan – Myrtle Beach
Laura Flint – Myrtle Beach
Wendy Garland – Greenville
Sherri Scott – Florence
Debbie Smith – Greenville
South Dakota
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Tennessee
Catherine Crawford – Maryville
Paula Donahue – Nashville
Dayna Huntley – Murfreesboro
Paula Stewart – Chatanooga
Geraline Terrill – Clarksville
Texas
Milisa Christiansen – Temple
Esther Coates (631) 413-6372
Flynn Chiropractic – Tyler
Christina Hankins – Round Rock
Penny Harner-Rushing – Tyler
Lymphedema Team – Houston
Lymphedema Therapy Specialists – Katy, Houston
Tash Nettles – Dallas
Kate Obermiller – San Antonio
Rebecca Smith – Tyler
Tammy Sweed – Sugar Land
Jennifer Witt – Dallas
Utah
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Vermont
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Virginia
Shirlea North – Chantilly, Fairfax
Melanie Sullivan – Elkton
Washington
Amy Alexander – Marysville
Titonath Dith – Everett FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY EVALUATIONS
Ann Fox – Everett
Wanju Kellams – Lacey
Kitsap Physical Therapy – Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Poulsbo, Port Orchard, Silverdale
Alexis Kurtzman – Bellevue
Ruth Lewing – Shoreline
Kerry Murray – Poulsbo
Nini Tayet – Tacoma
Janet Todd – Puyallup
Shannon White – Bremerton
Sandra Whiley – Belleview, Sequim
West Virginia
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.
Wisconsin
Deborah Hebert – Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire
Marcia Kane – Tacoma
Abby Maleport – De Pere
Karen Willems – Monona
Wyoming
Do you know of a therapist? Please contact me so I can add them to this list.