 From Chip Bags to JoViPak®
If you are a lymphedema therapist, you may know them as chip bags, muffs, Schneider Packs or generically as "jovipaks".
Some History
In the mid 1980's, Bernd Schneider, lymphedema therapist for the Földi Clinic in Germany, discovered that chipped foam bags under short-stretch bandages increase the efficacy of CDP (Complete Decongestive Physiotherapy) for the treatment of lymphedema. The varying degrees of pressure created by the foam chips soften fibrotic tissue while still allowing channels for the lymphatic fluid to seek new pathways. His ingenious discovery is the foundation of all modern nighttime lymphedema therapy.
A member of JoAnn's Seattle lymphedema support group had been successfully treated by a Casley-Smith therapist. She introduced the "chip bag" to JoAnn in 1992. The following year, JoAnn traveled to Australia to train with the doctors who were teaching this technique: Judith Casley-Smith and her late husband, John. JoAnn brought back the technology to her own lymphedema clinic and began applying this effective but time-consuming technique on her patients. Later that year, Bernd Schneider was a guest therapist at Dr. Lerner's clinic in New York where he introduced his own "Schneider Packs" to Dr. Lerner's patients.
JoAnn's Innovation
As a lymphedema therapist, JoAnn realized that therapists don't have time to personally make "chip bags" for each patient. As a patient educator, she also recognized the need to simplify the bandaging aspect of home maintenance programs, particularly if therapists expect any degree of patient compliance. To solve these issues, JoAnn designed easy pull-on garments, based on the chipped foam bag concept, that could be worn under a compression sleeve, eliminating the need for nighttime bandaging. These garments were such a breakthrough in lymphedema therapy that a new term was coined to describe them: JOVIPAK, a contraction of syllables taken from her name (JOann roVIg). Although sometimes used generically by others, "jovipak" is a registered trademark and real JoViPak® nighttime garments are made only by JoAnn's company, JoViPak Corporation. Since JoAnn introduced JoViPak® lymphedema garments, therapists concerns about their patients' ability to manage fibrosis are greatly relieved. Wearing a JoViPak lymphedema garment during the night may soften fibrotic tissue enough to allow a patient to proceed with their self-massage techniques in the morning.
Therapist and Patient Benefits
JoViPak lymphedema garments are used by therapists to protect boney prominences, i.e. the anterior tibialis and the dorsum of the foot. They are very helpful in treating breast, chest wall, and female genital lymphedema. They also work well over the anatomical indentations around the ankle and knee and benefit in the reshaping of the limb toward the end of treatment. Some therapists even use them under pneumatic pumps, which is the treatment of choice for professional athletes. JoViPak's line of products continues to evolve, with new designs and specifications in response to the needs of therapists and patients throughout the world. |
JoAnn Rovig, LMP, CLT-LANA, NTP
