Lymphedema garments--Jovipak (jovi)

The Story of JoViPak®

In the beginning, there was Ace Wrap. How barbaric!

Then there was flat foam and short-stretch bandaging, but a young man from the Black Forest had a better idea. Bernd Schneider, lymphedema therapist at the Foeldi Clinic, discovered the miracle of shredded, or chipped foam. Used under compression wraps, the foam chips not only provided the necessary protection, but they broke down the real enemy …fibrosis.

The news spread quickly throughout the land, and soon therapists everywhere were spending their evenings cutting up flat foam into little pieces and stuffing them into various shapes of cotton liner in anticipation of their next day’s fibrosis challenges.

The concept was a major breakthrough in the mobilization of trapped proteins. The varying sizes, densities, and shapes of foam created both high and low pressure points . . . increasing venous re-absorption while leaving tissue spaces for the rerouting of excess interstitial fluid to functional lymphatic pathways. The foam chips not only kept the trapped proteins from coalescing, but with each body movement, or muscle contraction, they provided a mini-massage . . . gently working their way down into the tissue.

In 1992 JoAnn Rovig opened the first lymphedema clinic in the Northwest, and immediately following her training with the Casley- Smiths, where she was introduced to "Schneider Packs", she began making her own home-spun versions for her patients. JoAnn believed every patient should have an understanding of the lymphatic system and master the self-MLD techniques. Her greatest concern, however, was sending a patient home with a sack of bandages-- fearful they could not, or would not, be able to carry on with this phase of the maintenance regimen. She knew, once a patient was stable, they could wear daytime compression garments.

But what if they had swelling at night? Or what if their daytime garments were not enough to control the fibrosis? And bottom line -- what if they were just too depressed or frustrated to even attempt self-bandaging?

The answer was simple . . . . . . incorporate Bernd’s "Schneider Pack" concept into custom-made garments and call them JoViPaks. It would give the patients some options. They could add a bandage or two, or better yet, add a powernet outer JoViJacket for additional compression. They could wear them inside a pump appliance or as a liner for a variety of external binders. JoViPaks would be cozy and comfortable and would allow full range of motion. They were machine washable and could be ordered in a variety of styles and colors.

The best part of this story is . . . . JoViPaks made it easier for patients to manage their lymphedema; and once they realized that was possible, both patients and therapists lived happily ever after.

THE END