Summer is finally here but beach days, swimming pools and backyard cricket may feel out of reach for thousands of Australians living with lower limb swelling. 

Beat the Swell is a new national day to raise awareness of lower limb swelling ('oedema'): the conditions that cause it, treatments and sources of support. 

On Thursday 19 February 2026 – the first ever National Beat the Swell Day – we're asking clinicians to upskill in identifying and treating lower limb swelling by joining some very special events taking place around the nation. 

And for your patients, we're creating a series of FREE resources to teach them the basics about life with oedema. 

Beat the Swell: a wave of events around Australia

If you're in Melbourne, we're hosting an incredible event featuring presentations from former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Wood AO and Lymphoedema Specialist Dr Elizabeth Webb PhD of the Australian National University.

This will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Occupational Therapist Stacey Bradshaw and featuring: 

• Diane Fisher, who lives with lymphoedema
• President of the Australasian Lymphology Association Katherine Turner
• President of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery Dr Mark Jackson
• Maree O'Connor, Lymphoedema Physiotherapist and PhD candidate addressing early detection and intervention
• Greer Hosking, Wound Nurse and Lymphoedema Practitioner
• Professor Fiona Wood AO.

Tickets for this exciting professional learning opportunity are extremely limited so book fast before it sells out. Find more information and tickets. 

If you're elsewhere around Australia, you won't miss out! In coming days we'll be announcing a webinar available to watch at 6.30pm in your local timezone. Stay tuned for more details.

Thanks to our generous sponsor Essity for supporting the inaugural Beat the Swell Day. 

Explore the website

Woundaware.org is the home of Beat the Swell and we'll be sharing resources for patients there in coming weeks. Stay tuned! 

Industry opportunities

Talk to Wounds Australia Events Manager Casey Davis about securing one of a limited number of trade tables at our Melbourne event: events@woundsaustralia.org 

Beat the Swell is an initiative of Wounds Australia with Mole Digital Australasia and these valued partners: the Australian and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery, the Australasian Lymphology Association and The Pharmacy Guild Australia.