Secondary lymphedema is a clinically incurable disease that commonly occurs following surgical cancer treatment and/or radiation. Microcurrent therapy (MT) has been shown to decrease inflammation and promote wound healing. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of MT in a rat model for forelimb lymphedema induced by axillary lymph node dissection. The model was created by dissecting the right axillary lymph node. Two weeks after surgery, 12 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: one that underwent MT in the lymphedematous forelimb (MT, n=6) and a sham MT group (sham MT, n=6). MT was applied daily for 1 h in each session for two weeks. The circumferences of the wrist and 2.5 cm above the wrist were measured 3 days and 14 days after surgery, weekly during MT and 14 days after the last MT. Immunohistochemical staining of pan-endothelial marker (CD31), Masson's trichrome, and western blot analysis of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR3) were performed 14 days after the last MT. Quantification of the area covered by blood vessels (CD31+) and fibrotic tissue area were measured using an image analysis program (ImageJ software). The circumference of the carpal joint in the MT group was significantly decreased 14 days after the last MT compared to that in the sham MT group (P=0.021). The area covered by blood vessels (CD31+) was significantly higher in the MT group than in the sham MT and contralateral control group (P<0.05). The extent of fibrotic tissue was significantly attenuated in the MT group compared to the sham MT group (P<0.05). The expression of VEFGR3 was 2.02-fold higher for MT group, compared for the contralateral control group, which was statistically significant (P=0.035). VEGF-C expression was 2.27-fold higher for MT group than that for contralateral control group; however, the difference between the groups was not significant (P=0.051). Our findings indicate that MT promotes angiogenesis, and improves fibrosis in secondary lymphedema. Therefore, MT may be a novel and non-invasive treatment modality for secondary lymphedema.