Lipedema is often misdiagnosed as obesity, lymphedema, or chronic venous disease, although these diagnoses can often occur concomitantly [1,10,11]. Lipedema is not influenced substantially by diet or exercise [12].
Being active is beneficial when you have lipedema: it reduces pain, manages your weight, and improves your overall well-being. Exercises for lipedema should focus on building muscle strength and aerobic exercises.
Aerobic exercises such as swimming, walking and cycling are especially recommended because they increase lymphatic drainage and improve blood flow through the affected limbs. High impact exercising (i.e. jogging, step-aerobics) or contact sports are better avoided as they may exacerbate join pain and lead to bruising.
However, lipedema frequently does worsen with time due to the general trend toward increasing body weight and obesity (which is itself a progressive disease) with age. Psychological distress is often also a progressive disorder, one that typically amplifies feelings of pain and diminishes willpower and general health.
There's currently no cure, but there are things that can help and stop it getting worse. Your treatment will depend on how severe your symptoms are and how they're affecting you. The main treatments are: eating healthily, doing more exercise and trying to maintain a healthy weight.
However, healthy eating is very important for people with lipedema as the growth of normal fat is thought to promote lipedema fat growth. Lymph sparing tumescent liposuction and water jet assisted liposuction are the only methods that are known to reduce the number of lipedema fat cells at this time.
Lipoedema patients can lose weight too. The legs will still look different to the upper body, even after weight reduction, but the symptoms are reduced.”
Lipedema treatment may include: Exercise. Swimming, biking and walking help improve mobility and reduce swelling. Exercising in a pool can reduce stress on your joints, too.
The best exercises for lipoedema are non weight bearing. Things like swimming, cycling, yoga and stretching. Yoga can be chair based if this suits you better. Walking and Nordic walking (where you walk with sticks for a full body work out) are great low impact options.
Absolutely! Because the body is more prone to hold onto excess liquid when it feels dehydrated, drinking enough water is especially important for those with lymphedema so they can maintain a healthy fluid and chemical balance.
Obesity is the result of being overweight, which can cause fat to develop in the legs. Lipedema is the disproportionate setting of fat in arms and legs, unrelated to body weight, often associated with prominent swelling, common pain, and a column-like look. Lipedema can appear in both thin and obese individuals alike.
Neither diets nor fasting or exercise will bring the desired success for lipoedema as a fat reduction in the affected parts will not be achieved. You will only lose weight in the “healthy” parts of your body. That is why these methods are not an option treating lipoedema.
Lipedema is sometimes characterized by pain and diet-resistant fat tissue accumulation in the subcutaneous tissue. This means that it is very difficult for us lipedema patients to lose fat in the affected areas through diet or exercise.
Lipedema is a chronic and progressive medical condition, meaning it can get worse over time. It causes fat below the surface of your skin to grow larger than usual, especially in the lower part of your body.
If you're living with lymphedema, lipedema, or a similar condition, you can take steps to get relief from pain and the other symptoms at home. Lymphatic massage can be used to relieve the swelling in your arms, legs, or other affected areas. The technique works by helping to promote lymphatic drainage.
Fat cells cannot grow back, but if a patient gains weight afterward, the remaining cells can expand.
In fact, most doctors haven't heard of lipedema. A 2004 Stanford University study showed that most U.S. medical schools spend less than 30 minutes teaching the entire lymphatic system. "So, not surprisingly, doctors don't know a lot about these diseases or the underlying conditions," says Rockson.
Stage 1. In this early stage, it may be difficult to distinguish lipedema from excess fat on the lower body. Instead, providers look for certain characteristics, including: Extra fat in the buttocks, thighs, and calves, but not in the ankles or feet.
A Note About Conservative Treatment
We should note that the ketogenic diet can give great results for people with lipedema, but other conservative treatments are required for truly remarkable results. Work with a trained therapist well-versed in lipedema to develop your personal protocol for management.
Because the lymphatic system lies just below the skin's surface, dry brushing has been considered an effective treatment for lipedema. The benefits of dry brushing have been shown to provide : Help move the venous blood. Stimulate the lymph system.
A helpful diagnostic tool to distinguish lipedema from lymphedema is to pinch the skin over the dorsum of the base of the second toe (Stemmer sign); thickened skin that is difficult to lift off of the underlying tissue is considered diagnostic for lymphedema.