Lipoedema Therapy
Lipoedema ~ What is it?
Lipoedema ~ the disease they call fat
Often told to try dieting by a health professionals, this is a genetic metabolic disease whereby there is a higher than normal deposit of fatty tissue under the skin (Greek. Lip = fat)
It almost always affects women as tissue structure is different to men. The predisposition for lipoedema is most likely in your genes and the common trigger is hormonal changes that occur e.g puberty, pregnancy, menopause.
Estimates of the incidence of lipedema range as high as 11% of the post-pubertal female population.
Recognising Lipoedema
- Lipoedema always affects both sides of the body - symmetrical i.e both legs and /or arms
- Both legs and/or arms are disproportionately large while the feet and hands are slender and not affected.
- The body appears incorrectly proportioned with the upper body being relatively slender while fat pads accumulate on the outer/inner thighs and above and below/inside knees. Arms can be more voluminous. Clothing sizes for upper and lower body are extremely different.
- The swelling associated with lipoedema generally stops at the ankles whereby lymphoedema may affect the feet and toes.
- Often hypersensitive/painful to touch and pressure with indent pressure on the skin and tendency to bruise easily. There may also be a wavy uneven skin surface so-called 'orange peel skin' and coarse nodular tissue.
- There is sometimes a discomfort with any pressure garment or tight clothing.
- Hypermobility in joints is common.
- Feeling of heaviness in the legs due to increased fat tissue and accumulated tissue fluid. Lipoedema affects your normal lymphatic flow.
- Restrictive dieting has very little effect on lipoedemic fat and good nutrition show little success in the affected areas.
Stages and Types of Lipoedema
There are 4 stages and 5 different types of Lipoedema.
Lipoedema is a progressive disorder. When it's not treated it can progress in severity over the lifetime of a woman.
Unfortunately it can take a long time to get a diagnosis of lipoedema and is often confused with lipohypertrophy or obesity and misdiagnosed
If you do notice any of the symptoms/signs above or recognise your shape in the video then see your GP to have appropriate scans and tests performed.
Your doctor should refer you to a lymphoedema therapist for management and treatment and possibly to a phlebologist who will give your venous system an examination as Lipoedema may cause dysfunction of your veins.
Lipoedema can be commonly misdiagnosed with lymphoedema, although in the latter stages there may be fluid accumulation and this is called Lipo-lymphoedema and requires Combined Decongestive Therapy (CDT) as in the case of lymphoedema.
Conservative Treatment and Management of Lipoedema
To obtain a diagnosis please visit your GP and contact a Lymphoedema therapist in your area. Lymphoedema NZ
Treatment plan for lipoedema at the Lymph Clinic will include ~
- Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) with a maintenance treatment plan. Regular massage can be helpful in breaking up fibrotic areas where connective tissue begins to harden. MLD can reduce pain and increase mobility.
- Compression therapy - measuring, prescription fitting and ordering of made to measure (in most cases) of a suitable compression garment in flat knit.
- De-congestive exercises and advise on suitable exercise.
- Intermittent compression pneumatic pump (IPC) - use in clinic or purchase your own from the Lymph Clinic for daily use at home.
- Breathing exercises and Skin care advise
- Nutrition/Diet advise - current research on low carbohydrate/moderate protein/high fat (LCHF) has shown promise for weight and symptom management plus Ketogenic Way of Eating Proving Successful for Lipedema
~ If diagnosis is lipo-lymphoedema then a reduction phase with compression bandaging will be recommended initially to decrease the size of the limb. Please see Lymphoedema Management
The goals of treatment are ~
To relieve symptoms improving quality of life
To slow down the progression of lipoedema over your life time
To prevent complications, including the development of lipo-lymphoedema
Surgical treatment ~ A further option in lipoedema therapy
Specialised lymph-sparing liposuction & plastic surgery
This is not a treatment option at the Lymph Clinic. You need to contact a Specialist if this is necessary as lipoedema advances. This should only be performed if conservative therapy has been consistently followed.
If you do consider this option it is important that you discuss with more than one specialist the expected outcomes, risks and side effects. The need for wearing of a compression garment and having conservative therapy like MLD post liposuction surgery varies between patients.
Liposuction and lipectomy are no guarantees of healing the lipoedema but it can provide reduction of symptoms and stops the progression of lipoedema and improve quality of life.
For more information go to Lipoedema Project or call the Lymph Clinic and chat with Lesley
