Signs and Symptoms of Lipedema for the Personal Trainer

What Does Lipedema Look Like?

by Kathleen Lisson
Certified Lymphedema Therapist
ACE Certified Personal Trainer


According to the monograph Lipedema - The disease they call FAT: An overview for clinicians, lipedema is a word used to describe an adipose tissue disorder that is characterized by excess fat that collects on the lower half of the body except the feet. Ladies with lipedema are pear shaped and the lower body looks much larger than the upper body, almost like the top half of the person doesn’t belong on the bottom half and vice versa. The feet are not affected, which can give the ankles a ‘cankle’ like appearance or the legs a ‘pantaloon’ like appearance. Lipedema can also affect the upper arms. If a lady with lipedema loses weight through dieting, the majority of the weight will come from the upper half of her body, making her look even more bottom-heavy (Dayan et al, 2017).

A simple Google search for 'Lipedema Photos' brings up dozens of examples of the condition.

Interestingly, a lot of ladies with lipedema also have hypermobility. Sometimes the Beighton Score is used to determine how hypermobile a person is. Learn more about hypermobility here: http://hypermobility.org/help-advice/hypermobility-syndromes/beighton-score/ Women with lipedema may also bruise very easily. Lipedema tissue can impair one’s ability to walk easily and comfortably, with lipedema tissue collecting in a mass below the knee, filling the retromalleolar sulcus by the Achilles’ heel and creating a medial knee fat pad and lateral malleolus fat pad. Ladies with lipedema may have knock knees (Genu Valgus) and flat feet (Pes Planus) (Dayan et al, 2017).

This video shows the Types of Lipedema:

Resources:

Dayan, E., Kim, J.N., Smith M.L., Seo, C. A., Damstra, R.J., Schmeller, W. Frambach, Y., Carmody, M.A. Foldi, E., & Rockson, S. G., (2017). Lipedema - The disease they call FAT: An overview for clinicians. Boston MA: Lipedema Simplified Publications, The Friedman Center for Lymphedema Research and Treatment at The Center for Advanced Medicine at Northwell Health in collaboration with Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN).