What is Lipoedema/Lipalgia?
This is another medical condition which, although has very similar properties and appearance to lymphoedema, is actually an inflammatory disease of the adipose (fat) tissues. It almost exclusively affects women (or those assigned female at birth) and, although there are a small number of cases where it has been present in males too, it may manifest differently. It is characterised by disproportionately heavy hips, thighs and legs which, in later stages of the disease, stop at the ankle (like a cuff) leaving the feet unaffected. It is a hereditary condition associated with the reproductive hormones and especially oestrogen.
The legs can be cold, bruise easily, are tender to touch, feel very heavy and painful and there can be small bumps under the skin. Sadly, it is a misunderstood disease with people being diagnosed as obese or with lymphoedema. As the condition can start at puberty there can be a lot of stigma and shame for children who are repeatedly told that they are "just fat" and "need to exercise more". This can lead to disordered eating.
There are different types and stages of lipoedema/lipalgia :
Although not shown above, there is a Stage 4 in which lymphoedema can develop alongside the lipoedema/lipalgia due to the pressure of the fat cells damaging delicate lymphatic vessels. This allows lymph to leak into the surrounding connective tissue and causing the limbs to swell.
The legs can be cold, bruise easily, are tender to touch, feel very heavy and painful and there can be small bumps under the skin. Sadly, it is a misunderstood disease with people being diagnosed as obese or with lymphoedema. As the condition can start at puberty there can be a lot of stigma and shame for children who are repeatedly told that they are "just fat" and "need to exercise more". This can lead to disordered eating.
I have got a lot of information which I can give you so, if this sounds familiar, please get in touch and we can have a chat and/or assessment and I can hopefully give you some assistance towards getting a formal diagnosis for the condition. I can also provide a lot of self-help ideas and resources to follow up. I understand how the condition impacts on quality of life, everyday tasks and relationships as well as putting barriers in the way for working and social environments. Although a formal diagnosis does not fix this it can open doors to resources which could help and, as always, there is medical research happening which may provide a long-term solution in the future.
There is a trend towards new terminology for lipoedema and this is why you will see "lipalgia" appearing here and being used, probably, in other resources. The theory behind this is that, for some people, there is no oedema (Greek for swelling) present in their lipoedema. However lipo (fat) and algia (pain) seems to describe the condition more accurately. It may also stop the close, and sometimes misheard, word connection between lymphoedema and lipoedema which can only be a good thing when trying to describe to others your condition.