As you may have noticed, the healthcare industry has been turned upside down by the sudden onset of COVID-19. Several businesses that are deemed non-essential have temporarily closed their doors until further notice, while others are available only for emergency or essential procedures. This can include many places where you can seek relief for your lipedema symptoms. Fortunately, there a few at-home exercises and measures you can take to manage your symptoms of lipedema.
There a several different low impact exercises you can try at home to manage your lipedema symptoms. These exercises include shoulder shrugs, neck rotations, hip abductions, ankle pumps, and bent knee fall outs. The exercises are designed to help stretch out your lymphatic system allowing lymph fluid to flow easier.
General workouts designed to fight off lipedema symptoms are different than the exercises described above. One of the best yet hardest ways to fight off lipedema symptoms is to follow a workout regimen at home. Healthy exercise helps us develop muscle tissue and promote lymphatic circulation. Most of these workouts are low impact and will not be stressful on your joints. These workouts include swimming and water exercises, walking with supportive footwear, elliptical machines and stationary bike rides. Ellipticals and stationary bikes even allow you to change the resistance so you can find the perfect balance of cardio and strength building.
One of the most common lipedema symptoms patients will experience is swelling. Not only does swelling look unattractive but it can also be painful. One conservative treatment option you can do from home is wearing compression sleeves or garments. They can reduce your swelling and help the flow of lymphatic fluids in your affected limbs. These garments are recommended to be worn all day, so it is important to find your correct size.
By maintaining a nutritious diet, you can help reduce inflammation, another common symptom of lipedema. Your diet should include plenty of fatty acids that can help reduce your inflammation and overall swelling. Foods you will want to stay away from include processed packaged foods, wheat and gluten products, refined carbohydrates, dairy products, and food that is high in trans-fat.
While some healthcare offices may be closed, several physicians, including our own Dr. Wright, are introducing video consultation to better support their clients. Make sure to stay in contact with your physician and seek out their advice during this time!
Dr. Wright and Karen Herbst discuss COVID19 and Lipedema. What would increase a women’s risk of developing COVID19?
When dealing with lipedema, patients will not experience a quick, single-treatment recovery but instead a lifelong ordeal that can be difficult to maintain. How you handle your lipedema can make all the difference when it comes to everyday life activities. This Lipedema management is best handled through a variety of treatment options that can help reduce the appearance of lipedema. These treatments also work to decrease various symptoms that can make movement difficult.
The first steps for managing your lipedema symptoms usually involve more conservative forms of treatment. This can include practicing breathing exercises, wearing compression garments throughout the day, and maintaining a healthy diet. Compression garments can be purchased at your local pharmacy and need to be worn 24 hours a day to remain effective. Compression garments help with lipedema management by encouraging movement within the lymph system. Your physician may also recommend a CDT or Congenital Decongestive Therapy session. CDTs are a great way to relieve swelling through non-surgical options. This process typically entails manual lymph drainage that helps drain your lymph nodes of built-up fluids. A significant reduction in swelling can be noticed almost immediately; it can also break apart fibrosis that can be present in a limb impacted by lipedema. Rounding out this beginning step to lipedema management is having a regular skincare routine to keep your skin healthy.
A more advanced form of managing lipedema comes in the form of liposuction. This fat reduction procedure is utilized by physicians, allowing them to provide long-term benefits to those who continue to suffer from lipedema. Lymph sparing liposuction uses tumescent local anesthesia and removes subcutaneous fat tissue that cannot be reduced through diet and exercise alone. Multiple research studies have shown than liposuction for lipedema can provide long-term benefits that last for up to 8 years. The effects of lymph sparing liposuction make it clear that it is the only effective treatment to truly remove subcutaneous fat tissue in lipedema.
Lipedema continues to be a lesser known condition within the United States medical community. However difficult it might be in managing your lipedema symptoms and onset, you are not alone. Reach out to one of Dr. Wright’s highly trusted treatment centers to see how our lipedema treatment options can make living with lipedema much easier!
