do you have a higher amount of fat in your lower body and no matter what diet you do or what exercise you're doing it just doesn't seem to go away or does this run in your family these are symptoms of a condition called lip EMA and what is lip EMA my name is Kelly I am a certified lymphadema therapist and physical therapist and in this video I'm going to help explain what lip edema is what symptoms someone may have and what they can do to treat it so keep watching [Music] lip adeema is a condition that's characterized because of the abnormal buildup of fat cells it's often misunderstood and underdiagnosed but it can have a significant impact on someone's physical and emotional well-being so in lipedema we talked about there is an abnormal accumulation or buildup of fat cells as well as the size of fat cells which causes disproportionate and often really painful increase in the areas that are affected so lip edema is typically seen in the legs or from the hips down to the ankles and at the ankles it creates a cuff like appearance and doesn't always affect the feet but sometimes it's also F in the arms specifically more in the upper arms so again that is one of the key features of lip Adema that someone can be looking for it tends to spare the hands and feet creating a socer glove effect where someone's foot or their hand look relatively normal in size but the rest of the legs or rest of the arm become enlarged this can make it really challenging for someone who has lip edema to find clothing that fits and it's also challenging to participate in activities that require prolonged standing or walking for long periods of time because of the discomfort and pain that's associated with this condition someone may also have General swelling or lymphadema combined with lipedema which then may cause swelling in the feet but lipedema only or by itself does not typically affect the feet someone who has lip EMA tend to have an increased number of nodules or fibrotic or Harden tissue within the fat tissue so if someone's feeling that tissue or a doctor working through you again might find those hard marble or round no uals within it and that's a sign of lipidemia the ratio of lipidemia in females to males is extremely high typically ranging from 10:1 or as high as 17:1 so this means that for every one male diagnosed with lipedema there are approximately 10 to 17 or more females affected by this condition lip EMA is thought to have a genetic component and often becomes more apparent during puberty pregnancy or menopause and while the exact cause of Lipa is not fully understood hormonal factors and the genetic predisposition are believed to play a role diagnosing lip Adema typically involves a physical examination by healthcare provider who is familiar with the condition there are certain characteristics like we talked about to look for such as that disproportionate increase in fat from the hips down to the ankle but again not affecting the hands or the feet and that can help distinguish lipedema from another condition such as just obesity or lymphadema for lipedema diagnosis is typically based on this clinical presentation we call it or what someone looks like but someone may also have Imaging tests like ultrasound or MRI really to help rule out other conditions for lip adeema treatment aims to manage symptoms and improve quality of life so this may include lifestyle modifications such as a healthy diet and regular exercise to help manage weight and reduce inflammation when it comes to diet there are some studies looking say like a keto diet for a short period of time or an anti-inflammatory diet can be helpful to help reduce that inflammation but at the end of the day it's best to find a diet that is safe for you but also something that someone can be consistent with and if you're looking for exercises to start with consider watching the videos in my GP Adema exercise playlist there are seated exercises as well because again standing jumping moving around that can be really painful for someone who has lip idema so trying to give someone some ideas and exercise routines that are gentle to start with compression garments may also be used to help alleviate discomfort and prevent further progression of this condition one example of this is juo sensation compression garment this is gaining a lot of popularity as a garment that someone lip EMA really loves and finds very beneficial comfortable to wear and very supportive it doesn't give too much compression like some of those highlevel flat knit custom garments are and something that someone can wear over time to help manage their condition now while lipos section surgery is sometimes considered as a treatment option for lipedema to help remove that excess fat tissue and those nodules it is important to note that it is not a cure and it may not be suitable for for all patients and that's a brief overview of the treatments but I do have another video on my channel that goes a lot more in depth that you can check out overall lipedema is a chronic condition that can have a significant impact like we said on someone's physical well-being we talked about it can be really painful um and it can be really confusing and it can affect someone's mental and emotional well-being as well by increasing awareness and understanding of lip Adema we can help support individuals who are are affected by this condition and promote access to the appropriate care and also resources again if you're looking for more information on lipedema I do have some other videos on my channel to check out otherwi I hope you all found this video helpful and we'll see you all in the next video thanks everyone [Music] [Music]