COMPLETE DECONGESTIVE PHYSIOTHERAPY WITH AND WITHOUT PNEUMATIC COMPRESSION FOR TREATMENT OF LIPEDEMA: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Lipedema is a disproportional obesityfor which evidence-based treatment is notcurrently available. We studied whethercomplete decongestive physiotherapy (CDP)alone or combined with intermittentpneumatic compression (IPC) could improvethe treatment outcome in women withlipedema using a prospective, randomizedtrial. Eleven patients received CDP (60 min)and thirteen CDP (30 min) plus IPC (30 min)once daily in a 5-day-course. Subsequent todrainage, all subjects received multilayeredcompression bandaging, physical exercise andskin care. Treatment efficacy was evaluatedby limb volume reduction. Both groupsachieved significant reductions in mean lowerextremity volume (p<0.05). The addition ofIPC is safe, although it provides no synergisticbenefit to CDP in leg volume reduction underthese study conditions.