Muscle Strength, Muscle Endurance, Lower Extremity Function, Aerobic Capacity, Pressure Pain Threshold and Edema in Women With Lipedema

Muscle Strength, Muscle Endurance, Lower Extremity Function, Aerobic Capacity, Pressure Pain Threshold and Edema in Women With Lipedema: A Case-Control Study

Lipedema is a chronic progressive disease that causes disproportionate, painful extremities with abnormal fat distribution. Lipedema is known to cause physical and psychosocial disorders in individuals, but there are very limited studies on this subject. The aim of this study is to evaluate muscle strength, muscle endurance, lower extremity function, aerobic capacity, pressure pain threshold and edema parameters in individuals diagnosed with lipedema and to compare them with individuals without lipedema. Volunteer women aged 18 years and older with lipedema (study group) and without lipedema (control group) will be included in the study. After recording the demographic information of the patients, lower extremity muscle strength will be assessed with the K-force handheld dynamometer, lower extremity muscle endurance with the 30 Second Sit-to-Stand Test, lower extremity function with the Lower Extremity Functional Scale, aerobic capacity with the 6-Minute Walking Test, pressure pain threshold with the Baseline algometer, and edema with the moisturemeter. Data from the study and control groups will be recorded in the SPSS program and compared using the appropriate statistical method.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy; Lipedema

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 30

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Gazi University Faculty of Health Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Women with lipedema in Ankara/TURKEY

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women over the age of 18 diagnosed with lipedema

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having cardiovascular, orthopedic and/or neurological problems that may affect physical capacity

  • Having diseases such as heart failure, kidney failure that may cause general or localized edema

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
study group; Women diagnosed with lipedema
control group; Women over the age of 18 who do not have any cardiovascular, orthopedic and/or neurological problems that may affect physical capacity and who do not have diseases such as heart failure or renal failure that may cause general or localized edema.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Assessment of Muscle Strength	The individuals' gluteus maximus, hip flexor, abductor and knee extensor strength in their dominant extremities will be assessed with a K-force handheld dynamometer (Montpellier, France). In the assessment, the individual will be positioned in a prone position for the gluteus maximus muscle test, in a sitting position for the hip flexor and extensor muscles test and in a side-lying position for the hip abductors test, and the dynamometer will be stabilized as specified in the K-Force manual, and the individual will be asked to apply maximum effort against the dynamometer. The measurements will be repeated 3 times and the maximum value will be recorded in kg.	only one time
Assessment of Lower Extremity Muscle Endurance	Lower extremity muscle endurance will be assessed with the 30-Second Sit-Stand Test. In this test, the individual will sit on a chair with their back supported. The individual will then be asked to stand up and sit down again with their back straight for 30 seconds, and the number of times this cycle is repeated within 30 seconds will be recorded.	only one time
Assessment of Lower Extremity Function	It will be evaluated with the Lower Extremity Functional Scale. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale is a questionnaire developed to evaluate individuals' lower extremity functions, abilities and activity limitations. Scoring is between 0-80. Higher scores indicate better function. It is based on the individual's self-assessment and personal statement. The Turkish version of the scale was developed by Çankaya et al. and reported to be valid and reliable.	only one time
Assessment of Aerobic Capacity	It will be evaluated with the 6 Minute Walking Test. During this test, the individual is asked to walk as fast as he can in a 30-meter corridor for 6 minutes and the total walking distance is recorded in meters.	only one time
Assessment of Pressure Pain Threshold	A digital algometer (Baseline) will be used to assess the pain threshold. The algometer will be calibrated before the assessment. A 1 cm2 probe will be used for the measurements. The midpoint of the quadriceps and tibia will be marked before the measurement. The measurement will be repeated 3 times at 5-second intervals and the average value will be recorded. The algometer will be placed at a right angle to each point, participants will be asked to report the presence of pain by saying "yes" and the value on the device will be recorded as the pain threshold when they first feel pain at the point of touch. There will be a 5-second interval between measurements	only one time
Assessment of Edema	Local tissue water percentage of individuals will be measured with the Moisturemeter-d compact (MMDc, Delfin Technologies, Kuopio, Finland) device. This device calculates the percentage of water under the skin by touching the reference points from the skin surface. The reference points were determined as the medial of 35 cm above the heel (calf) on both legs, the medial of 3 cm proximal to the patella (medial knee) and the lateral of 20 cm above the line drawn from 3 cm proximal to the patella to the SIAS (lateral hip) (6). 3 measurements will be made for each reference point and the average of these measurements will be recorded.	only one time

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Gazi University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 10, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 15, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): May 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 4, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Connective Tissue Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Lipedema
• Other Study ID Numbers: Lipedema/Haspolat M

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No