An interventional study of aquatic therapy and land- based exercise in Lipedema, sponsored by Cairo University. Recruiting at 1 site in Egypt. Open to female participants aged 35 Years to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-27.
Sponsored by Cairo University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
To evaluate optimal workout environments, a 12-week study assigned women with moderate-to-severe lipedema to three distinct protocols: supervised pool workouts, equivalent land-based training, or basic standard monitoring. Researchers tracked walking endurance alongside tissue composition, fluid levels, pain intensity, and general well-being. The trial posited that structured activity beats routine care alone, with water-based exercise potentially offering superior relief due to buoyancy and hydrostatic fluid compression.
Lipedema is a chronic, underrecognized condition primarily affecting women, characterized by a bilateral and symmetrical expansion of subcutaneous fat and connective tissue in the limbs-most commonly the hips, thighs, and lower legs-while sparing the hands and feet. Frequently misdiagnosed as standard obesity, lymphedema, or venous insufficiency due to overlapping symptoms, it lacks a specific biomarker, requiring diagnosis via clinical history, physical exam, and exclusion of differential conditions.
Unlike typical obesity, lipedema-related limb enlargement is accompanied by distinct symptoms:
Physical Discomfort: Spontaneous or pressure-induced pain, tenderness, persistent heaviness, easy bruising, and nodular or fibrotic tissue changes.
Functional Decline: Worsening symptoms from standing or inactivity, leading to reduced quadriceps strength, diminished walking capacity, and functional impairment beyond what is explained by body mass alone.
Psychosocial Impact: High rate of emotional distress, poor body image, and reduced quality of life driven by pain, diagnostic delays, and societal stigma.
Underlying Mechanisms: Though incompletely understood, proposed factors include adipocyte hypertrophy, tissue fibrosis, microvascular fragility, chronic inflammation, and altered fluid regulation. Because swelling changes do not inherently reflect lymphatic transport, direct imaging is required to verify lymphatic mechanisms.
85 studies on the registry are indexed under Lipedema; 32 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is above the median of 35 across 42 interventional studies indexed under Lipedema.
Browse Lipedema studies →Cairo University is the lead sponsor of 4,941 studies on the registry; 1,458 are open to participants now.
Of its 37 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 5 (14%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Supervised 12- week water-based exercise program. Each aquatic session consists of four standardized phases. The first five minutes include supported standing, diaphragmatic breathing, and lateral-costal expansion. The subsequent eight-minute warm-up includes forward, backward, and lateral water walking; ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion; heel raises; gentle knee flexion; marching; and controlled hip movement. The 25-minute main phase comprises brisk water walking, marching, hip abduction and extension, hamstring curls, supported mini-squats, step-touch movements, calf raises, controlled leg circles, and upper-limb sweeping movements coordinated with breathing. The final seven-minute cool-down includes progressively slower water walking, ankle pumps, and gentle stretching of the gastrocnemius-soleus complex, hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip flexors.
Other: aquatic therapy
The land-based 12- week program combined low-impact aerobic training, lower-limb strengthening, muscle-pump exercises, flexibility training, postural control, and breathing exercises. Each session will begin with an eight-minute warm-up consisting of diaphragmatic breathing, ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion, heel and toe raises, slow marching, gentle trunk rotation, and low-intensity walking. The aerobic phase will last approximately 12 minutes and consist of walking on level ground or on a treadmill. The 18-minute strengthening phase will include sit-to-stand exercises, supported mini-squats, heel raises, standing hip abduction and extension, knee flexion and extension, low step-ups, supine bridging, and side-lying hip abduction.
Other: land- based exercise
Participants will receive manual lymphatic drainage, intermittent pneumatic compression, a weight-reduction diet, and a compression garment will be provided by the research team.
Other: usual care
Hydotherapy for lipedema. Sessions will be conducted in a therapeutic pool maintained at approximately 28-30°C. Immersion depth will be individualized between the xiphoid process and shoulder level according to participant height, balance, symptom severity, and exercise tolerance.
Sessions will be supervised by a physiotherapist and conducted in an area equipped with supportive chairs, stable handrails, low steps, exercise mats, and light resistance bands. Participants wear comfortable clothing and supportive footwear.
Participants will receive a standardized education session at baseline addressing lipedema, skin care, symptom monitoring, avoidance of prolonged immobility, maintenance of habitual daily activity, and clinical warning signs requiring medical review
Functional capacity measured by Six-Minute Walk Test
Participants will complete a seated rest period of at least 10 minutes before testing. The test will be conducted indoors along a straight 30-m corridor. Participants will be instructed to walk as far as possible during six minutes without running. Rest is permitted when necessary, although the timer continues throughout the test. The total distance walked will be recorded in meters. In the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), a greater distance (more meters walked) indicates better functional capacity, superior cardiorespiratory fitness, and greater lower-limb muscular endurance.
Time frame: 12 weeks
Body Mass Index
Body weight is measured using a calibrated digital scale, and standing height is measured using a wall-mounted stadiometer. Body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Standard World Health Organization adult ranges are: Underweight is below 18.5, Normal weight is 18.5 to 24.9, Overweight is 25 to 29.9, and Obesity is 30 or higher
Time frame: 12 weeks
Waist-to-Height Ratio
Waist circumference is measured using a non-elastic tape at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the iliac crest at the end of normal expiration. The waist-to-height ratio was calculated by dividing waist circumference in centimeters by height in centimeters. Higher values indicate an increased risk of cardiometabolic complications
Time frame: 12 weeks
Three-Dimensional Lower-Limb Scanning
Bilateral lower-limb surface dimensions will be assessed using a three-dimensional optical body scanner. Participants will be scanned barefoot in a standardized upright position with consistent foot placement, lower-limb alignment, clothing, and distance from the scanner.
Time frame: 12 weeks
Symptom-Related Outcomes
Pain severity, limb heaviness, limb tenderness, and global symptom burden will be evaluated using an 11-point numeric rating scale, where 0 indicates no symptom and 10 indicates the worst imaginable symptom
Time frame: 12 weeks
Health-Related Quality of Life
Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire, which comprises 26 items across four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental health, with higher values indicating better quality of life.
Time frame: 12 weeks
Segmental Bioimpedance Spectroscopy
It will be used to estimate extracellular and intracellular fluid in the right and left lower limbs. The principal bioimpedance outcome is bilateral lower-limb extracellular water, expressed in liters. Intracellular water and the extracellular-water-to-total-body-water ratio will be recorded as supportive variables
Time frame: 12 weeks
Started Aug 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2027, 12 months after the start.
Of 29 interventional studies with no phase under Lipedema, half reached primary completion within 15 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 31. This study's planned 12 months is below that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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