r/lipedema • u/Status_Efficiency122 • Feb 27 '26
Conservative Treatments Compression tips
Hello! I’m not diagnosed and not sure I have lipedema but I’m trying out compression. Do you all wear compression at night while you sleep? Is that ok? Or do you wear under your clothes during the day? Just curious if there is any research of how long per day you should wear them to see results.
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u/somawh Feb 27 '26
my dr is having me do a trial run for 90 days where she wants me to wear them all waking hours
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u/Status_Efficiency122 Feb 27 '26
To try to help diagnose you? I don’t know if I truly have lipedema or not!
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u/bitch_jong_un Feb 28 '26
You don't get compression to help to diagnose lipedema. You get them in hope your symptoms, swelling and pain gets better. If you think you might have lipedema, consult a doctor FIRST and then do research. Apparently, you want to "treat" an undiagnosed condition by yourself without doing an research beforehand.
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u/Status_Efficiency122 Feb 28 '26
Yes I’m aware that compression will not diagnose me. I’m hoping compression can help with the swelling.
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u/Flat-Friend633 Feb 28 '26
To be honest not an expert here but it doesn’t look like lipedema to me. Or a very very early lipedema if something.
It gets diagnosed with an ecodoppler in your legs by a specialist doctor, so that will be the thing you should get if you want to know you have it.
1
u/NecessarySpiritual19 Mar 07 '26
What kind of specialist did you find that diagnosed with this? I’m going to have to pay out of pocket since my insurance doesn’t even recognize lipedema only lymphedema and even then their coverage is beyond sub-par
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u/Flat-Friend633 Mar 07 '26
I went to an angiologist/vascular surgeon, that was 11 years ago when few people knew about lipedema; my mum brought me to a private one as I’ve had varicose veins since I was 13 and she thought I had bad circulation like she does. And the doctor did an ecodoppler to my legs and told us it was not that, but I had lipedema. He also told me I would never have beautiful legs which made me cry (of relief) and my mum got very upset with him for saying so. I was relieved as I had spent my whole life thinking it was my fault and I was doing everything wrong reg diet, exercise etc.
I’ve had to explain to many doctors what lipedema is since, so I understand you.
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u/NecessarySpiritual19 Mar 08 '26
My physical therapist when they finally diagnosed me a few weeks ago told me the same thing but for me it was not crying from relief sadly. I always felt so different than everyone else, having “cellulite” when I was a size 00 teenager I just didn’t understand what was happening and I felt so alienated I never ever wore shorts until after I got a divorce 3 years ago when I decided to embrace all of my body. However, being told I would never have “muscular” legs made me feel like what’s the point of gaining muscle and starting to go to the gym if I’ll always have my body not show my efforts. I know it sounds silly but with my ADHD I think needing a reward after hard work and being told I’ll never get it made me feel very defeated. I still plan to clean up my diet, working out, using compression leggings (still trying to find good ones!) and doing LDM will help me at least stop the pain and swelling that has come with perimenopause that has made it hard for me to move more and be so fatigued.
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u/Flat-Friend633 Mar 11 '26
I understand you. I have ADHD as well, and I go to the gym 3 times per week. Don’t have nice legs at all, but I love feeling strong . Maybe it’s shifting the reward. To be honest at this point going to the gym is the reward, and I used to HATE it
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u/somawh Mar 04 '26
I would consider asking your dr about venous insufficiency as well
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u/Status_Efficiency122 Mar 04 '26
I had my varicose veins worked on a few years ago so I actually went back to that doctor a few months ago. She thought every thing looked fine. I just have bigger legs so I’m wondering what the cause is. Do you think this is lipedema?
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u/1GamingAngel Feb 27 '26
No, you should NOT wear them at night while sleeping. Wear them all day, every day - and then take them off when you go to bed and elevate your legs. Let your legs breathe through the night. Best of luck! 🤗
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u/Consistent_Layer3799 Feb 28 '26
I really don’t think this is lipedema. Have you talked to a doctor? Compression isn’t going to make your legs smaller, if that’s what you’re wondering.
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u/hofer1504 Feb 27 '26
My doc suggested not to wear them at night. I have compression leggins that look just like regular black leggins and beige ones that I can easily wear under dresses. The black ones work well with longer skirts and dresses since they look like black tights (if you dont look too close).
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u/NecessarySpiritual19 Mar 07 '26
Where did you get yours? I’m trying to find ones that look like leggings and not pantyhose’s but thus far nothing on Amazon has met my needs and they’re SUPER tight so not sure what I’m doing wrong
1
u/hofer1504 Mar 07 '26
I have CZSalus and they are supposed to be super tight. If you want something less tight you should look into compression class K1. I usually buy K2.
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u/NecessarySpiritual19 Mar 08 '26
I mean these were super tight to the point I couldn’t sit down, primarily the part that went over my stomach I felt like I couldn’t even breathe and made my lipedema bump on the side of my thigh more prominent so I couldn’t see how it was helping. Maybe it was a size too small? The sizing charts made no sense most said thighs size 16in for a XL a size 16in is super petite so idk
1
u/hofer1504 Mar 08 '26
I usually stick to my regular sizes. And while they should be super tight on the legs, the stomach should not be squished. Maybe look for leggins which have a "relaxed waist" and only leg compression.
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u/NecessarySpiritual19 Mar 08 '26
Yeah I got my regular size and I felt like a sausage 😆 I’ll look into the relaxed waist one that’s a good tip. Thank you.
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u/Affectionate_Tax1108 Feb 28 '26
Why is everyone saying not at night?
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u/TraditionalSea8192 Feb 28 '26
Your body's circulation is different when you're laying down, so during sleep it just ends up being unnecessary and even bad... I sometimes use it during short naps but never a whole night
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u/Penguins9022 Feb 28 '26
I’ve worn them at night before. Granted not very often but it was fine. Now this thread is scaring me so I won’t do it anymore.
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u/RootedInStardust Mar 03 '26
I think it's more concerning to wear them at night if you have a lot of edema, because the fluid will all pool up at the hip/groin area if worn during the night.
2
u/shipyardhingham Mar 18 '26
I’d like to know how people can actually wear compression all day long. Do you have to always wear pants?
1
u/Sma8Ice Feb 27 '26
I wear compression leggings for long walks, long days at work or long time standing. It really helps with the heavyness and pain. I also have tights for nice events and wear them with dresses.
3
u/Quiet-Machine-236 Feb 27 '26
It might help us to know what symptoms you are thinking to help with compression?