Postural Stability and Gait Characteristics in Women with Lipedema: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

Lipedema is a chronic adipose tissue disorder of women characterized by disproportionate lower-extremity fat accumulation and pain; objective balance and gait data are scarce. This exploratory cross-sectional study compared 17 women with Stage II–III lipedema and 19 women without lipedema. Dynamic stability was assessed on the Tecnobody ProKin unstable platform, static sway with eyes open and closed, and treadmill gait at self-selected speed with the Tecnobody Smart Gravity system. Women with lipedema had higher Total (median 1.55° vs. 0.88°; Hedges’ g = 1.60, 95% CI 0.85–2.35), anteroposterior, and mediolateral Stability Indices (all q < 0.001). They also had higher BMI; the differences remained in exploratory analyses adjusted for BMI and age and in nine BMI-matched pairs, but confounding by body size cannot be excluded. No statistically significant differences were detected in static sway, its change after eye closure, or gait parameters equivalence was not established. Within the lipedema group, no statistically significant associations were detected between stability and pain, fatigue, sit-to-stand performance, or stage. Women with Stage II–III lipedema showed poorer dynamic platform stability; its determinants and clinical relevance require confirmation in larger studies including BMI-matched controls.