LymphActiv: A Digital Physical Activity Behavior Intervention for the Treatment of Lymphedema and Lipedema.

Background

Lymphedema and lipedema are debilitating conditions with no proven drug or surgical therapy. Effective treatment requires self-management through movement and compression to reduce limb volume and the incidence of cellulitis. The addition of personalized everyday physical activity (PA) could be transformative, increasing the therapy window to include all waking hours per week and enabling an increased dose of PA. Aim: This service evaluation aimed to determine the feasibility of LymphActiv as a treatment option for lymphedema and lipedema patients.

Methods

This service evaluation followed an open observational cohort design, including 55 patients who participated in LymphActiv over 24 weeks. Patients wore an objective PA monitor and interacted with their data in an online dashboard, alongside remote mentor support. Primary outcomes were changes to PA, body weight, limb volume and quality of life. Clinical assessments occurred at baseline and after the 24-week program. Noncompleters were used as a quasi-control group for comparison.

Results

Thirty-seven patients completed, of which 81% improved PA. On average, completers reduced their right and left lower limb volumes by -1.8% and -2.1%, respectively. Completers also experienced small average weight losses of -1.2 kg. Noncompleters experienced small average increases in each of these outcome measures. Discussion: These results establish the value of LymphActiv, providing benefit to patients who might otherwise have deteriorated. For services, this could lead to substantial cost-savings through reduced admissions, greater patient independence, and less need for community health care input. The next step is to undertake a randomized, controlled trial comparing the intervention with standard care.