Understanding the Vicious Circle of Pain, Physical Activity, and Mental Health in Lipedema Patients—A Response Surface Analysis

Lipedema is a widespread disease with painful accumulations of subcutaneous fat in the legs and arms. Often, obesity co-occurs. Many patients suffer from impairment in mobility and mental health. Obesity and mental health in turn can be positively influenced by physical activity. In this study, we aimed to examine the interrelations between pain and physical activity on mental health in lipedema patients. In total, 511 female lipedema patients (age M = 40.16 ± 12.45 years, BMI M = 33.86 ± 7.80 kg/m2) filled in questionnaires measuring pain, physical activity, and mental health (PHQ-9; WHOQOL-BREF with subscales mental, physical, social, environmental, and overall health). Response surface analyses were calculated via R statistics. The explained variance was high for the model predicting depression severity (R2 = 0.18, p < 0.001) and physical health (R2 = 0.30, p < 0.001). Additive incongruence effects of pain and physical activity on depression severity, mental, physical, and overall health were found (all p < 0.001). In our study, physical activity and pain synergistically influenced physical, mental, and overall health. The pain not only led to low mental health but also interfered with the valuable potential of engaging in physical activity in lipedema patients.