A mother has spoken of her distress at being told to lose weight for more than a decade before doctors realised her ballooning legs were the result of a genuine medical condition.

Claire Tickle, now 38, first visited her GP at age 16 after noticing her legs had got so big it looked as though there was an elastic band around her ankle.

For the next seven years she went back and forth to the doctor but was told she had big legs because she was overweight, The Daily Mail reported.

Curiously, she noticed that when she went on a diet she could shed fat from her torso but her legs just kept on growing, she told ITV's This Morning.

It was by sheer chance that aged 32, she was diagnosed with lipoedema – a condition which causes the legs, thighs, buttocks and arms to become enlarged and affects as many as 11 per cent of women. Those with the condition have an excess number of fat cells in affected areas, as well as a build-up of fluid in those cells. The affected areas tend to feel softer and more doughy than normal fat, and may be tender to the touch, feel painful and bruise easily.

It is not clear what causes it, though as it runs run in families, it is thought there is a genetic link.

Doctors also believe there could be a hormonal trigger, as it often manifests itself after puberty or pregnancy.

As the condition in incurable, her legs have now grown to 10 stone, leaving her in constant pain, having and unable to walk normally or play with her six-year-old son, Alfie.

Her only hope is a new type of liposuction treatment being trialled, which she hopes will become available on the NHS soon.

Previously, lipoedema was treated using massage and compression stockings, but a type of liposuction which targets fatty tissues in the legs is being trialled.

Ms Tickle is hoping she will be eligible for the treatment, but will need to lose as much of her ‘normal’ fat first, a task which is hard given her condition makes walking difficult.

The treatment would dramatically change her life, she said.