When you have swollen feet, also known as edema or water retention, then it is cause for concern. The good news is that research in the 21st century has discovered exactly why this happens and can help solve the problem. Here’s what science says about what makes legs swell and how to treat it.
Here are 10 reasons why legs swell and how to fix them.
Lymphedema happens when too much fluid builds up in the tissues, making them swell. It happens when lymph nodes get damaged or have been removed. Lymph nodes are glands that are part of the immune system. They help get rid of excess fluid but damaged or missing lymph nodes in the pelvis allow fluid to build up in the legs. A person with lymphedema may feel like their legs, or other affected parts are heavy or swollen.
Bandaging the injured leg, wearing compression stockings, massaging the lymph nodes and doing gentle exercises to help the fluid drain are all effective ways to reduce swelling in the leg due to fluid retention. Good skincare also lowers the risk of infection and associated lymphedema.
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Most problems with swelling are caused by minor circulation issues that happen when you don’t move around enough. This makes the lower extremities retain water and build up fluid. If you spend most of your day in an office chair or most of your free time sitting in front of the TV, your swollen legs could be your body’s way of telling you to get up and move around.
How can to solve this problem most effectively? It’s pretty simple – just get some more exercise! But you don’t have to work out hard at the gym or join a yoga or CrossFit class if you don’t want to. Just set aside at least 30 minutes a day to do some light walking. You’d be amazed at how much good a little bit of exercise can do for the body. But if you’re tired and can’t stand the thought of working out or walking around, try putting your feet and legs above your heart level while lying down to get rid of swelling.
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Some medicines can cause the ankles or legs to swell. These medications include Hormones like oestrogen, steroids, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), antidepressants, diabetes drugs, and calcium channel blockers.
If a medicine causes side effects like swollen legs, be sure to tell your doctor about it. Your doctor might instruct you to decrease the dosage or prescribe a different medicine. However, you should always check with your doctor before stopping treatment.
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Most blood clots in the legs aren’t as serious as they sound in most cases, but they can be dangerous if they aren’t treated. This condition is called venous insufficiency. Blood clots are more likely to happen as you get older, and they often happen to women who have been recently pregnant. What happens is that the walls of the veins in the legs start to weaken, which hurts the one-way valves that lead to the heart. This makes the veins in the legs fill up with blood, which happens even more if you’ve been standing for a long time.
Keeping your legs up when you sit, lie down, or sleep can help reduce swelling and prevent the problem from worsening. You can also buy support stockings, but make sure they aren’t too tight to leave marks. You can also get compression stockings on prescription if you really need them. Talk to a doctor or physician about your options.
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Pitting edema is a condition which results in water retention that makes the legs, face, and hands swell up. This kind of swelling is caused by liver or kidney problems. Symptoms are often at their worst when you wake up in the morning. This is a very serious and possibly dangerous matter. It can make protein leak out of your blood and into your urine. This lowers the amount of protein in your body, which causes fluid buildup. Suppose you think problems with your kidneys or liver cause your edema and swollen legs. In that case, you should see a doctor immediately. If you don’t get it treated soon, it could lead to more problems in the future.
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A foot, ankle, or lower leg infection can cause the area to swell up. A skin infection that often affects the lower limbs is called cellulitis. When a person has diabetes, their feet are more likely to swell up as a symptom of this disease. It’s necessary to check the feet often for cuts, scrapes, and bruises.
How you treat an infection in your foot, ankle, or leg depends on what kind of infection it is and how bad it is. A doctor usually gives antibiotics when bacteria cause the infection. If the infection has led to gangrene, the damaged area may need to be amputated.
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During the PMS (or premenstrual syndrome) phase of the cycle, which happens about a week before a period, many women with periods experience bloating and swelling. When a woman has PMS, it’s not unusual for her to get swollen legs. This is also a problem for women who are pregnant. Even though PMS and pregnancy are very different, we’re putting them together here because the treatment for both is the same.
Warm parsley tea is an effective remedy for swollen legs during pregnancy or PMS that not many people know about. To make this refreshing drink, chop the leaves and roots of parsley into small pieces and put about a quarter cup of these pieces into an infusion basket. Put this in a teapot with hot water that has been boiled, or pour hot water that has been boiled over the parsley. Let it steep for five to seven minutes, then take out the infusion basket and strain the drink. You can add to the taste by adding lemon, ginger, or even honey.
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If you’ve been having heart problems or other problems like these, this could be why your legs are swelling. This is because your heart might not be strong enough to pump all the blood your body needs, and since your legs are at the ends of your body, they will be damaged the most. This is called generalized edema, and it means that your legs are holding on to water instead.
You may have a heart condition if you can’t get enough air when you’re lying flat or after a bit of exercise. Again, the best thing to do in this case is to visit the doctor and get some tests done. Your doctor can tell you about a lot of simple and effective ways to get better.
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Malnutrition is one of the most common reasons for leg swelling that seems to happen for no reason. In severe cases, this can lead to unwanted fluid retention in the extremities. This can also occur if you eat too much salt with your food since excess sodium makes the body retain more water.
The best way to get rid of edema caused by a poor diet is to start eating better. Try keeping a food diary if you think your diet is fine and don’t know what is wrong. Also, write down when your swelling happens so you can see if it’s related to what you’re eating. You may get surprised to find an unexpected connection between your swollen legs and particular food.
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If you hurt your foot or ankle, it could cause your ankle and lower leg to swell up. A sprained ankle is one of the most common injuries in this area. You can sprain your ankle by twisting while walking or playing a sport and missing your step. This happens when the ligaments that connect the foot and leg to the ankle are pulled out of place. A sprained ankle can hurt and make it hard to move around. Inflammation and swelling usually follow after a sprain.
The RICE method is the most common way to treat injured legs or ankles. RICE stands for:
It is advisable to keep the foot or ankle raised above heart level to reduce swelling. It can be scary to have swollen legs, but not all of them are serious medical problems. In fact, most of the things that cause swollen legs are easy to treat at home.
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