Causes and Effective Relief Treatments for Swelling in Legs and Feet

Swelling in legs and feet can be caused by injury, infection, heart failure, kidney disease, and other conditions. Treatment depends on the cause Frequent or persistent swelling requires medical attention. Pain Doctors in Dallas can diagnose swelling and recommend treatment.

Causes of Swelling in Legs and Feet

Many things can cause foot, leg, and ankle swelling. Most swelling is caused by lifestyle factors like:

• Being fat: Overweight reduces blood circulation, causing fluid buildup in the feet, legs, and ankles.

• Long-term standing or sitting: Inactive muscles cannot pump body fluids to the heart. Leg swelling can result from water and blood retention.

• Medication: Swelling in legs and feet may occur with certain medications, such as steroids, some antidepressants, like tricyclics and MAOIs,and NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin. These drugs can cause water retention and leg swelling.

• Consult your leg pain doctor in Dallas if you suspect your medication is causing lower extremity swelling. Do not discontinue your medication without consulting your physician.

Other Common Causes

Other causes of foot, leg, and ankle swelling include medical conditions or body changes like:

• Hormonal changes: Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations reduce leg circulation, causing swelling. These hormone changes may occur during pregnancy and menstruation.

• Leg blood clot: A blood clot is solid blood. A leg vein blood clot can reduce blood flow, causing swelling and pain.

• Damage or infection: Blood flow increases after a foot, leg, or ankle injury or infection. Symptoms include swelling.

• Insufficient veins: When veins can't pump blood, blood pools in the legs.

• Pericarditis: This is chronic pericardial inflammation. The disease causes aching legs and ankle swelling and breathing problems.

• Lymphedema: Lymphatic obstruction, or lymphedema, blocks lymphatics. These lymph nodes and blood vessels transport fluids throughout the body. A lymphatic system blockage causes arm and leg swelling due to fluid accumulation.

• Preeclampsia: This condition raises pregnancy blood pressure. Hypertension can cause poor circulation and face, hand, and leg swelling.

• Cirrhosis: Alcohol abuse or hepatitis B or C infection can cause severe liver scarring. The condition can cause high blood pressure and poor foot, leg, and ankle circulation.

Treatment for Swollen Feet and Legs

Lifting the affected limbs above the heart usually reduces minor swelling. Urinary diuretics can treat severe swelling. Furosemide is a popular diuretic. Your leg pain doctor in Dallas will decide if these medications are right for you based on your medical history. Long-term treatment usually addresses the swelling's cause. After determining the cause, you are given a personalized recovery program that may include physiotherapy, physical therapy, ERGON, lymphatic drainage, Tecar Winback therapy, and KinesioTaping Rockford.

Medical Care

Your leg doctor specialist near me will diagnose the symptoms if you seek treatment. Blood tests include radiographs and electrocardiograms.  If congestive heart failure results in edema, your physician may prescribe diuretics. These drugs cause kidneys to release fluids. Monitoring and preventing rheumatoid arthritis may be your treatment if it causes swelling. Injury-related swelling may require bone resetting, splinting, casting, or surgery. Ibuprofen or naproxen sodium may be prescribed by a leg specialist near me if the swelling is painful.

Foot Swelling Natural Remedies

Several natural remedies can reduce foot swelling. Following are the few: 

• Epsom salt: To relieve swelling in legs and feet, soak your feet and ankles in a cold Epsom salt bath for 15–20 minutes. To protect your feet from extreme temperatures, check your water with your hands if you have diabetic neuropathy.

• Magnesium supplements: Consuming 200–400 mg of magnesium daily may reduce water retention and pain. If you have kidney or heart disease, consult your doctor for leg pain before taking the supplement.

• Ginger: Its diuretic properties treat swelling feet. It dilutes sodium, a major swelling factor. In addition, anti-inflammatory properties reduce swelling.

• Massage Therapy: Massage is an effective treatment for swelling in legs and feet. Pressure on the affected area relaxes muscles and improves circulation. It also expels fluid to diminish swelling. Manual lymphatic drainage massage improves blood circulation, fluid movement, and lymphatic system function, reducing edema. To promote lymph flow, manual lymphatic massage moves up to the heart. Consult a prenatal massage therapist for pregnancy-related foot swelling and leg pain relief. 

Prevention of Leg, Foot, and Ankle Swelling

All types of  foot, leg, and ankle swelling can't be prevented. There are different ways to avoid it. Good methods include:

• Exercise regularly for circulation. The WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week for adults aged 18-64 to avoid nerve pain in the leg.

• Avoid prolonged sitting or standing. If you sit or stand for long periods, get up.

• Control salt intake control is very necessary. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise adults to limit salt intake to 2,300 milligrams per day.

When to Take a Medical Advice 

Seek medical attention from the Dallas pain clinic immediately if you experience:

• Unexplained, painful swelling in your feet or legs, especially in one leg.

• Swelling becomes warm, red, or inflamed.

• Fever and swelling

• If pregnant and developing, seek medical attention immediately.

• Sudden foot swelling

• A noticeable foot swelling change

• One-foot or leg swelling

• Severe headache, vision changes, upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath may accompany sudden swelling.

Summary