Contents
A huge number of people suffer from swelling of the legs, which can appear both as a result of the occurrence of various diseases, and with any mechanical impact. Edema causes discomfort, a feeling of heaviness and even pain.
8 causes of edema on the legs
Limb injury
Sometimes severe swelling appears when a fall or injury to the lower limb. This situation requires the immediate participation of a medical professional who is able to make a correct diagnosis and provide first aid. If a person who has been injured experiences severe pain even with a slight movement of the swollen leg, then he should not be transported on his own. Without wasting time, you need to call an ambulance and wait for the arrival of specialists. In this case, it will be possible to avoid unpleasant consequences, manifested in the form of hemorrhage or displacement of bone tissue.
If, during a fall or injury, a person, despite the swelling, continues to actively move the limb and can move independently, then a special cream or ointment can help him. Using modern decongestants, one should not forget to read their instructions, in which manufacturers indicate both the daily dosage and possible side effects.
Improper diet
Very often, the cause of swelling of the legs is an unbalanced diet, eating unhealthy foods, etc. Too salty food has a negative effect on many internal organs and systems, and prevents the full water supply of the body. It is the violation of the water-salt balance in most cases that becomes the main cause of the appearance of edema on the legs. In this case, it is necessary to review your daily diet, try to eat low-salt foods and control the amount of fluid you drink. At the same time, fast and light carbohydrates should be abandoned, which are capable of retaining fluid in the body twice as much as salt.
Frequent drinking
It is very easy to identify a person who often consumes alcohol even among a large crowd of people. Even stylish clothes and trendy makeup cannot hide the traces of a “fun evening”. In drinking citizens, puffiness appears both on the face and on the upper and lower extremities. This is due to the fact that alcohol has a negative effect on internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, etc. A poorly functioning liver is unable to cope with the toxins contained in alcohol-containing drinks. In this regard, the fluid begins to linger in the body, thereby causing swelling.
Passing a course of treatment
In most cases, the passage of any course of treatment is accompanied by the intake of various medications. Some drugs, lingering in the body, prevent the removal of fluid. As a result, in parallel with the therapeutic effect, drugs cause swelling. Very often, edema is observed in people preparing for or undergoing surgery. This is due to the fact that such patients are injected daily intravenously with a huge amount of liquid medicines (through droppers). The kidneys cannot cope with a large amount of fluid and patients develop severe edema. In this case, you can contact your doctor who will prescribe diuretics. As soon as the course of treatment comes to an end, the edema will begin to go away on its own.
Overweight
Any degree of obesity can be accompanied by the appearance of edema on the legs. When playing sports, overweight people regularly experience swelling, especially when running for a long time or walking at a fast pace. During such exercises, a large load is placed on the athlete’s legs, which causes swelling.
Usually overweight people have health problems, in particular with the endocrine system. There is one very dangerous disease called diabetes mellitus, which is usually accompanied by swelling. During the progression of the disease in patients, the level of sugar in the blood rises significantly, resulting in swelling of the lower extremities.
Climatic conditions
High temperature regimes, usually observed in the summer, often cause swelling of the legs. This is primarily due to the fact that during this period people lead a sedentary lifestyle, spending most of the day lying on the beach. At the same time, the amount of liquid consumed, with which vacationers try to quench their thirst, increases. A sharp change in climatic conditions can also cause swelling in the legs. For example, in the winter season, people go to exotic countries for vacation. Many citizens experience acclimatization very hard, which can manifest itself in the form of fever, chills, fever, edema, etc.
old age
With the advent of old age, the human body begins to fail in its work. During active youth, people devote little to their health, considering it eternal. Bad habits, difficult working conditions, constant lack of sleep have their negative impact. Older people develop various diseases associated with the heart, blood vessels, etc. The body is no longer able to fully cope with its tasks, as a result of which the fluid begins to linger, causing swelling. The reason for the appearance of edema in the elderly can also be a sedentary lifestyle, since not every pensioner does exercises daily and takes long walks.
Various diseases
Diseases that cause swelling of the legs include:
Heart diseases
In most cases, heart failure is accompanied by severe swelling of the lower extremities. Patients are prescribed diuretic drugs without fail. When collecting an anamnesis of the disease, doctors observe the presence of symmetrical edema on both legs.
Their appearance can be caused by various factors:
Prolonged stay in an upright position;
Taking medications;
Any physical activity, etc.
When diagnosing heart disease, doctors pay great attention to edema. They check their density, periodicity, etc. The resulting swelling in the legs, accompanied by shortness of breath and palpitations, should encourage a person to urgently visit a cardiologist.
Kidney Diseases
Many patients in the urology department regularly experience swelling of the legs, as their kidneys cannot work in their usual rhythm and cannot cope with the amount of fluid they consume. In this category of patients, swelling manifests itself not only in the evening, but also in the morning. Excess fluid accumulates not only in the lower extremities, but also in bags under the eyes.
The causes of kidney disease can be banal infections, as well as an overabundance of drugs in the body (usually after long-term surgical treatment). Patients who have serious kidney problems may experience large edema, which is the main indicator for urgent hospitalization.
Diseases of the joints
Edema of the lower extremities sometimes indicates the presence of various diseases of the joints. Many diseases are accompanied by strong changes in the articular tissue, resulting in the accumulation of a large amount of fluid.
Having found edema on his leg, the patient should immediately contact his attending physician so as not to exclude the development of side effects that can affect the further functionality of the musculoskeletal system. In such cases, treatment takes a fairly long period of time and involves the patient taking, in addition to analgesics, other medications that have anti-inflammatory effects.
Allergic reaction
Sometimes the cause of edema on the lower extremities can be an allergy: food, medication, flower, etc. All the symptoms of this disease, including swelling, completely disappear when taking antihistamines. Knowing about their predisposition, patients should avoid direct contact with any allergens so as not to provoke an attack.
Vascular diseases
Any problems with the vessels are accompanied by swelling in the lower extremities, while many patients experience its uneven manifestation. In vascular diseases, patients complain of a regular periodicity of edema: they appear in the afternoon and disappear in the morning.
One of the main reasons for the appearance of edema in the legs can be circulatory disorders or varicose veins. This disease in most cases affects the female half of the population. The cause of stagnation of blood in the vessels is the loss of elasticity in their walls. At the first stages of the disease, a venous network appears, nodes and edema appear.
Causes of circulatory problems include:
Sedentary lifestyle;
Regular physical activity, sometimes excessive;
Too high blood clotting;
Poor condition of blood vessels, veins and arteries, etc.
Such patients will have long-term treatment, which is usually carried out in several directions. The main task of the attending physician is to strengthen the walls of the veins and blood vessels. For this, medications are prescribed that can bring them into tone. Patients are also prescribed drugs that can improve blood quality. Modern anticoagulants in record time dilute the blood to the desired consistency. In parallel with drug treatment, patients should wear special compression underwear that can provide the necessary support to blood vessels and veins.
Permanent edema accompanies such a serious disease as thrombosis. Its characteristic symptoms include:
The appearance of heaviness in the lower extremities;
The appearance of swelling in the legs;
The appearance of a feeling of heaviness;
There is stagnation of blood in the veins;
The sensitivity of the skin is lost in places where excess fluid accumulates, etc.
Similar signs of the disease are present with thrombophlebitis. At the same time, it is worth noting the appearance of inflammation of the walls of the veins, as a result of which their deformation occurs. The cause of the development of this disease is infection, mechanical damage to blood vessels, blood transfusion, etc.
A survey of patients shows that with thrombophlebitis, swelling of the lower extremities appears already at the first stage of this disease. Very often, edema is accompanied by pain that occurs against the background of heaviness and fatigue.
In order to get a positive effect from the treatment of this disease, the attending physician first of all prescribes anti-inflammatory drugs. With severe swelling, diuretics can be prescribed that can very quickly remove excess fluid from the body. In parallel, patients who are diagnosed with thrombophlebitis are prescribed anticoagulants, thanks to which it is possible to improve blood quality.
Why do my legs swell in the evening?
Some people often face problems caused by edema that appears in the evening.
The root cause of such swelling may be:
Prolonged stay on the legs;
Wearing shoes with high heels;
Wearing shoes that are too tight
Too active physical activity;
Sedentary work (usually swelling in the evening appears in office workers);
There is stagnation of lymph and blood in the vessels of the legs;
The use of liquid in quantities exceeding the daily norm;
Alcohol consumption;
Various diseases of internal organs and life support systems of the body;
Congenital anomalies in the development of the feet (flat feet);
Prolonged stay on a protein diet;
Pregnancy and lactation;
Obesity of any degree;
Congenital tendency to edema, etc.
If edema is found in the evening, you should first of all take a cool shower, after which a relaxing massage will not interfere. You can use special creams and gels that help eliminate swelling on the legs. Before using them, you should consult a specialist, since some drugs contain medicinal components that cause a number of side effects. You can also wear special stockings or stockings that tightly fix the legs and do not allow fluid to accumulate in their lower part.
To avoid the appearance of edema after a busy day at work, you should:
choose a comfortable position in the chair;
take frequent breaks and, whenever possible, get up from the table and move;
while at the workplace, you need to change into comfortable shoes that do not have heels and do not squeeze your legs;
if it becomes necessary to visit another department, try to abandon the elevator in favor of a flight of stairs;
during lunch, you should give up unhealthy fast food, giving your preference to vegetables and fruits, etc.
Why do feet swell in summer?
The onset of summer is waiting for millions of people around the world. Most citizens spend this period of time on vacation, choosing for themselves either a quiet pastime on the beach, or active travel to uncharted places. Unfortunately, the vacation of some vacationers can be overshadowed by the appearance of edema, which can cross out all plans.
In most cases, in the summer, edema appears in the afternoon. With the onset of twilight, puffiness becomes visible even to the naked eye. Along with it, there are problems associated with the choice of shoes, since the feet may not fit into the usual slippers.
With the advent of summer, the human body begins to work at a faster pace, as it is subjected to a heavy load associated with high temperatures, as well as an increase in the amount of liquid consumed. At this time, the vital systems of the body must ensure that the body does not overheat, as it will begin to produce sweat in large volumes. During sweating, water, which is necessary for the normal functioning of cells, begins to evaporate. For all these processes, the cardiovascular system is “responsible”, which, if the load is too heavy, may not be able to cope with its duties. As a result, people begin to experience discomfort from the appearance of edema on the legs and other parts of the body.
Regardless of what time of the year edema on the legs was detected, their appearance must be taken with all responsibility. Greater alertness should be caused by regularly appearing edema, which disappear for a very long time. In such cases, do not hesitate and urgently make an appointment with your local therapist, who will determine a further plan of action.
How to independently identify swelling in the legs?
Each person can independently identify the first signs of edema. To do this, you need to carefully examine your feet if you find the following signs:
Shoes became difficult to take off and put on;
While walking, there is discomfort, unpleasant, and sometimes painful sensations;
The veins on the legs began to be poorly visible;
Toward evening, heaviness in the legs is felt;
When you click on the swelling, a clear dent remains, etc.
If you find any of these signs in yourself, you should immediately contact a medical institution, since swelling can be the result of a serious illness. If, during the medical examination, no pathologies were revealed by specialists, then you can resort to folk methods of dealing with puffiness.
Treatment of swelling of the legs at home
Sometimes the cause of edema in the legs is not a disease at all, but various external factors.
In this case, people can very quickly give themselves first aid and get rid of puffiness:
Significantly reduce the amount of liquid consumed (while taking into account the daily rate). If edema is formed in the summer, then you need to drink only clean water in small sips;
Regular foot massage
Lying on the sofa, you need to slightly raise your legs and fix them in this position for a while (you can put a pillow or a folded blanket under your feet);
Try to limit the amount of salt in your daily diet (salt greatly retains fluid in the body).
In some cases, folk remedies can help, which can get rid of swelling in the legs, but not eliminate the cause of their occurrence:
Wet a towel with cold water and apply to areas where swelling is observed. Inside the towel, you can put pieces of ice, thanks to which the towel will maintain the desired temperature for a longer time;
Grate raw potatoes on a fine grater. Make a compress from the resulting mixture and apply it to the problem area for an hour (after laying the gruel on a piece of cloth or gauze). This procedure should be repeated several times a day until the edema disappears completely;
Instead of ordinary teas, brew herbs that cause a diuretic effect, etc.
To prevent the appearance of edema on the legs, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures:
Take long walks in the fresh air (preferably in a park area or in a coniferous forest);
Exercise regularly;
Buy comfortable shoes;
Regulate the amount of fluid you drink;
Try to eat not very salty food;
Refuse completely (or significantly limit) alcohol and tobacco products;
Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, etc.