Treatment of leg swelling with folk remedies - recipes and reviews from the newspaper “Herald of Healthy Lifestyle”
In the summer, with the beginning of warm days, women's legs often swell, especially in the evening. What to do, what is the reason, how to relieve swelling of the legs with folk remedies. The head physician of the Moscow Medsi clinic, Zulfiya Guseinovna Guseinova, answers all these questions.
Why do my feet swell in summer?
Swelling is closely related to the amount of fluid you drink. In the summer we drink more, so swelling appears.
Swelling of the legs in women is also directly related to hot weather, because under the influence of the sun their hormonal levels are activated, which causes fluid retention in the woman’s body.
What to do to avoid swelling in the heat? Not so much to drink less as to limit foods that can cause increased thirst: If you sharply reduce the flow of fluid into the body, water, on the contrary, will be deposited in the tissues as a reserve, which will cause swelling of the legs.
To avoid excessive thirst, reduce the consumption of salty, spicy, fatty foods, sweets, spices, and give up carbonated drinks.
If swelling first appeared without the above-mentioned visible reasons, then the reasons need to be clarified. Examinations required: ultrasound of the kidneys, thyroid gland, examination of the vessels of the lower extremities, ECG. Women need to visit a gynecologist.
Many people know why their legs swell in their case. The reasons may be the following:
1. Diseases of the cardiovascular system
2. Kidney pathology
3. Varicose veins.
If your legs are swollen, first of all you need to undergo examinations, clarify the diagnoses of your diseases in order to understand and eradicate the causes of the disease. Until the diagnosis is clarified, leg swelling can be relieved at home using diuretics. But we must remember that this is a rather powerful medicine, and diuretics increase the excretion of beneficial microelements from the body, especially potassium. The diuretic drug hypothiazide is used once and not more than 12.5 mg.
Nowadays, a diuretic drug, veroshpiron, is used much more often. It is classified as potassium-sparing; it is used daily at 25 mg, but not more than 7-8 days.
It is better to take diuretics in accordance with a person’s biological rhythm, which is 5-6 in the morning for the kidneys, and strictly on an empty stomach. But before you grab the pills, use diuretic herbs: bearberry, corn silk, lingonberry leaf, ready-made kidney mixture. All these folk remedies can be bought at the pharmacy. Infusions of diuretic herbs can be taken for 1-2 months.
External agents will also help: Lyoton 1000 gel and Troxevasin ointment. These remedies are especially good if the cause of swelling is varicose veins.
If your legs hurt and swell, it means your body can’t cope with removing excess fluid. Pain appears because swollen tissues compress not only blood vessels, but also nerve endings. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ointments will help relieve pain during swelling: diclofenac, ketanol. Apply the ointment to swollen areas with light movements from bottom to top. If the pain is very severe, take an anesthetic orally, or better yet, an antispasmodic - papaverine or no-shpu.
In the summer heat, it is useful to take vascular drugs in a course lasting 1-2 months: Detralex, Troxevasin, Trental, Ascorutin.
The cause of leg swelling in summer residents is mainly vascular pathology, since women and men in the country spend a lot of time in static, uncomfortable positions. This inhibits the outflow of blood from the blood vessels of the lower extremities. The veins and femoral arteries become compressed. To prevent this from happening, it is better to work while sitting on a low stool.
Every half hour you need to take a short break, stretch your muscles, and walk around the area. Every 2 hours, take a longer break and do exercises: swings, shaking your feet, rise on your toes, pull your toes towards you. The calf muscles will begin to contract and push the venous blood back into the channel, there will be no stagnation of blood and swelling.
Contrast baths and cool showers are very useful. When watering your beds, be sure to run cold water over your feet. This promotes a sharp contraction of muscles and blood vessels, excess fluid is removed from the lower extremities.
Instead of tea, drink a decoction of parsley; it has a mild diuretic effect and many other benefits. It is also very useful to eat fresh cucumbers from the garden; they quench thirst well and relieve swelling.
Do not wear socks with tight elastic bands; this causes many people to swell their feet in the evening and may experience cramps. And be sure to wear compression stockings for varicose veins. (Recipe from Healthy Lifestyle 2013 No. 11, pp. 12-13)
If your legs are swollen, flaxseed will effectively help relieve swelling.
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor V.V. Zhelnov advises readers of the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH” who suffer from this problem to take a decoction of flaxseed according to the following recipe: 4 tbsp. l. seeds, pour 1 liter of water and boil for 10-15 minutes, leave for 1 hour. Drink half a glass hot 6-8 times a day. The course of treatment is 3 weeks, but the result will be noticeable within 10-12 days. (HLS 2011 No. 9 p. 19)
Review of treatment with flaxseed No. 1
The woman had severe swelling of her legs. A folk remedy, a decoction of flaxseed, helped get rid of them. She brewed 4 tbsp. l. flax seeds with 1 liter of water and boiled for 10 minutes. Having wrapped the pan with the broth, I left it for 1 hour. I drank without filtering 100 ml every 2 hours. There were 6-8 doses per day. After 2 weeks, the swelling completely disappeared. (review from HLS 2013 No. 17 p. 30)
Review of treatment with flaxseed No. 2
The man managed to relieve leg swelling at home in 3 weeks. He took 4 tbsp. spoons of flaxseed, poured 1 liter of hot water, boiled for 10-15 minutes. Insisted in a warm place for 1 hour. You can strain it, but the man drank a decoction of flaxseed, without straining, every 2 hours, several sips, moderately hot. For taste, I added lemon juice to the broth. But any other is possible. The result is excellent.
(HLS 2015 No. 14 p. 29)
Parsley is the most effective folk remedy to help remove swelling in the legs at home. Parsley helps get rid of swelling of any localization. It is used in the form of infusions internally and externally in the form of masks for swollen areas. Numerous reviews from healthy lifestyle readers prove the effectiveness of this treatment.
Treatment with infusion of parsley and lemon.
The man managed to cure swelling in his legs using a folk remedy. He minced about 200 g of parsley along with the roots. I poured 1 glass of this mixture into two glasses of boiling water, wrapped it up and let it sit until the morning. In the morning, I strained the infusion and added juice squeezed from one lemon.
I drank the medicine 1/3 cup 2 times a day, morning and evening. After 2 days of taking it, take a 3-day break. Continue treatment until complete recovery. (HLS 2011 No. 10 p. 32)
Review of treatment with this remedy
In the morning, swelling of the woman’s legs began to appear. She was greatly helped by a folk remedy that she read in Healthy Lifestyle No. 10 for 2011 (see above). I made everything exactly according to this recipe. I took homemade medicine according to the same regimen. Everything quickly returned to normal.
(HLS 2015 No. 2 p. 13)
Treatment with parsley seeds
A very effective remedy for treating edema in heart failure is parsley. It is best to use parsley seed powder in dry form, 0.5 g 3 times a day with food. Or seed decoction - 1 tbsp. spoon for 1 cup of boiling water, cook for 10 minutes, leave overnight, take 1 tbsp. l. 5 times a day, regardless of meals. (HLS 2002 No. 19, p. 11)
Treatment with burdock at home. Review #1
A man managed to get rid of swelling in his legs with the help of burdock leaves. He applied them with the light side to his shins and wrapped them with an elastic bandage on top. Kept it for 3 hours. After three procedures, the swelling decreased, and after ten, it disappeared completely. And now there have been no relapses for a whole year. This is how burdock leaves helped. (HLS 2010 No. 17 p. 30)
The woman’s legs began to swell, she tied burdock leaves with the rough side to the skin, and managed to get rid of the swelling in several procedures. (HLS 2009 No. 18 p. 32)
Cardiac edema after stroke and heart attack
In bedridden patients after a stroke or heart attack, the legs often swell. In this case, burdock leaves will help. In winter, dry leaves can be used. The leaves should be poured with boiling water and wrapped warmly for several hours. Before going to bed, take out the leaves, squeeze them a little, wrap them around problem areas, then wrap them with wide ribbons of cotton fabric, with polyethylene and an elastic bandage on top.
In summer, use fresh leaves - wrap in 2-3 layers, wrap.
In this treatment, the main thing is that the skin is hot. By morning, the diseased limb becomes the same in appearance as the healthy one. (HLS 2006 No. 15, p. 33)
A simple massage helped
For many years, the woman had varicose veins and swelling of the leg at the ankle with a bluish patch of protruding veins. Doctors always noticed this, but did not give any recommendations. A woman once read that after a bath or washing her feet, she should massage them with light movements from the foot to the groin, and then lubricate them with heparin ointment or baby cream. The woman began to do this procedure every day, the main thing here is systematicity. The dark spots have long disappeared, and the swelling has also subsided.
(HLS 2015 No. 3 p. 31)
Swelling of the legs in women with varicose veins - a compress of heparin ointment
When work in the garden causes your legs to buzz, your legs to swell, or your veins to swell, heparin ointment will help relieve these phenomena. A tube of 25 g is enough for 5 procedures. You need to smear the swollen area with this ointment, wrap it in plastic, bandage it and put a stocking on top. After this, lie down and rest for 2 hours. At first there may be severe pain, but you have to endure it. One day treat one limb, the second day another. When the tube runs out, take a break for a week. Then repeat the treatment. (review from HLS 2005 No. 13 p. 28)
The woman's ankles began to swell frequently. She stopped eating salty foods and began to drink less, but there were no results. A friend suggested rubbing problem areas with Kalanchoe tincture. The leaves need to be mashed into a paste. Fill the jar halfway and fill it to the top with vodka. Leave for 3 days, do not strain. The woman did the rubbing at night, and after a week everything returned to normal. (HLS 2008 No. 17 p. 30)
If your legs are swollen and covered with a blue network of veins, you need to regularly rub them until the swelling and blueness completely disappear with a tincture of fresh Kalanchoe leaves with vodka. !/Fill 4 bottles with leaves scrolled in a meat grinder and fill to the top with 60-70% alcohol. Leave for 2-3 weeks, strain and use (2006 No. 3 p. 3)
Here are a few more folk remedies that helped readers of the newspaper “Vestnik ZOZH”
Home treatment for swollen legs with comfrey
A Healthy Lifestyle reader overheard two women talking at a bus stop about how comfrey helps a lot if your legs are swollen and painful. After that I prepared a healing tincture. I washed and crushed the roots well, filled 1/3 of a liter jar with them, and filled them to the top with vodka. Comfrey must be infused for at least 3 weeks. During this time, the tincture will darken, and the roots will also turn from white to brown.
The result of home treatment with comfrey exceeded all expectations - the swelling subsided, the pain completely disappeared. Previously, the woman could barely walk, but now she walks quickly to the dacha without difficulty. She rubbed the tincture on her legs and feet (recipe from a healthy lifestyle, 2011, No. 17 p. 9)
If your legs are very swollen, treat yourself with dill seed
The woman read this folk remedy for edema in the Healthy Lifestyle Bulletin.
1 tbsp. l. pour 300 ml of boiling water with a heap of dill seeds. Drink 150 g of infusion in the morning on an empty stomach, drink 150 g in the evening before bed. Course 21 days.
The woman took two courses like this. For the third course, she took only 150 ml of infusion just before bed.
The result is this. She has been diabetic for 11 years. Her legs were like those of an elephant, she could barely walk. After the treatment, the numbness and swelling disappeared, and the veins stopped hurting. He continues to drink dill water for prevention. (recipe from Healthy Lifestyle 2008 No. 16, p. 31)
To treat swelling of the legs, a woman uses the following folk remedies:
Flax decoction. 4 tbsp. spoons of flax seeds pour 1 liter of water, boil for 15 minutes, leave for 1 hour. Drinks 0.5 cups warm 6-8 times a day.
A decoction of rosehip roots. 2 tbsp. Pour a glass of boiling water over spoons of crushed roots, boil for 15 minutes over low heat, leave for 30 minutes. Strain and drink 1 tbsp. l. 4 times a day.
A compress of ripe tomatoes is an excellent folk remedy to relieve swelling of the legs at home. Tomatoes should be mashed into a paste, applied to problem areas, secured and kept for 7-8 hours.
Warm foot baths also help : for 5 liters of water, 1 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar.
During treatment, limit salt and liquid intake.
(HLS 2014 No. 3 p. 37)
After the operation, the woman developed swelling of the lower extremities. It was removed using a decoction of knotweed. 3 tsp. herbs should be brewed in 0.5 liters of boiling water. After 4 hours, strain and drink 1/4 cup 4 times a day. It is better to drink through a straw to save your teeth. (HLS 2004 No. 17 p. 26)
If your legs hurt and swell, or you have lameness, pick burdock and plantain leaves, chop them finely, add black bread, a little salt, grind everything into a paste, add Vishnevsky ointment. Fold this mass into a cloth and tie it to the sore spot. (HLS 2010 No. 1 p. 36)
The woman had severe swelling of her legs, long-standing, terrible. A simple ointment helped relieve swelling at home. She prepared it like this: she melted a piece of wax the size of a matchbox, added 1 glass of unrefined sunflower oil and half the yolk of a pre-boiled hard-boiled egg.
I applied this ointment to the swollen lower leg, wrapped it in strips of a torn sheet, then put on a stocking. I did 17 sessions and everything went away. (HLS 2005 No. 24 p. 26)
To remove swelling in your legs, take fresh cucumber juice. Drink 1/3 glass 2-3 times a day. You can't add salt. (recipe from Healthy Lifestyle 2011 No. 16 p. 31)
When your legs hurt and swell, it causes a lot of inconvenience and is a medical problem - a symptom of one of the diseases. This condition is preceded by many factors, for example, sleep disturbances, poor diet, and joint pathologies. When swelling and pain in the legs recur quite often, you should consult a specialist. Swelling can signal the development of serious pathologies in the body and requires immediate medical intervention.
The reasons for a swollen leg or pain can be hidden in a variety of pathologies and conditions, based on them, symptoms and the degree of localization appear.
This is the most likely possible reason; with the development of arthrosis and arthritis, a degenerative process occurs in the joints, accompanied by swelling and pain. As a result of a swollen limb, normal fluid circulation is blocked, which leads to stagnation. In the mornings and late afternoons, the patient may feel a nagging pain in the joint area and below. If you separate, swelling and pain in the legs decrease, but in the evening they return again, possibly in several joints at the same time. Additional symptoms are redness and a local increase in temperature of the affected area.
Impacts and sprains lead to swelling and pain in the legs. This is due to the fact that physiological fluid accumulates at the site of injury.
Swelling and pain in the legs are most often accompanied by redness of the skin.
Often, the legs hurt and swell in elderly patients or athletes who incorrectly calculate the load. Intense jogging and excessive physical exercise lead to swelling of the legs and severe discomfort, which intensifies when walking.
Due to the development of varicose veins or chronic atherosclerosis, the legs become swollen and painful. Pathologies cause the gaps in the blood vessels to narrow, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid stagnate in the legs. As a result of atherosclerosis, plaques form in the walls of the arteries, which, if broken off, can cause serious harm to health.
Varicose veins and atherosclerosis contribute to stagnation of blood in the veins and arteries, which leads to poor circulation, and legs that hurt and swell when walking. Every day the patient suffers from discomfort, additionally cramps appear, especially in the morning, swelling and pain envelop the entire calf muscle.
Another reason why there may be puffiness in the lower extremities - malignant and benign tumors, as well as growing metastases, lead to blockage of the circulatory system, stagnation of lymph, resulting in swollen legs and pain.
It is important to know that with this pathology, swelling often spreads to only one limb.
If your leg is swollen and hurts, this may be the result of an allergy to insect bites, food, household chemicals, cosmetics, or taking new medications. Locally, the leg can swell very quickly and increase in volume if contact with the allergen is not eliminated in time.
When the legs swell and hurt due to an allergic reaction, a rash and redness of the skin also appear. After long walks or heavy lifting, the discomfort and “lumbago” at the site of swelling intensifies significantly. In difficult cases, with prolonged allergies, swelling can grow into surrounding tissues and internal organs.
If your lower back hurts and your legs are swollen, this may be due to improper functioning of the kidneys. When the organ responsible for removing fluid from the body stops working normally, then the legs swell and hurt, but the pain is insignificant. Kidney dysfunction or renal failure provokes the appearance of swelling on the face, and then the puffiness spreads to the limbs. What to do and how to treat the problem should be prescribed by a doctor after a thorough diagnosis.
Heart failure is a disease that often causes one or both legs to become swollen and painful. In this case, they become cold and numb in the morning and evening. Often after sleep there is swelling on the legs, spreading to the arms and face. Obvious symptoms are concomitant shortness of breath and pain in the heart area.
One of the reasons why legs swell and hurt is gout. This means that normal metabolism is dysfunctional in the body. In this case, salts and urea accumulate in the joints, then the skin turns red, swelling appears, severe pain and a local increase in temperature occur.
If your lower back hurts and your legs are swollen, the cause may be an injury to the lower spine or a hernia forms, difficult movement of blood and cerebrospinal fluid occurs, and blood vessels are pinched. As a result, swelling and cutting, shooting sensations appear. If the causes of leg pain and swelling are injuries, numbness and cramps may be added to the symptoms. Discomfort is directed from the spine and goes down, localized in one of the limbs.
It cannot be that your leg is swollen and hurts for no reason. Swelling is a symptom and is always caused by pathological or physiological factors. At the first manifestations of painful sensations, it is better not to self-medicate; you should seek help from a qualified specialist; in this case, patients are sent for mandatory examination.
There are a number of conditions in which consultation with a doctor should occur immediately to prevent the development of complications:
When the legs swell and hurt, the causes and treatment are interconnected after collecting anamnesis, ultrasound, x-rays and additional tests, the specialist will prescribe effective treatment.
If your legs swell, you should consult a doctor, but it is not always possible to do this very quickly.
Important! When your legs hurt and swell, you should never prescribe medications or diuretics yourself. This may cause complications to develop.
In this case, the doctor prescribes drugs, depending on the causes, the severity of the pathology and the personal characteristics of the patient.
If the leg swells, it is necessary to undergo an examination by a traumatologist, an x-ray, and depending on the nature of the injury, treatment will be prescribed. Bed rest is considered mandatory; the swollen leg must be immobilized and provided with complete rest. If the limbs swell due to sprained ligaments, a cold compress on the leg, as well as decongestant ointments “Gepatrombin” will help the bruise.
In this case, you should initially consult a therapist; you may need an examination and examination by a cardiologist. Regardless of the results, it is necessary to reduce the intensity of the load. When one or both limbs swell, treatment will include diuretics, for example, Veroshpiron.
These diseases are dealt with by a rheumatologist or orthopedist; the patient will need to undergo an examination of the synovial fluid, take an x-ray and donate blood and urine for analysis.
Depending on the disease, antibiotics are prescribed, for example, Dexamethasone, as well as various drugs based on Diclofenac. When the legs swell, the patient must lead a healthy lifestyle and systematically attend a course of exercise therapy as prescribed by a specialist. In complex, advanced cases, joint replacement is prescribed.
With the development of atherosclerosis and varicose veins, the use of compression garments, as well as specialized tonic gels to further strengthen blood vessels, is considered mandatory. It is recommended to take a massage course and do some physical exercise. Phlebotonics, such as Venarus and decongestant ointment Troxevasin, are definitely prescribed. If drug treatment does not produce positive effects, surgery will be required.
After confirming the diagnosis based on the results of urine tests, examination, and medical history, diuretic medications are prescribed, for example, Furosemide, Veroshpiron. If your legs are very swollen, additional therapy depends on the specific disease that caused the problem.
Therapy for swelling in heart failure and other pathologies of the cardiovascular system includes medications, diet therapy, and physiotherapeutic methods.
Complex treatment also consists of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Asparkam, Indomethacin.
Also hormonal medications, for example, Prednisolone. Depending on the indications, it would be useful to take diuretics that help remove swelling, such as Veroshpiron or Furosemide. Patients with such diseases are prescribed vitamin therapy and dietary nutrition.
Provide complete rest to the swollen limb, cover the affected area with ice and wrap it in a dry cloth. It is recommended to drink plenty of fluids and place your leg in such a way that it is suspended. To cope with swelling of the limb, according to the doctor’s recommendations, it is necessary to take drugs from the NSAID group, such as Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, and use Fulflex ointment in therapy.
After contacting a neurologist and surgeon, the patient is sent for CT and MRI to determine the specific location of the spinal injury. In the future, treatment of edema will require surgical intervention, subsequent treatment with blockers, antibiotics, etc.
What to do and what course of therapy to choose should be recommended by the doctor based on your medical history and test results.
For complex treatment, it would be useful to use non-traditional treatment methods:
Therapeutic gymnastics, for example, the “scissors” exercise and other complexes that a physiotherapist will develop, can also cope with this problem. To prevent your legs from hurting, physical therapy is an excellent solution at any age. If the situation is not neglected, daily massages and gymnastics help alleviate the condition.
Your leg is swollen and it hurts; your doctor will be the best person to tell you what to do. You may need drug treatment or you may be able to limit yourself to folk remedies. Do not waste time, seek advice from a specialist who will correctly develop a treatment regimen. This will help quickly resolve the problem and prevent complications.
Swelling in the ankles and legs is not uncommon in both women and men. But not everyone knows why legs swell and what this may indicate. Doctors recommend that at the first symptoms characterized by swelling of the lower extremities, seek advice, as this may indicate the progression of various pathological processes in the human body.
Swelling in the legs can appear both in a healthy person and be evidence of serious diseases progressing in the human body.
In a healthy person, the reasons for swelling of the legs can be:
Causes of swelling in the legs, which resulted in pathological processes in the body:
Experts identify the following symptoms of leg swelling:
Swelling of a pathological nature (as a result of diseases) can be observed not only at the end of the working day, but throughout the day and even at night. Therefore, everyone should know and understand how edema manifests itself in one case or another in order to recognize the disease as soon as possible and begin its treatment.
The appearance of edema as a result of diseases of the cardiovascular system is a rather complex and lengthy process. Edema begins to appear during concomitant diseases of heart failure.
Possible causes of leg swelling:
In the early stages of disease progression, only the legs become swollen, but over time they can also be observed under the eyes. Initially, the patient sees swelling only as a cosmetic problem, which goes away with rest.
If the pathology in the heart is serious and the disease progresses, not only the legs, but also the abdominal cavity begin to swell. The stomach inflates like a balloon. When fluid accumulates in the lungs, the patient has obvious wheezing and a strong wet cough.
If a disease of the cardiovascular system is not treated and its symptoms are ignored, then rest for edema will no longer help and the patient needs drug treatment.
If you compare cardiac edema with other similar ones (hepatic or renal), then you can find characteristic differences among them. Initially, swelling appears exclusively on the feet and ankles. After which the legs above the ankles swell, that is, the fluid rises up. In some cases, in patients with heart disease, swelling appeared on the calves, indicating progression of the disease.
Swelling of the legs due to venous insufficiency is a common phenomenon.
Experts highlight the main causes (diseases) of venous edema:
Studies have shown that predominantly women are susceptible to venous edema. According to the nature of progression and occurrence, venous edema can be acute or chronic.
Doctors identify primary and secondary symptoms of venous insufficiency, which require special attention. In the first stages of the disease, the patient experiences the following symptomatic manifestations:
Doctors include secondary symptoms that indicate progression of the disease:
A number of factors can cause venous insufficiency:
Swelling of the legs due to pathological processes occurring in the kidneys often occurs in the face, as well as on the feet, less often in the abdominal cavity or chest. Doctors include a number of diseases and pathological processes in the kidneys as the main reasons that can cause swelling in the lower extremities:
In addition, intoxication of the body, as well as abnormal kidney structure, can also lead to swelling of the legs. The presence of swelling in kidney pathology is observed exclusively in the morning, and not, as in other cases, in the late afternoon. If your legs swell heavily, mainly in the morning, this indicates disturbances in the protein composition of the blood, as well as the accumulation of sodium ions. During such disorders, a large amount of fluid accumulates in the human body, which does not leave with urine as expected.
In addition to swelling, people with kidney disease may experience nephrotic syndrome. That is, in the process of urination, the body loses a large amount of protein (up to 60 g).
Factors contributing to the development of pathologies in the kidneys and, as a result, the presence of edema:
Initially, swelling appears on the lower legs (feet, ankles), and over time moves to the face. If the disease is not diagnosed in time and treatment is started, swelling can spread to the stomach, arms, and chest. In areas of swelling, patients experience pale skin and dryness. The most dangerous manifestation is laryngeal edema, which can be fatal.
Liver diseases are characterized by disturbances in the functioning of the organ. At the same time, the body begins to accumulate water and salt in the tissues, as a result of which swelling occurs in the legs. Edema occurs with the following liver diseases:
Swelling due to liver diseases affects not only the legs, but also the arms, and in men also the scrotum area. But only a specialist can determine the cause that led to such complications.
The following reasons cause severe swelling of the legs:
Swelling occurs due to liver dysfunction mainly in the evening, after a working day.
It is not uncommon for legs to swell with severe thyroid dysfunction. A characteristic sign of edema in diseases of the thyroid gland is the presence of edema mainly in the ankle area; when pressing on the swollen area, no indentation remains.
In addition to swelling of the legs, swelling of the entire body is observed as the disease progresses. If the thyroid gland malfunctions, the patient begins to rapidly gain weight, the general condition worsens significantly, hair begins to fall out, nails break and peel. In addition to visible swelling, internal organs may also swell. Treatment in this case consists of taking hormonal drugs, prescribed exclusively by the attending physician.
Swelling of the legs during an allergic reaction is also accompanied by itching and peeling of the skin. The causes of swelling of the legs during an allergic reaction are:
An allergic reaction can occur in two forms: chronic and quickly reversible. The rapid form is characterized by the following symptoms:
For the chronic form, in addition to the above symptoms, urticaria, Quincke's edema, and bronchial asthma are added.
As a result of a strong blow, a person experiences pain, which often causes swelling of the lower extremities. The main causes of swelling in the legs resulting from injuries:
The most common are fractures and bruises. The legs may suddenly swell in the lower leg or foot as a result of fluid accumulation in the soft tissues, which occurs as a result of poor blood circulation. The patient does not notice swelling of the lower leg immediately, but after some time. It is quite difficult to restore blood flow and thereby reduce swelling, but you should not give up.
Swelling can become permanent; this occurs as a result of not seeking help from a doctor in a timely manner, as well as unqualified medical care when bones (in the event of a fracture) heal incorrectly.
If, in the event of an injury, special attention is not paid to the treatment of swelling, the patient may face:
Lymphatic swelling of the feet is called lymphostasis or lymphedema. This disease is diagnosed in every 10 people on the planet. If lymphedema is not diagnosed and treated in time, it will bring the patient not only psychological and physical suffering, but may even result in disability.
The main causes of leg swelling (impaired lymphatic drainage):
In addition to swelling of the lower extremities, the patient experiences accompanying symptoms:
Almost every pregnant woman complains that her limbs are swollen. During the normal course of pregnancy, swelling appears no earlier than the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, but if swelling appears earlier, this may indicate the presence of kidney or heart disease, and in this case the woman should immediately see her doctor.
Pregnancy with edema is not always a mandatory phenomenon, but still quite common. The fact is that during this period of time the female body accumulates a large amount of sodium, which attracts all the liquid to itself, which is why there is a delay in the excretion of liquid, which manifests itself in edema.
If a woman has a history of kidney, liver or heart disease, then edema should be monitored under strict medical supervision. Since during this period, some medications are contraindicated for a woman and treatment should be without harm to the life of the expectant mother and child. If there are no serious illnesses, rest, a balanced and proper diet, and comfortable shoes will help a woman cope with swelling.
If the legs swell for no apparent reason, the patient should immediately seek advice from his local doctor, who will help deal with the problem and prescribe the correct treatment. Treatment of pain and swelling in the legs will directly depend on the diagnosis, so it is very important in this case not to self-medicate.
You should not purchase or use medications without a doctor's prescription. Therefore, you should first consult about a particular remedy.
When your legs swell, doctors prescribe the following medications:
In addition, all ointments and creams that contain horse chestnut have a positive effect on swelling.
It is possible to relieve swelling of the legs using alternative medicine, but before using them you need to consult your doctor so as not to further aggravate the situation (if the swelling was caused by the progression of serious diseases).
You can relieve swelling in the following ways:
It is better to prevent than to treat leg swelling after a long time. Therefore, if you have experienced swelling of the lower extremities at least once in your life, then you should adhere to a certain diet.
Diet for swelling and pain in the legs:
If your legs periodically swell and this is not associated with pathological processes in the body, but rather with your daily routine, then in this case doctors recommend doing simple, but also quite effective exercises every day.
You can relieve swelling and pain in your legs at the end of the working day by raising your legs above your head. To do this, lie on the bed and place your feet on a pillow or wall, this will improve blood circulation and you will feel much better.
The cardiovascular system bears the main responsibility for the functioning of all body systems. Arterial blood supply and venous outflow ensure the functioning of all human organs and systems; their growth, work, overload, compensation of function during aging, and determine the issue of life and death of an organ (heart attack, stroke, cirrhosis, pulmonary hypertension, renal hypertension, leg thrombosis, gangrene of the lower extremities , pulmonary embolism and many other diseases that lead to human death).
Starting from the moment when a person (homosapiens) began to move on the lower extremities (legs), then all the problems with the lower extremities began. I developed leg cramps at night, fatigue after walking and running, and pain in my legs for no apparent reason. All these symptoms appeared due to overload of the musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, joints), especially the lower extremities. Blood supply to the musculoskeletal system is the main function of arteries and veins, and with their diseases, symptoms of leg disease appear. Only an upright person has encountered such a problem as his legs hurt. Signs of the disease may include pain in the legs, pain in the leg muscles, pain in the soles of the feet. When a nagging pain in the leg occurs, it is necessary to examine the arteries and veins to exclude vascular disease, because only with vascular diseases there is a real threat to health and life (with arterial disease there is a threat of gangrene and amputation of the leg, with venous thromboembolism of the pulmonary artery PE and death , or disability). Therefore, the main task of a vascular surgeon is to establish the cause of pain and begin treatment in time to prevent complications.
The main and non-invasive method for diagnosing vascular disease is Doppler ultrasound, or duplex scanning. Using this method, you can determine why your legs swell and if it is associated with vascular diseases, then determine treatment tactics.
The most common cause of swollen legs is venous disease (varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, venous thrombosis, post-thrombophlebitis syndrome).
Your legs are swollen, what should you do? - immediately contact a vascular surgeon and do an ultrasound duplex scan (USD) because the cause of the swelling may be venous thrombosis and the detachment of a blood clot can lead to death. Therefore, treatment for leg swelling may involve surgery to remove a blood clot, remove varicose veins, or correct venous valves and venous drainage.
In any case of leg swelling, it is necessary to exclude vascular diseases, and then begin treatment. Swelling of the legs in diseases of the arteries can be the first bell for intensive treatment, endovascular intervention and surgery, and in diseases of the veins, early diagnosis will allow you to avoid surgery, or get by with minimally invasive intervention on varicose veins.
Have you noticed that your legs are swelling at the ankles ? What is the reason, what to do and where to go for advice? These questions come to the surface when swelling periodically begins to appear on the legs. Often, swelling of the legs occurs in women, but this does not mean that it is the prerogative of only women. Much less frequently, but men also experience swelling of the legs and unpleasant accompanying sensations. At the first appearance of swelling, you must immediately try to identify the cause of the swelling and begin treatment. It all depends on the reasons that affected the swelling.
Our lymph system circulates freely and moves by slow gravity. And this directly affects the well-being and functioning of the human body. The slow flow becomes even more difficult if damaged tissue appears or an inflammatory process occurs. As a result, the fluid leaving the cells begins to accumulate and we find that some part of the body is suddenly inflated. With age, the lymphatic system begins to work worse, swelling appears more often, changing the appearance of a person.
Edema is the accumulation of fluid in organs and extracellular tissues. It would seem, what is the danger of concentrating excess water in the ankles? But everything is interconnected and painful swelling of the feet affects the functioning of other vital organs. The interstitial and intercellular fluid contains both necessary and harmful substances. And the liquid affects the viability of cells and the performance of their functions.
As soon as you notice that your legs are swelling at the ankles , you should consult a doctor; swelling is often a signal of the development of certain diseases. Typically, the leg swells towards the end of the day and often the swelling does not go away overnight. In this case, it is necessary to establish why this happens. Swelling can be observed in one or both legs at once.
The presence of swelling can be determined independently. To do this, just press your finger on the expected swelling. If, after pressing for some time, a dent left by a finger is visible, the presence of swelling occurs.
Swelling in the ankles is accompanied by heaviness in the legs, burning and sometimes they are very painful. The swelling itself can be local, that is, distributed, covering one area, or it can be general, when the legs are swollen over the entire height.
When the legs are swollen, the skin appears thin, it stretches, and veins appear through it. Ankle swelling can be unilateral or bilateral. If swelling is present on both legs at once, this is a signal that a disease is developing in the body that needs to be treated. When swelling appears on only one leg, it is possible that it was injured.
Any mechanical stress that leads to tissue or bone rupture leads to tissue swelling.
When joints, bones or ligaments are injured, swelling appears near the ankle. With a closed fracture, severe pain is felt, and the leg immediately becomes swollen. This occurs due to the accumulation of blood that flows from damaged vessels.
Swelling spreads down the ankle when there is a blockage of blood vessels and when a blood clot forms - a thrombus. This is accompanied by swelling and pain. Along with a blood clot, inflammation begins - thrombophlebitis.
An infection in the wound will certainly cause swelling of the ankle. In this case, edema can appear not only with existing skin diseases, but also with purulent tissue inflammation.
Ankles may become swollen as a result of insect bites. In this case, a substance from saliva enters the body, which contributes to the onset of the inflammatory process. Basically, the appearance of swelling is an allergic reaction.
There are many reasons for the appearance of this disease. One of the main ones is venous insufficiency, and the occurrence of edema occurs due to stagnation of blood in the veins and fluid begins to seep into the tissue layer, which leads to the formation of edema.
In addition to unilateral edema and the reasons for its appearance, there are factors that lead to the appearance of bilateral edema on both legs. There are several reasons for this:
When you have to stay in one position for a long period of time, say, sitting or standing, the outflow of lymph is disrupted and swelling appears in the ankles. Therefore, during the working day it is necessary to periodically change your position and stretch your legs.
Shoes that make you feel uncomfortable
Position at work, office style often puts forward strict demands on appearance and shoes. High heels, uncomfortable lasts, and tight shoes not only cause discomfort, but also contribute to the formation of swelling.
When you are overweight, edema is considered a natural occurrence. Body weight puts pressure on the joints, resulting in a disruption in the exchange of fluid and blood.
In the third trimester, closer to childbirth, swelling of the ankles is possible. This is due to the fact that there is more blood in the body, the uterus increases in size and prevents normal outflow from the lower part of the body. Blood circulation slows down - this provokes stagnation of water in the tissues of the legs. Also, excess water during pregnancy very often condenses into edema.
Swelling due to kidney disease and heart problems
If kidney function fails, water metabolism is disrupted. As a result, the permeability of the vessel walls increases, and fluid begins to accumulate between the tissues.
When blood pressure surges, it leads to swelling of the ankles. Usually the legs begin to swell in the late afternoon.
Impaired fluid outflow occurs in many disease states and is part of inflammatory processes. A mandatory accompanying symptom is the appearance of swelling in the legs.
Sedatives and hormonal drugs
Often taking medications that belong to hormonal or sedatives contribute to the formation of excess fluid in the tissue layers.
When swelling is short-term and not systematic, it goes away without the use of medications. In the absence of injury, it is enough to give yourself the opportunity to relax after a working day by lying down with your feet raised on a high cushion. This helps equalize blood pressure. This procedure must be done daily for 20 minutes.
In the evenings, you should make it a rule to have a short foot massage session, and in the mornings, stretch your feet.
If you have completed a full course of examination to identify the cause of swelling of the feet and no disease was found, then the swelling of the feet can be removed on your own. There are a number of recommendations on how to treat edema :
These simple manipulations eliminate swelling of the legs and will serve as an excellent prevention for their occurrence. To relieve swelling, medications and alternative treatment methods are used. Diuretics are prescribed to remove excess fluid from the body. When the cause of edema is provoked by diseases such as hypertension or ischemia, a course of appropriate medications is prescribed.
The most effective ways to relieve swelling are to take diuretics and a diet that limits salt intake. You can take a relaxing bath and try to relieve swelling with ice packs. It is also necessary to include in the menu those products that contribute to the release of excess fluid. This is a must: watermelon, melon, vegetable juices, fruit drinks, herbal infusions. It is worth paying due attention to juices from carrots, beets, cucumbers, celery and parsley.
If you have swelling, you don’t need to indulge in coffee, strong tea, or canned foods. And exclude sweet carbonated water and alcohol. Because they contain an excess of salt and food additives that contribute to fluid retention in the body.
Allergic swelling can be relieved only with the help of antiallergic drugs, and in arthritis, swelling subsides only with comprehensive treatment of the underlying disease.
Alternative medicine offers many ways to treat swelling. Many recipes are universal. Before starting treatment, it is worth cleansing the intestines. Ways to relieve swelling of the legs:
Alternative medicine suggests getting rid of leg swelling by eating foods that have a diuretic effect. These include fermented milk products , kefir , cottage cheese , cucumbers , spinach , apples and pumpkin . When the swelling does not occupy a large area and concerns only the lower extremities, then alcohol or water compresses will be sufficient. Alcohol-based compresses relieve swelling and block pain, but they are contraindicated if thrombophlebitis is present. This is due to the fact that alcohol is not always predictable in its effect on blood vessels.
If the tried folk methods do not help, then consultation with a specialist is required. You should also not use diuretics without first consulting your doctor. They can eliminate the symptoms of the disease, not the disease itself.
Existing diuretics are not intended for long-term use. By affecting the kidneys, they remove useful substances along with the fluid. A long period of taking diuretics must be compensated by taking vitamins.
Since in most cases the appearance of swelling signals hidden diseases, the main preventive measure is attention and care for one’s health. It is necessary to avoid changes in stressful situations, injuries and sudden temperature fluctuations.
The treatment of edema should be approached with the utmost seriousness. It is important to first of all fight the underlying disease, which led to the formation of swelling. The patient is prescribed a course of medications that help remove fluid from the body.
To eliminate swelling of the ankles, the cause of which is not caused by the presence of hidden diseases, ointments and creams . Liniments based on horse chestnut have proven themselves well They strengthen the walls of blood vessels, increase blood circulation and relieve pain. When, in addition to swelling, you feel itching and pain, you can put your foot in cold water.
A good way to prevent swelling of the legs is to wear elastic tights or stockings . They, evenly squeezing the legs, force the blood to move back to the heart. Such stockings help reduce swelling and the appearance of new ones. You should buy them only in pharmacies and in your size.
Ignoring leg swelling or inappropriate actions can lead to very serious consequences. Such as: varicose veins, dermatological disorders, thrombophlebitis or blood clot rupture. Therefore, in the event of swelling, a consultation with a therapist is necessary, who, based on the patient’s diagnoses and examinations, will determine the cause of the swelling and prescribe treatment.
To get rid of the frequent appearance of edema, it is advisable to reconsider your daily routine and possibly radically change your habits and lifestyle.