Swelling in humans occurs due to the fact that for some reason the body ceases to cope with the removal of excess fluid, which is why it begins to accumulate in the intercellular space of soft tissues. Diseases of the blood and lymphatic vessels contribute to the development of edema. An imbalance of water balance in the body can be observed as a complication of certain diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys and thyroid gland. Often, adults suffer from swelling that appears on their legs. In some cases, the limbs not only become swollen, but also become very painful, and this phenomenon can have several causes.
The main reason why a person's legs swell and hurt is varicose veins. The disease develops due to increased pressure inside the veins and their expansion, which causes the vessels to lose their elasticity and cope with their functions worse. Also, the cause of varicose veins is often a malfunction of the venous valves, which ensure normal blood flow in the veins.
Factors contributing to the development of varicose veins include:
Symptoms of varicose veins, which lead to severe pain and swelling in the legs, develop gradually. A sign of the disease at the initial stage of its development is swelling of the legs, which appears in the evening, as well as a feeling of heaviness and fullness in the limbs after standing work, sitting or intense physical activity. As the disease progresses, a person begins to notice pain in the calves, heat in the extremities, and cramps at night. Noticeable spider veins appear on the skin of the legs, which enlarge and become more pronounced over time. The skin of the legs begins to pigment and becomes dry to the touch.
As for swelling with varicose veins, the legs swell asymmetrically, mainly in the area where the affected veins are located.
The main danger of varicose veins is that in the absence of adequate therapy, this disease leads to thrombophlebitis, in which blood clots (thrombi) form. The latter can enter vital organs (lungs and heart) through the bloodstream and lead to the cessation of their full functioning, which leads to death.
A person’s legs swell and hurt during lymphostasis, a condition the essence of which is the disruption of the outflow of lymph from the lower extremities due to impaired patency of the lymphatic vessels. The causes of the pathology are as follows:
As lymphostasis of the legs develops, a person experiences increasing symptoms of the disease. Swelling forms in the ankle joint area of the leg, but at the initial stage of lymphostasis development it is painless. The legs swell in the evening, but after rest the swelling subsides. If treatment for lymphostasis has not been started, the swelling spreads to the lower leg and becomes dense. In addition, the patient's affected limbs hurt and increase in girth. Stagnation of lymph leads to the fact that a person experiences pain when walking and bending (extending) the knee.
Lymphostasis of the lower extremities is characterized by elephantiasis - a rapid increase in the girth of the limb due to stagnation of lymph and proliferation of connective tissue. There are also such dangerous complications of the disease as erysipelas, trophic ulcers and sepsis.
It is worth noting that healthy people may also experience pain and swelling in their legs from time to time. The reason for this is wearing tight shoes (especially with heels), excessive physical activity, prolonged sitting, etc.
First of all, a person should consult a doctor, especially if the swelling and pain in the legs is pronounced. A phlebologist examines and treats patients with impaired blood and lymph flow in the lower extremities. To make a diagnosis, a patient complaining of swelling and pain in the legs is prescribed the following tests:
What to do for varicose veins:
For swelling and pain in the legs, the doctor prescribes venotonic ointments to the patient, which have a tonic and decongestant effect on the limbs. Examples of such drugs are Shungite, Lyoton 1000 and Troxevasin. For oral administration, medications such as Phlebodia 600, Doppelherz balm, Cardiomagnyl and Detralex are prescribed.
Treatment of lymphostasis helps restore lymph flow and normalize the functioning of the lymphatic system. The patient is shown a diet that involves enriching the diet with proteins, vegetable fats and vitamins, but at the same time limiting the consumption of salt, smoked meats, animal fat and sugar.
With lymphostasis, it is useful to do special exercises to eliminate lymph stagnation. A set of exercises is prescribed by a doctor. Hydromassage, lymphatic drainage massage, laser and magnetic therapy can also speed up the recovery of a person who has been diagnosed with lymphostasis. To normalize lymph outflow, phlebotonics are prescribed: Detralex, Troxevasin, Venoruton, Paroven. Some homeopathic medicines and enzymes may also be prescribed.
To always feel light in your legs and prevent swelling, it is enough to follow some simple rules. First of all, a person should carefully consider the choice of shoes, especially if he is forced to stand for a long time during the day. Exercise, outdoor walking and swimming will help prevent the development of pain and swelling in the legs. These loads have a beneficial effect on the elasticity of blood vessels, preventing their walls from stretching. A healthy diet and adherence to the drinking regime will help prevent disturbances in the water-salt balance in the body and the gain of extra pounds. Compliance with preventive measures will allow you to preserve the beauty and health of your feet for many years!
It’s evening, you take off your shoes and notice swelling in your shins and ankles. By morning it passes and the anxiety disappears. But after some time everything repeats itself. This means that the body is trying to tell you something.
Heaviness, fatigue, buzzing, pain and even cramps in the legs, all this is so familiar... But even in the morning the legs looked so attractive. Every modern woman encounters similar symptoms from time to time, and doctors have noticed that if previously they were typical for women of mature age, over 40 years old, now they also overtake young girls aged 20-25 and older.
Edema is nothing more than the accumulation of excess fluid in tissues. If the body is healthy, it removes it itself, primarily through the venous system. Failures undoubtedly occur, for example, legs can swell in healthy people - in extreme heat, during long flights, when wearing uncomfortable clothes or shoes. In such cases, to relieve swelling, it is enough to lie down with your legs raised higher, or take a contrast bath, and your legs will calm down. But if the symptoms recur regularly and bother you for a long time, it’s time to sound the alarm: serious venous diseases may be hidden behind the unpleasant condition. Look at your lower leg, if it is swollen, areas of darkening, nodular venous formations or spider veins have appeared on it, then you are likely developing varicose veins or even thrombophlebitis. Sometimes bruises and hematomas that arise from the slightest bruise or pressure can indicate weakness of the blood vessels.
In any case, if you notice any changes in your legs, you need to consult a phlebologist!
Varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, and fragility of blood vessels are a consequence of impaired outflow of venous blood from the lower extremities. There could be a lot of reasons for this. A sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, excess weight, poor environment, pregnancy, stress, carrying heavy objects, prolonged sitting or standing, which cause blood stagnation in the vessels of the legs. Heredity and being female play a key role.
Moscow doctors even conducted research and found that various vein diseases are common to 62% of employees who spend whole days sitting in offices, while about 70% are women.
Very often, swelling of the legs occurs in pregnant women. But you should not immediately mistake it for a pathology. Typically, problems with veins in pregnant women (swelling, heaviness, pain in the legs) arise due to hormonal factors that cause fluid retention, as well as due to the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the venous vessels of the pelvis, which complicates the outflow of venous blood from the lower extremities. Pregnant women need to follow a diet, do certain exercises for their legs, lead a fairly active lifestyle, and not allow themselves to sit or stand in one position for a long time. It is advisable to periodically lie down on the bed and place a pillow under your feet, which will help the venous system cope with swelling. In some cases, it is necessary to use local anti-varicose medications, but before that you need to consult a doctor!
Vein diseases are difficult to treat, so first of all they need to be prevented. Remember that in any situation the legs should be in motion: exercises, climbing stairs, cycling, dancing, water aerobics keep the blood vessels in good shape. Secondly, you should put your intestines in order and normalize your weight, since putting too much stress on your own body on your legs also has negative consequences. In some cases, your doctor may recommend special compression garments.
Alcoholic drinks, coffee, cigarettes, and salty foods also have a negative effect. But refreshing green tea with lemon, cranberry juice, steamed vegetables and other healthy foods are the basis for the beauty of your feet.
A universal means of combating swelling and preventing vein disease are various ointments and gels. It is impossible to cure diseased veins with their help, but you can significantly alleviate the patient’s condition and prevent the development of dangerous complications, such as thrombosis. In addition, in complex therapy, together with compression hosiery and minimally invasive surgeries, local remedies can be very effective!
Preparations with the most effective content of sodium heparin are effective. They improve blood microcirculation and activate tissue metabolism. Thanks to this, the processes of resorption of bruises, hematomas and blood clots are accelerated, and the patency of the veins is restored. Ointments and gels are also good to use when flying and while on vacation in hot countries to relieve fatigue and swelling from long trips and high temperatures. But you need to choose only safe and convenient drugs.
Do you want to have a flying gait, beautiful legs without bruises and swelling? Then start prevention now.
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)
The occurrence of swelling is caused by excessive accumulation of fluid in the body. A limb can swell as a result of illness and is a serious symptom of certain diseases, such as heart failure, pathology of the urinary tract, endocrine system, venous insufficiency, a consequence of bruises or a broken leg. To determine the true cause of edema, it is important to undergo a medical examination. There are many effective methods for eliminating pastiness and preventing edema (conservative therapy or traditional methods of treatment). Many patients consider treatment of leg swelling with folk remedies to be the only panacea. But when edema appears due to the development of serious diseases, traditional medicine recipes can become only part of a comprehensive treatment. So how to treat swelling and can you trust folk remedies? How to relieve swelling from your legs at home?
Swelling of the legs is provoked by various causes, and treatment with folk remedies in some clinical situations may be the only treatment or an integral part of therapy. Special herbal teas, infusions of herbs, dried fruits or fruits that have a diuretic effect are effective home methods for treating edema. Long-term use of certain types of tea for treatment can have a prolonged diuretic effect, which is considered an excellent home prevention of the recurrence of edema in renal disorders and venous-vascular insufficiency. To remove stagnant fluid from the body using home methods, the most effective are the following:
Pumpkin juice has a mild diuretic effect and helps with swelling of the legs.
An effective folk recipe against swelling on the legs are the leaves of birch, St. John's wort, horsetail, and corn silk. Before getting rid of edema at home, it is important to first consult with a doctor, since while taking medications, some plants can reduce the effectiveness of medications or, conversely, enhance it.
Severe or mild swelling can cause unpleasant itching or even some soreness in the legs. External treatment with folk remedies allows you to relieve discomfort, relieve swelling of the legs at home, and improve blood circulation in the extremities. The following methods are most effective:
Contrast home compresses should be used with caution; such treatment can provoke vasospasm.
For severe swelling, it is also permissible to use contrasting home compresses on the legs as treatment (cold water-hot-cold), but with caution. Temperature contrast can provoke a sharp spasm of blood vessels, which is especially dangerous in cardiovascular pathologies. You can relieve fatigue from your legs at home using more gentle means.
The occurrence of leg swelling in elderly and young people can be caused by various reasons. Depending on this, the recommended treatment methods differ. Thus, baths with decoctions of medicinal herbs or sea salt promote gentle relaxation after a hard day, relieve mild swelling of the legs, and give a feeling of lightness.
As a rule, contrast baths can help if the swelling is not pronounced. It is important to undergo examination before treatment to exclude serious cardiovascular pathologies. Pain and pastiness can be quickly relieved using home treatments in the absence of serious causes. But when pathologies of internal organs are present, these methods can only slightly reduce discomfort.
Constantly appearing swelling of the limbs causes serious inconvenience. For example, having easily fastened high boots in the morning, many women have great difficulty putting them on in the evening because their feet are swollen. Fatigue, tension, high heels or tight shoes can cause swelling of varicose veins. You need to use any effective methods to remove swelling and get rid of it completely at home. When swelling occurs, it is important to consult a doctor, and therapy with folk remedies can be used against the background of adequate conservative therapy. Treatment of leg swelling with home methods should only be carried out by specialized specialists.
Many people, especially women, face the problem of leg swelling. The reasons for this phenomenon may be different. It is believed that they appear due to the large amount of liquid drunk during the day. Most often, the cause may be varicose veins, lymphovenous insufficiency or deep vein thrombosis. The second place is occupied by kidney and liver diseases. Next come factors such as joint problems, abdominal diseases, allergic reactions, oncology, lung pathology, and pregnancy. Swelling of the legs occurs due to heart failure.
Due to the fact that the list of diseases that can cause swelling of the legs is large, it will not be possible to make a diagnosis without tests and instrumental diagnostics. The usual set of tests is taken, plus a biochemical blood test is done and blood clotting is checked. It is also necessary to do an ultrasound of the abdominal organs, an ECG, a study of blood vessels and veins (USDS), only then can we say for what reason the swelling of the legs occurred.
With heart failure, in addition to swelling of the legs, there are other symptoms. The liquid permeates the tissues and accumulates in the abdominal cavity, so the swelling is dense, and when pressed, a dimple remains. There is an enlargement of the liver. In addition, there is shortness of breath, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), there may be cyanosis of the lips, pale skin, and any physical activity becomes a burden.
To relieve swelling of the legs due to heart failure, you do not need to immediately grab diuretics. They sometimes have the opposite effect, as they can disrupt the water-salt balance, which can negatively affect cardiac activity. Therefore, when signs appear, it is necessary to adjust nutrition. You need to consume less salt, no more than two grams per day. The amount of water consumed needs to be reduced. On average, no more than one liter per day, this applies to the volume of all liquid. The diet must include foods high in potassium: rice, oatmeal, baked potatoes, bananas, dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, raisins). It is good to take infusions and decoctions of rosehip - it is rich in vitamins B and C, this will strengthen the walls of blood vessels and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
If swelling of the legs due to heart failure is excluded, and other causes of their occurrence are identified, then the specialist should prescribe appropriate treatment. But there are general recommendations that will help cope with this problem.
Edema is an accumulation of fluid in the tissues and organs of the body. Edema is a fairly common occurrence that accompanies heart disease. Their location directly depends on the cause of heart failure: problems with the left ventricle of the heart provoke pulmonary edema, and damage to the right ventricle causes swelling of the legs through fluid and salt retention in the body.
In the initial stages of the disease, the legs first swell due to heart failure, and then they spread to other parts of the body. Both legs swell symmetrically. At first, the legs swell not very much, but after rest they return to normal.
6. Edema is combined with other symptoms:
• Exercise intolerance.
7. Disappear after proper treatment of the disease.
Legs swell due to heart failure, what should I do? You need to understand that it is not the swelling itself that needs to be treated, but the disease that caused it. In the early stages of the disease, it is quite easy to combat swelling of the legs: rest, massage, good sleep. But at a later date, these measures will not give any result.
To eliminate swelling of the legs due to heart failure, the patient will be prescribed the following medications:
1. Diuretics (diuretics) help the body get rid of excess fluid. These can be decoctions of medicinal herbs:
A diet containing vegetables and fruits is also very effective: cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkin, baked potatoes, apples.
Swelling of the legs is a symptom . which is manifested by visible swelling of the lower extremities, an increase in their circumference, and, as a rule, other symptoms and discomfort.
There are a huge number of causes of swelling . These can be general diseases (for example, cardiac edema of the legs), as well as direct pathologies of the lower extremities. Swelling of the legs can be unilateral or bilateral, and have varying degrees of severity (swelling of the fingers and toes, or up to the thigh). Based on these signs, as well as additional symptoms, the doctor can give the patient a specific diagnosis.
Below we look at the most common causes of leg swelling.
Sometimes leg swelling can occur in completely healthy people. They are associated with excessive consumption of water and salt . Most often such swelling of the legs occurs in the summer in the heat.
During hot weather, a person consumes a large amount of liquid, which enters the blood and does not always have time to be eliminated from the body through sweat and urine. If there is a large amount of salt in the food, then when it enters the body, it contributes to fluid retention. As a result, the heart can no longer cope with large amounts of blood, and, first of all, it stagnates in the lower extremities.
Many other factors can contribute to stagnation:
In this case, swelling of the legs may not indicate any disease. It is enough to reduce the amount of fluid and salt consumed, and they will go away on their own. But still, all people who have this problem need to visit a doctor and consult.
Swelling of the legs can be a consequence of taking certain medications.
For many autoimmune and allergic diseases, adrenal insufficiency and tumors, adrenal cortex drugs - glucocorticoids - are prescribed. If taken for a long time, this can cause swelling of the legs, since glucocorticoids also affect the functioning of the heart and blood circulation.
Female and male sex hormones can retain fluid in the body and lead to swelling of the legs:
Some medications that are prescribed for high blood pressure can cause leg swelling.
If you are taking any of the above remedies and your legs become swollen in the evenings or during the day, it is worth visiting a doctor for advice. Most likely, the doctor will replace the drugs with others, or change their dosage.
Varicose veins are pathological overstretching of veins and stagnation of blood in them. The most common problem is varicose veins in the legs.
The following reasons contribute to this:
the walls of the veins and their valves include connective tissue, which in some people, especially those susceptible to varicose veins, is too weak and can stretch greatly - perhaps this is the most important answer to the question of why legs swell with varicose veins; all of the above factors contribute to blood stagnation and overstretching of veins with varicose veins: excess body weight, sedentary lifestyle, excess water and salt consumption;
Swelling of the legs is usually the initial manifestation of varicose veins. They most often appear in the evenings, and various unpleasant sensations, a feeling of heaviness, pain, numbness or tingling of the fingers, and severe fatigue of the legs are noted.
Varicose veins of the lower extremities are divided into four stages:
1. Heaviness, fatigue and other unpleasant sensations in the evenings. Often, many people attribute these manifestations to fatigue at work, not realizing that this is a harbinger of the disease, and it is at this stage that it is easiest to treat.
2. Swelling of the feet and toes that occurs from time to time. At this stage, many patients also do not think about why their legs swell. Enlarged veins may be visible under the skin, which may prompt a person to visit a doctor.
3. At this stage, not only do the legs swell greatly in the evenings, but also the tortuous dilated veins that are located under the skin are clearly visible. At this stage, surgical treatment methods will most likely have to be used.
4. At the fourth stage, swelling of the legs fades into the background, and disorders caused by impaired blood flow in the lower extremities become more significant. The color of the skin becomes dark, severe pain is noted, to the point that lameness may develop. Trophic ulcers may appear.
How to treat leg swelling caused by varicose veins? First of all, you should visit a doctor who will examine you and make a diagnosis and determine the stage of the disease.
For swelling of the legs caused by varicose veins, an ultrasound with Doppler ultrasound may be prescribed to assess the speed of blood flow in the veins of the lower extremities. If the doctor suspects that the patient has deep vein thrombosis, then phlebography may be prescribed: injecting a contrast agent into the veins and taking x-rays.
In the first and second stages of varicose veins, you can use a special ointment for swelling of the legs. Your doctor may tell you to wear elastic bandages or stockings. It is also worth doing gymnastics periodically. take cold baths and foot massages, and place your feet on an elevated surface during sleep to ensure normal blood flow and reduce stress on the veins.
Almost all women experience swelling in their legs during pregnancy. Edema during pregnancy is usually temporary and goes away very quickly.
They can have various reasons:
As a rule, swelling of the legs during pregnancy is a normal physiological phenomenon. But still, a woman should visit a doctor to have an examination and, possibly, prevent the onset of the disease.
Some women during pregnancy take a diuretic on their own for swelling of the legs. It is not recommended to do this without a doctor's prescription. Each medicine affects not only the mother’s body, but also the child. For example, many diuretics flush minerals from the body that are necessary for an actively developing fetus.
Swelling of the legs in heart failure is a very common phenomenon, since pathologies of the cardiovascular system are generally very widespread in modern society.
Heart failure is not an independent disease, but a syndrome (a set of individual symptoms and manifestations) that accompanies many diseases, such as atherosclerosis, inflammatory diseases and heart defects. hypertension, coronary heart disease. certain types of arrhythmias, etc.
Heart failure is accompanied by the following characteristic symptoms:
1. Swelling of the legs in the evening . This sign of heart disease differs from kidney pathology. in which swelling always occurs on the face, and in the morning. In a person with heart failure, the main function of the heart, pumping, is weakened. Therefore, it is more difficult for the heart to lift blood from below, from the legs. During night sleep, a person is in a horizontal position, so the load on the heart is reduced. But a person spends the whole day sitting or standing. By evening, the heart's resource is depleted, causing swelling in the legs. When, with heart failure, the legs swell in the evening, their skin acquires a bluish tint. Swelling can involve only the fingers and toes, or can spread very high - it all depends on how the heart fails to cope with its function.
2. Dyspnea. It is also due to the fact that the heart is not able to adequately pump blood through the organs and tissues, so they constantly experience oxygen starvation.
3. In heart failure, high blood pressure . less often – reduced.
4. Pain in the heart area . most often they bother the patient in the left half of the chest, as if they are squeezing.
5. All patients with heart failure suffer from fatigue.
What to do if your legs are swollen and you are concerned about other causes of heart failure? It is worth visiting a cardiologist or therapist. The doctor will examine you and prescribe additional tests: ECG. ECHO-cardiography, chest x-ray.
Treatment for leg swelling caused by heart failure includes:
Cardiac swelling of the legs should only be treated with the participation of a specialist doctor.
Sometimes the cause of swelling of the legs is thrombophlebitis of the deep veins of the lower extremities. This is a pathology based on the formation of a blood clot in the lumen of a vein and inflammation of its wall.
The causes of thrombophlebitis and swelling of the legs can be:
During thrombophlebitis, severe swelling of the legs may appear, which is accompanied by pain and other unpleasant sensations (numbness, tingling, “crawling”). There is an increase in body temperature and general malaise. In the absence of adequate treatment, thrombophlebitis can present with more serious symptoms than swelling of the legs. One of the complications of the disease is pulmonary embolism. when a detached blood clot enters the blood vessels of the lungs.
Treatment of swelling of the legs due to thrombophlebitis is carried out by a phlebologist. If the disease is caused by an infection, then antibiotics are used. In some cases, surgical intervention is prescribed.
This disease refers to pathologies of the lymphatic system.
Due to the high blood pressure in small arterial vessels, it sweats through their walls and enters the surrounding tissues. In the veins, on the contrary, the pressure is lower. Therefore, all the blood that enters the tissues from the arterial capillaries is absorbed by the venous capillaries. But this does not happen completely. Some of the fluid still remains in the tissues. Its absorption must be carried out by lymphatic capillaries. This fluid becomes part of the lymph. With lymphedema, there is a disruption of this process, since the outflow of lymph through the lymphatic vessels is impaired. Swelling of the legs occurs.
This condition may be caused by:
With lymphedema, severe swelling of the legs, usually both, is observed. Sometimes only the right or left leg swells. Once formed, lymphedema usually remains for life. Treatment of leg swelling caused by lymphedema is a long and complex process.
The following methods are used:
The last stage of lymphedema, when very severe swelling of the legs is noted, is called elephantiasis (elephantiasis) - the lower limbs become very thickened. Depending on the cause, lymphedema may cause swelling in the legs and arms.
Myxedema is a mucous swelling that develops when the normal function of the thyroid gland is disrupted. This condition is known as hypothyroidism. in which disturbances in thinking, weight gain, lethargy, lethargy, and depression are also noted.
Due to myxedema, facial features change, the tongue becomes too large and does not fit in the oral cavity.
Swelling of the legs is associated with the so-called pretibial myxedema, which is located on the front surface of the legs.
Hypothyroidism can be congenital or acquired. To identify congenital hypothyroidism, special screening tests are required in all newborns. In adults, blood tests are performed for thyroid hormones.
With hypothyroidism and associated myxedema, it is not possible to get rid of swelling of the legs without treating the underlying disease. Pathology is the responsibility of an endocrinologist.
Often, swelling of the legs is associated with liver pathologies. Most often, edema occurs with cirrhosis, a severe dysfunction of the organ.
A number of reasons can lead to cirrhosis:
In severe liver pathologies, swelling of the legs has the following causes:
1. The liver produces albumin proteins. which provide normal oncotic blood pressure, that is, they are able to retain fluid in the bloodstream. When this process is disrupted, the amount of proteins in the blood decreases, and water rushes into the tissues.
2. The liver receives the portal vein, which provides blood flow from the entire intestine. If the outflow is disrupted and the pressure in the portal vein increases, the normal outflow of blood from the entire lower half of the body is disrupted.
With cirrhosis, swelling of the legs may be accompanied by other symptoms characteristic of liver disease: jaundice. accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity and other body cavities, skin itching. exhaustion, disruption of brain function (so-called hepatic encephalopathy).
Patients with liver pathologies should be constantly monitored by a hepatologist (a specialist in liver diseases) and an infectious disease specialist (if viral hepatitis has been diagnosed).
Very often, swelling in the legs occurs due to infectious and inflammatory diseases.
The main infectious and inflammatory diseases accompanied by swelling of the legs:
1. Rheumatism . This is a pathology that is caused by a separate type of streptococcus. These pathogens have one interesting feature: their cells contain molecules that are very similar to the substances of human connective tissue. It is part of articular cartilage and heart valves. As a result, the immune system begins to destroy harmful bacteria. and the body's own tissues. A characteristic manifestation of rheumatism is rheumatoid arthritis - inflammation of large joints (most often the knee), which develops pain, impaired movement, and swelling of the legs in the joint area. Swelling of the legs and pain are characterized by the fact that they last a short time and quickly pass, appearing on one or the other joint. In the future, rheumatism leads to the formation of heart disease. Diagnosis of the disease is carried out using laboratory methods. Antibiotics and various anti-inflammatory drugs are used for treatment. which are prescribed by a rheumatologist.
2. Erysipelas . Caused by streptococci. It also often affects the lower extremities. In this case, swelling of the legs appears, in the place of which red spots with clear boundaries are found. The spots are painful, the skin in this place has a warmer color. At the same time, the patient’s general condition is disrupted: health worsens, body temperature rises. Antibacterial drugs are used to treat erysipelas. In the absence of adequate therapy, more severe infectious complications may develop.
3. Osteomyelitis is an infectious and inflammatory process in the bone, which is very often accompanied by swelling of the left or right leg, depending on where the pathological process is located. In addition to swelling, osteomyelitis is accompanied by severe pain in the limb and impaired movement. The patient's body temperature rises, and general health may deteriorate sharply. Without adequate help, very serious complications can occur.
4. Swelling of the legs is almost always accompanied by purulent-inflammatory diseases such as boils. carbuncles, phlegmons. Such pathologies require antibiotic therapy or surgical treatment. The decision is made by the surgeon after examining the patient. Panaritium, a purulent inflammation of one of the toes, can also lead to swelling.
5. Infectious arthritis is a severe infection of the joint, which can also cause swelling of the legs. The causative agents of the disease can enter the joint or directly during an injury. either with blood or lymph flow. After this, the skin over the joint turns red, swells, severe pain appears, and movements are severely difficult. Body temperature rises and health worsens. If you experience joint pain and fever, you should consult a doctor who will conduct an examination and prescribe treatment. Infectious arthritis is treated with antibiotics.
Many injuries are accompanied by the development of swelling of the legs:
1. Bruises are injuries to soft tissue. Elementary blows lead to bruising. At the site of the bruise there is always swelling, hemorrhages, and the feeling is painful. In the first 3 days, apply ice to the site of the injury and make compresses with cold water. Subsequently, you can make alcohol compresses and apply iodine nets.
2. Dislocation. Most often, the patella is dislocated. People who have congenital weakness of the ligamentous apparatus are especially susceptible to this injury. In this case, the patella moves outward from the joint, severe pain is noted, the leg is fixed in a half-bent position, and further movements become impossible. Treatment for a luxated patella is to have it realigned, usually under local anesthesia. This is easy to do - just straighten your leg and put a little pressure on the patella. Then an x-ray is required to rule out a more serious injury, such as a fracture. Swelling of the leg persists for several more days; a plaster splint is applied to the leg for up to three weeks.
3. Hemarthrosis is an injury that is accompanied by hemorrhage into a joint, most often the knee. In this case, pain, impaired movement, swelling of the right or left leg are noted. The diagnosis of hemarthrosis can be made most accurately during the arthroscopy procedure: during it, the joint cavity is examined using special endoscopic equipment. During arthroscopy, blood can be removed from the joint cavity. This can also be done using a puncture. when, under local anesthesia, a needle from a regular syringe is inserted into the joint. A plaster splint is then placed on the leg. All procedures are performed only in a specialized medical institution.
4. Swelling of the leg very often develops after a fracture. The most common fractures are: the tibia and fibula, ankles, and foot bones (including toes). Fractures of the femur are somewhat less common, since it has very high strength. The most dangerous fracture is the femoral neck, as it is often accompanied by impaired blood flow to the bone. Characteristic symptoms of fractures of the lower extremities are pain, swelling of the leg, impaired movement, visible deformation, and hemorrhages under the skin. The final diagnosis of a fracture is made in the emergency room after an x-ray. If necessary, the fragments are reduced under general or local anesthesia, and a plaster splint is applied to the limb for a certain period of time. As the acute period of the injury subsides and the bones heal, the swelling of the leg subsides.
Many allergic reactions and autoimmune diseases have characteristic manifestations in the form of edema, including edema of the lower extremities:
1. Allergic arthritis is a large group of allergic diseases that are accompanied by joint damage. Most often they are a complication of some other articular pathology. These can be infectious processes, injuries, metabolic disorders, etc. With allergic arthritis, swelling of the legs is noted, which goes away quite quickly. It usually occurs after a limb has been in one position for a long time. In this case, the swelling is accompanied by redness and pain. It is often possible to relieve such swelling in the legs with antiallergic drugs, but in any case, treatment of the initial disease with an appropriate medical specialist is indicated.
2. Quincke's edema is an allergic swelling of the skin and mucous membranes that occurs upon contact with allergens. Most often it is located on the face, but in some cases it appears on the legs. This condition passes very quickly. It disappears immediately after taking antiallergic drugs. All patients with allergies are diagnosed and treated by an allergist.
The saliva of some insects and snakes is poisonous or contains allergens, resulting in swelling of the leg after a bite.
Swelling of the legs and other parts of the body can develop after bites from bees, wasps, arachnids, and poisonous snakes (viper, copperhead, snakes, viper, cobra, etc.).
First aid for animal bites is provided in accordance with the rules, which depend on what animal the victim was bitten by.
Modern pharmacies offer a large number of remedies for swelling of the legs. But in most cases, they are intended to relieve swelling caused by heat, excess fluid and salt intake, overwork, and the initial stages of varicose veins and heart failure.
Treatment of the initial diseases that cause edema is carried out only by a medical specialist. Timely seeking medical help will help to promptly identify diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys and other organs. And timely effective treatment will help get rid of the symptom and prevent more serious complications.
Before use, you should consult a specialist.