Swelling of the legs in the stronger half of humanity? a rather rare phenomenon, explained by the male characteristics of the body. This is due to excellent blood circulation. Don’t forget that the fat layer in men in the leg area is much smaller than in women. However, men also experience leg swelling due to chronic diseases or old injuries. As a rule, men very rarely pay attention to swelling of the legs. Especially if this problem is short-term and infrequent, there is no reason to worry.
If swelling of the calves and ankles is observed with great regularity, then it is imperative to be examined for the presence of serious diseases. Swelling of the legs in men at an early stage is practically invisible. At first, it appears in the ankle area, in the form of clearly defined marks from the elastic of socks. If you don’t stretch your leg in time, the marks will remain visible for a long time. But if measures are not taken to reduce swelling, the symptoms become pronounced. For example, swelling will begin to spread to the calf muscle area and above.
Why do men's legs swell? In most cases, this question is asked by older people, as they are prone to chronic diseases. Due to old age, the body wears out, so various diseases cling to a person.
If at a younger age, men rarely pay attention to high blood pressure, headaches or tingling in the heart area, then at an older age? everything becomes very complicated. Men who have passed the age of forty begin to suffer from genitourinary or cardiovascular diseases, which manifest themselves in the form of excessive swelling of the legs.
Causes of excessive swelling:
Physiological and external factors? causes of swelling of the legs, which can occur even in the body of an absolutely healthy person. Many things can be attributed to them.
Passive lifestyle. If a person is forced to remain in the same position for a long time, blood circulation is impaired, which leads to excessive swelling in the legs.
Poor nutrition. For example, excessive consumption of salty foods. A bad habit of excessive salt consumption can have a detrimental effect on the body. If the causes of edema are the consumption of salty foods and canned foods, you should drink more liquid, which will help remove salt from the body.
Physical overexertion. Excess physical activity? the reason why men's legs swell.
Use of medications. In particular, hormone-containing drugs: estrogen, progesterone, androgen. People taking medications that lower blood pressure, increase potency, or antidepressants should be more attentive to their health. These medications can increase swelling.
Allergic reactions. Insect bites, medication overdose and other allergies may cause swelling of the legs.
Alcohol abuse. Under the influence of ethyl alcohol, the digestive tract, kidneys and liver are damaged. In addition, after drinking alcohol, a person has a desire to drink, and since it is sometimes very difficult to get drunk, we can say with confidence that alcohol is the cause of excessive swelling.
Before treatment, the causes of edema should be identified. Even the slightest swelling should provoke a person to visit a specialist. To begin with, the doctor prescribes an appropriate examination to determine the occurrence of edema.
If swelling is associated with physiological problems, no action is taken. If a man suffers from a disease that causes fluid accumulation in the body, treatment should first of all be aimed at eliminating the disease, and only then diuretics are prescribed.
Taking diuretics should be under the supervision of a specialist. Otherwise, an overdose of medications can cause dehydration.
To speed up the removal of fluid accumulated in the body, you can use a traditional method. Watermelons, cherries, cherries, oatmeal, eggplants, cranberry and rosehip juice will help remove stagnant liquid.
Most people, having noticed severe swelling of their legs, do not consider it necessary to contact a specialist. They start the problem without thinking that the appearance of edema may be accompanied by the presence of serious problems in the body. It should be remembered that a person’s health is “in his hands.” If measures are not taken to identify and treat diseases, then edema will become the first trouble, which in the future may be aggravated by the appearance of serious illnesses.
Among the causes of swelling of the left leg (or right limb) there are both external factors not associated with diseases, and internal malfunctions in the body. However, when you see such a pathology, you should not panic: the problem does not pose a mortal danger, and it is easy to identify the features of its occurrence after a short diagnosis.
Recognizing swelling of the left leg is easier than determining its type. For an experienced therapist, such a process is not difficult. There are several types of edema, the identification of which will help in further identifying the causes of their formation:
Identifying the causes and prescribing treatment for swelling of the left leg begins with determining the type of swelling. After this, it is easier for the doctor to establish the correct diagnosis. However, edema does not always form as a result of a disease. There are specific causes of swelling of one leg that do not require complex therapy:
All causes not related to organ diseases can be easily corrected through lifestyle changes. However, some symptoms may hide serious illnesses, such as diabetes.
Among the causes of swelling of the right or left leg, there are also more serious components - diseases. The most common of them:
If, for example, your right leg is swollen, its color has changed greatly and sensitivity is impaired, you need to consult a doctor. Some diseases involve the presence of several complications at once, which leads to severe edema and even gangrene of the lower extremities.
If one leg is swollen, but additional symptoms appear, this almost always requires contacting a doctor:
Severe morning swelling of the face and eyes can indicate kidney problems.
Diagnosis of diseases begins in the therapist's office. Then, based on the results of the examination, he will give a referral to one of the highly specialized specialists. To identify the problem, you need to undergo an ultrasound, x-ray, lymphoscintigraphy (examination of vessels and nodes), in some cases you need to undergo an MRI. Additionally, blood and urine tests are prescribed. If heart disease is suspected, a cardiogram is performed.
The reasons why swelling of one leg can be so dangerous are hidden in possible diseases of the heart, kidneys, and endocrine system. If one leg swells constantly, you should consult a doctor. Otherwise, the person will experience progression of the disease that caused the pathology.
Signs of deterioration include: weight gain, swelling under the eyes, frequent attacks of hypertension, severe pain and inability to move normally.
Even the simplest swelling caused by injury, if left untreated, can become chronic. Sometimes swelling develops into elephantiasis, lymphatic drainage is impaired and varicose veins develop.
Before using remedies to relieve swelling, you must provide first aid to the patient (or yourself). However, they are effective only in the absence of serious illnesses - due to heat, in the morning, due to stress.
First you need to free your feet from clothes and shoes, wash them with cool water and try to relax. You can then use a relaxing cream to relieve swelling in your right or left leg. Apply it with massage movements. After this, you need to rest for about 20 minutes, placing your feet slightly above head level.
After the first procedures, more serious treatment begins - the use of compresses and baths, as well as other traditional medicine recipes. If there are diseases, the doctor prescribes medications to relieve pathological swelling.
If swelling appears on one leg, you can first consult a therapist. Then they will give a referral to a cardiologist, nephrologist or phlebologist, depending on the type of edema and accompanying symptoms. If thyroid disease is suspected, they are referred to an endocrinologist.
There is no single option when it comes to treating edema. Therapy should be approached comprehensively, including all the remedies recommended by the doctor:
After determining the cause of swelling of the left or right leg, the doctor will prescribe treatment. In complex therapy, medications are necessarily used. To help cope with swelling:
Additionally, compression garments are used to retain fluid. For swelling caused by joint diseases, orthopedic shoes or insoles are selected.
The use of traditional medicine in the treatment of swelling of one limb is effective and appropriate. The methods can be used both in combination with the main therapy and as maintenance treatment:
A separate group includes medicinal herbs for eliminating edema. They can be taken both internally and externally in the form of compresses.
Among the popular herbs for relieving swelling caused by poor lifestyle, injuries and other factors not related to severe diseases of the internal organs are:
Treatment with medicinal herbs should not last longer than 1 month, as addiction may occur. If folk remedies are used as part of complex therapy, alternate them with each other.
If swelling on the right or left leg appears as a result of varicose veins, then you can get rid of it using additional methods and medications. The key recommendation is to use moderate physical activity without much involvement of the legs. Yoga asanas are ideal for combating varicose veins.
You cannot engage in power sports with sudden jumps and jerks.
Swimming and water sports are great for reducing swelling caused by varicose veins. However, you can’t do without drugs to relieve pathology. In general, they are similar to what is used to treat edema from other diseases.
All medications are taken strictly according to the course, and the results of treatment are assessed by the doctor after repeated examinations and tests.
Regardless of the reasons for the accumulation of fluid, doctors recommend treating swelling of one leg using light physical activity. All exercises can be done directly on the bed or on the floor at home:
It is recommended to review the diet - remove too salty and smoked dishes, introduce healthier foods. Vegetables, berries and fruits, as well as healthy cereals and protein products should be the basis of the diet.
To prevent your right or left leg from swelling and swelling from time to time, you need to follow simple rules of prevention. They will not help get rid of kidney disease, heart disease and varicose veins, but they will facilitate the process of possible treatment.
You should wear comfortable low-heeled shoes and avoid putting excessive strain on your feet.
Doctors advise normalizing your diet, eliminating large amounts of sweets, fats and salty foods. It is also useful for prevention to engage in moderate physical activity, perform therapeutic exercises and foot massage.
If swelling occurs in the morning, then in the evening you need to prevent excessive fluid intake. A cup of coffee, one of the best diuretic products, will help remove excess water.
Swelling of the legs is not only not aesthetically pleasing, but also not very pleasant. No person, even the healthiest, is immune from swelling of the legs, but there is a way out!
As a rule, the cause of leg swelling is pathological changes in the body. To diagnose leg swelling in yourself, it is enough to observe yourself. If in the evening, when you come home from work, you periodically notice that swelling appears on your legs, in the shin or ankle area, or you feel heaviness in your legs, a buzzing sensation, or even pain and cramps, then it’s time for you to be more attentive to your health. Modern reality is such that if previously swelling of the legs was more common in women of mature and even old age, now the legs swell even in 20-25 year old women. Before understanding the causes of leg swelling, it makes sense to understand what it is. Leg swelling is the accumulation of excess fluid in the tissues. With a healthy lifestyle, the body, through the venous system, through the smallest capillaries, removes excess fluid from the tissues. If disturbances occur in this process, the legs begin to swell.
The causes of leg swelling can be divided into two parts: internal disorders of the body and external effects on the body.
Abuse of salty foods, which causes severe thirst and, accordingly, an excess of water in the body and swelling of the legs.
Hot weather, in which the body activates mechanisms to protect against overheating, such as dilation of peripheral vessels, which disrupts microcirculation of blood in the legs and their swelling.
Prolonged stay in a standing or sitting position, when the pressure in the venous channels increases and they can no longer cope with the function assigned to them to drain excess water.
Wearing ill-fitting shoes can cause swelling of the legs, as they compress the veins and also provoke a decrease in blood microcirculation in the legs.
Pregnancy, which is one of the natural causes of swelling of the legs and is more typical for its second half.
In the presence of external factors for swelling of the legs, the swelling does not extend above the lower leg and, as a rule, appears either in the evening, or after excessive intake of water or immediately after increased stress on the legs. If there are internal causes of leg swelling, swelling can occur at almost any time. For example, with varicose veins, swelling of the legs may not be symmetrical and may be accompanied by heaviness and even pain in the legs. Thrombophlebitis will accompany swelling with a burning sensation in the vein and redness of the skin above it.
If heart failure is diagnosed, severe swelling will spread to both legs. Renal edema begins with swelling under the eyes and only then moves to the legs. In any case, we would strongly advise against diagnosing yourself. For adequate and effective treatment, it is better to contact specialist doctors: phlebologist, nephrologist, cardiologist and endocrinologist.
Any treatment for leg swelling is based mainly on the treatment of the underlying disease! But if your leg swelling is caused by external stressors, or if you are already using treatment prescribed by your doctor, you can relieve your condition in several proven ways.
First of all, this is a massage of the feet and legs in the direction from bottom to top. This massage is not only an effective way to relieve the feeling of heaviness in swollen legs, but also an excellent method of preventing the occurrence of leg swelling.
Leg exercises are also very effective. You can clench and unclench your toes, roll a rubber ball on the floor, walk on applicators, or make yourself a pebble massage mat.
The “bicycle” exercise will be very useful if you have swelling in your legs, and thanks to regular exercises, you won’t have to look for the answer to the question: “What to do if you have swollen legs?”
Foot baths are an excellent way to relieve fatigue after a hard day and reduce swelling of the feet. It can be with herbs or based on sea salt; to enhance the effect, you can add a couple of drops of an essential oil of your choice.
Traditional diuretic recipes, which are successfully used in the treatment of swelling of the legs, also have healing properties. For example, diuretic birch extracts or a drink made from juice with black radish and honey, or just parsley, in which everything from root to leaf is useful.
To prevent leg swelling, it is important to have regular physical activity and carefully monitor your health! Don't neglect massage or yoga - they amazingly heal the body and will allow you to avoid leg swelling in the future!
In veterinary medicine, bloating in a rabbit is called gastrointestinal stasis (GIS). This disease bothers animals quite often, since their digestive system has its own characteristics.
The rose is often called the queen of flowers for its beautiful delicate buds and persistent tart aroma. There are garden and indoor varieties of this plant, but all of them are distinguished by lush green foliage and a long flowering period.
Swelling of the hands, the causes of which we will consider in this article, is a rather unpleasant phenomenon for a person, which can manifest itself in certain cases, while such a symptom does not appear without a reason. So what causes swollen hands?
Swelling of the hands is always a symptom of one or another disease progressing in the body, and this symptomatology should not be discounted.
Swelling of the hands, the causes of which we will describe a little later, is a sign of a malfunction in the functioning of internal organs - the heart, liver, kidneys, and so on.
Therefore, you should immediately consult a doctor and undergo appropriate examination.
If we talk about the symptoms of swelling of the hands, then first of all the fingers swell - this can be seen with the naked eye, just compare it with the hands of another person.
When simple swelling of the hands occurs, the causes of which we will describe in the article, they appear after sleep, such swelling usually goes away after a couple of hours and disappears on its own, without affecting the person in any way.
In this case, it is still worth visiting a doctor, even if this phenomenon does not cause you discomfort or problems.
If the swelling of the fingers, the causes of which can be very different, does not subside until the evening, in this case we can argue about significant disturbances in the body, which cannot cope with its functions. And at the same time, hands can swell not only in the morning, but also in the evening, at night.
The most common cause of edema is excessive fluid consumption in the evening, while uncontrolled consumption of food and alcohol and the general condition of the body and its organs also have this effect.
If swelling of the hands, the causes of which may be poor nutrition, does not go away over a long period of time, this indicates a serious illness or an exacerbation of a chronic disease.
Often, swelling of the hands occurs when taking a diuretic drug or in a woman during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester.
If we talk about factors that can explain the swelling of the right hand, the cause of which may lie in the presence of chronic diseases, then it is worth highlighting the following. Let's find out what to do in this case.
The most common factor leading to swelling of the hands is a common bruise, hand injury, or fracture.
In this case, it is the inflammatory process that serves as the body’s response to injury, and by periodically applying cold to the injured area of the arm, the swelling can be relieved.
At the same time, seeing a doctor is a must to help avoid negative consequences.
When swelling of the hands occurs as a result of an allergic reaction to an external irritant, for example, detergent or washing powder, it is worth establishing the cause and eliminating the irritant itself from everyday life and close contact. Or if contact cannot be avoided, then you should wear rubber gloves, minimizing the contact area of your hands with the irritant.
Along with chemical irritants, allergies can be caused by new dishes on the menu, some fruits - try to exclude them from your diet.
Swelling of the fingers can also occur in a pregnant woman - in this case, it is worth taking a urine test to check for protein content, which indicates problems in the body. If this indicator is normal, swelling can be reduced with diuretics.
What to do if your left hand swells? The reasons for this can be very different, but there are some solutions to this problem.
Swelling of the fingers and hands can be a consequence of a malfunction of the thyroid gland, kidneys and liver, as well as the cardiovascular system of the body.
In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor and, based on the examination and test results obtained, undergo a course of treatment.
As a factor causing swelling of the hands, the causes of which we will continue to consider further, it is worth noting long-term work without an appropriate break for warming up, irregular and unhealthy diet, as well as insufficient sleep. Try to change your work schedule, diet and allocate more time for rest, and this will help you solve the problem of swelling of your right hand. We have considered the reasons, and it’s time to move on to the method of treating edema.
If you experience swelling of the hands in the morning, the causes of which can be different - injury or fracture, drinking a lot of water or eating spicy or salty food, allergies to an external or internal irritant, then you need to take certain actions, which we discussed earlier.
If the swelling is caused by taking medication, then you should stop taking it and, after consulting with your doctor, change to another medication or reduce the dose of the medication you are taking.
When, along with swelling of the hands, there is swelling of the eyelids, all this may indicate improper functioning of the liver - the organ does not fully remove toxins from the body, thereby leading to swelling of soft tissues and cells.
It may happen that swelling of the right arm (the causes of which we discussed) will provoke an enlargement of the lymph nodes in the armpits, and this may indicate a lung disease, as a result of which the outflow of lymph is disrupted, leading to edema.
Sometimes a doctor may refer women to a breast doctor to check the breast for cancer. If you are overweight, puffiness can also become a constant morning companion.
In this case, it is enough to visit a nutritionist and take measures to regulate your own diet and normalize your weight.
If your hands systematically swell, at the very beginning, try to exclude spicy and overly salty foods from your menu, remove alcohol and low-alcohol cocktails. These products are capable of retaining excess fluid in the body's cells for a long period of time without removing it naturally.
Also control your fluid intake - this applies not only to the consumption of clean, drinking water, but also coffee, tea, liquid soups and other drinking products.
At the same time, try to drink no later than 3 hours before bedtime - during this period of time the body will remove excess fluid, preventing swelling of not only the hands, but also the eyelids and legs.
If swelling of the hands lasts long enough, introduce foods such as watermelon and cucumbers, rowan juice, celery and rowan into your diet. It is due to the minerals and vitamins they contain that they allow you to get rid of edema.
At the same time, simple physical exercises will help relieve swelling. They are able to tone the body. To do this, you can intensively walk in place, or take a bike ride or visit the pool.
Give this 20 minutes in the morning and evening, 2 hours before bedtime, and swelling will gradually stop bothering you.
In case of swelling of the fingers, contrasting hand baths or showers are a great help - it is the sharp temperature change that has a beneficial effect on blood circulation. But visiting a sauna or bathhouse at least once a week will help improve water balance and metabolism in the body.
Along with this, baths with the addition of sea salt will perfectly cope with swelling of the hands, but the bath temperature should not be more than 37 degrees. Add 300 g of sea salt to a filled bath and take it for no more than half an hour.
If we talk about traditional medicine and ways to combat swelling of the hands, decoctions and tinctures are especially effective. In this case, it is worth noting several decoctions that can remove excess fluid and normalize the water balance in the body, namely:
— Tincture made from the herb “bear ears.” To prepare it, take 1 tbsp. l. raw materials and pour a glass of boiling water, let it brew for 3-4 hours. Strain the tincture itself and take it half a glass in the morning and evening.
- Decoction of rose hips. In particular, they are also steamed with boiling water and, after letting it brew for several hours, they drink throughout the day.
— Infusion of horsetail. 4 tbsp. l. dry plant is poured with a glass of boiling water and, covered with a lid, infused for 1-2 hours. Take a few sips throughout the day, and the course of taking the decoction is 2-3 weeks.
- a decoction of anise seeds also gives an excellent effect - 4 tbsp. l. pour a glass of boiling water and put on low heat. Cook the mixture for 7-8 minutes and, after straining, take 2 tbsp. l. three times a day half an hour before meals.
Edema is the accumulation of fluid in the intercellular space. Swelling of the lower extremities is especially common; this can happen even in a healthy person.
But if your hands are swollen, this always indicates serious problems in the functioning of the body. This most often happens in the morning. This is a sign that organs and vessels cannot cope with the removal of fluid.
If such swelling goes away in the evening and nothing else bothers you, patients usually do not consult a doctor. But it is still recommended to undergo an examination to find out why your hands are swelling.
After all, this may be the first sign of serious illness. By starting treatment of edema in a timely manner, complications can be prevented.
Minor swelling of the extremities in the heat or after drinking a large amount of liquid usually goes away quickly and does not affect the condition of the body. But if your hands are swollen in the morning, the swelling lasts a long time, this indicates a disruption in the functioning of some organs.
Usually this process begins with the fingers, then spreads higher - to the shoulder. Both hands or one may swell.
Fluid retention in the tissues of the upper extremities can occur due to impaired venous outflow, increased permeability of vascular walls, due to an inflammatory process or infection.
Often such swelling occurs in the evening after increased stress, long walks in the heat, due to an allergic reaction or injury. This is due to a violation of the outflow of fluid from the extremities due to increased vascular permeability. But my hands often swell in the morning.
If you have drunk a lot of liquid beforehand, and the swelling goes away quickly, this is normal, since during rest, blood circulation and metabolic processes in the body slow down. But if such swelling lasts for a long time, you need to consult a doctor and find out why this is happening.
Sometimes you can immediately understand why your hands swell. For example, this happens in the morning after a heavy meal or a large amount of water.
Certain foods and medications can also cause fluid retention in the tissues of the upper extremities.
Moreover, in this case, it is mainly the hands that suffer.
People of any age, men and women, are susceptible to swelling of the hands. Even children can suffer from this problem.
Their swelling mainly appears due to allergies, after injuries or due to a lack of protein in the body.
In this case, the function of the liver and kidneys is impaired, and the removal of fluid from tissues is slowed down due to a decrease in osmotic pressure in the vessels.
In women in late pregnancy, swelling is common.
Quite often, swelling occurs in women. This is due to hormonal fluctuations, which affect the functioning of blood vessels and internal organs. This can happen in the first days of the menstrual cycle, during menopause.
But most often the hands and feet swell during pregnancy. The most serious condition of a woman in this case is gestosis. It occurs in the 3rd trimester and can threaten the life of the fetus.
Therefore, even with minor swelling, you should consult a doctor.
But swelling may indicate more serious problems. For example, about disruption of the cardiovascular system, kidneys or liver. You need to know what diseases cause swelling in order to prevent complications and begin timely treatment.
The problem may arise in the following cases:
You can also read: Why do my fingers swell?
Edema often occurs when blood vessels are disrupted
Swelling in the hands associated with heart problems occurs especially often in older people. Their heart muscle may work less well, so blood circulation slows down.
The limbs especially suffer from this. Such swelling begins from below, from the legs, gradually spreading upward to the arms.
In some pathologies, compression of the superior vena cava also occurs, which is accompanied by swelling of the arms, neck, and face.
Sometimes one arm swells, which may be a symptom of vascular thrombosis or other pathologies leading to poor circulation.
Some people also face this problem when their hands swell when walking.
This is also associated with poor circulation, because during such movement the hands most often remain at rest, which means that fluid can stagnate there.
Often, swelling can be caused by a severe bruise, fracture, or even a simple cut. This swelling lasts from several days to months.
It usually occurs where the injury occurred, but the area above or below the injury may also swell. Soft tissues also swell with any damage to the skin, especially if it is accompanied by infection.
Therefore, it is recommended to treat every scratch, even the smallest one, with an antiseptic.
Swelling of the hands can occur with increased physical activity.
In this case, constant trauma to the muscles or joints occurs, as a result of which inflammation develops. Masons, loaders, and carpenters often walk around with swollen hands.
And recently, this problem has begun to occur among people who work at the computer for a long time.
Any injury, even a bruise or scratch, can cause swelling
Allergies to any medications, foods or household chemicals are often accompanied by swelling. But hands swell mainly due to a local allergic reaction.
This may occur when applying a cosmetic product, contact with powders or cleaning products, animal hair or feathers.
Separately, the right or left hand swells after being stung by bees, wasps, gadflies or even midges.
With renal failure, fluid retention in the tissues most often occurs. But it’s not just the hands that suffer.
The legs, face, especially the eyelids swell.
The outflow of fluid from tissues slows down in any kidney pathology, but most often this pathology is caused by infectious and inflammatory diseases.
Edema often develops with various joint diseases
The cause of swelling of the hands near the joints can be rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, arthrosis, synovitis, bursitis, gout. Such pathologies are accompanied by pain, restriction in movement, and the temperature may rise.
Such diseases especially often affect the fingers, but swelling may occur in the elbow joint or shoulder.
Although most often the problem arises due to an infectious-inflammatory process or due to traumatic injury.
Pathologies of the spine also often cause damage to the upper extremities.
For example, with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, a disease called Steinbrocker syndrome can develop.
At the same time, the nerve fibers in the spine that are responsible for the functioning of the blood vessels in the arms are compressed, resulting in severe swelling.
If your arms periodically swell from the elbow to the hand, the swelling goes away quickly and no other symptoms are observed, this may be caused by errors in the diet. This happens especially often in the morning if you drank a lot of liquid at night.
In addition, the following foods lead to the appearance of edema:
Excessive salt in food can cause swelling
Swelling of the hands is usually noticeable immediately, especially if the patient wears rings or bracelets. They begin to put pressure and soon it will be impossible to remove them. And if there was nothing on your hands during the development of the process, then you won’t be able to put on your usual jewelry, as they become small.
If one hand swells, you can detect this by comparing it with the other hand. In addition, it is recommended to carry out the following test: press your finger on the place on the arm where the bone should be. A hole forms in this place, which slowly disappears.
But these are not all the symptoms of edema. They can be seen even externally. The limb increases in volume, the skin becomes shiny, taut, and sometimes turns red. With severe swelling, the ability to move in the joints is limited.
Sometimes you can experience a high temperature.
Even with periodic, quickly passing swelling, it is recommended to consult a doctor. He will help not only identify the causes of swelling, but also prescribe the necessary treatment.
For this, in addition to an external examination and conversation with the patient, the doctor prescribes blood and urine tests. It is also important to conduct an allergy test to exclude the allergic nature of the pathology.
Sometimes an ECG, MRI and other examinations are prescribed.
To make a correct diagnosis, everything is important: what the patient did before the problem arose, how long the swelling lasts, what concomitant diseases he has. Often, examination and consultation with specialized specialists is necessary: an endocrinologist, allergist, cardiologist or traumatologist.
With swelling, the limb greatly increases in volume, fingers and other joints bend with difficulty
Most often, you can get rid of edema by curing the underlying disease that caused it. Therefore, treatment must be prescribed by a doctor.
It is not recommended to take any medications on your own, even diuretics, which are often used to relieve swelling.
Without eliminating the cause of this condition, incorrectly chosen medications can only worsen the situation.
Usually, for edema, in addition to special medications to normalize the functioning of the kidneys or heart, medications that improve blood circulation and reduce vascular permeability can be prescribed.
For swelling caused by infection or inflammation, antibiotics are needed. The most difficult thing to relieve is swelling due to injury. It may persist for some time after healing.
At the same time, cold compresses are effective to reduce swelling at the initial stage of treatment.
You can fight edema on your own at home only when it periodically appears due to errors in diet, large amounts of liquid drunk, or due to increased physical activity.
You need to know how to relieve swelling in order to bring your hands back to normal. To do this, it is recommended to make contrasting hand baths or showers, baths with sea salt, compresses from burdock or cabbage leaves.
Instead of diuretics, it is better to take rosehip decoctions, cranberry or lingonberry juice, and green tea.
If you experience frequent swelling, you need to reconsider your diet, avoid excessively salty foods, alcohol and large amounts of liquid.
Swelling in the hands is a rather unpleasant and serious condition. You should not self-medicate if this happens periodically. Only a specialist, after examining and determining the cause of the swelling, can prescribe the correct treatment.
When answering the question “why do your hands swell?”, you should first understand what edema is.
When blood circulation in the tissues is impaired, fluid accumulates, this phenomenon is called transudate (without an inflammatory process), in the opposite case the process is called exudate or inflammatory effusion.
The causes of swelling in the hands can be very diverse.
Swelling of the hand, which manifests itself with enviable consistency, or is chronic, is the body’s reaction to the development of serious diseases or overwork.
In some cases, swelling may occur due to vascular thrombosis due to uneven blood circulation.
Swelling in the hands, as well as pain in the joints, signal the development of diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism or gout. In this case, the swelling will persist for a long time, accompanied by pain in the joints of the hands, a local increase in temperature and a deterioration in the general condition.
Swelling of the left or right arm, forearm area, enlarged lymph nodes are symptoms of neoplasms of various etiologies. The body may be damaged by cancer cells.
In some cases, swelling in the hands appears asymmetrically, for example, when the left hand swells more than the right.
Often, swelling of the hands is a symptom of minor health problems and goes away as quickly as it appeared.
The most likely cause of this swelling of the hands, forearm, arms or elbows is poor nutrition:
Swelling caused by these reasons is mostly more noticeable in the morning, immediately after waking up. As a result of excessive drinking of water at night. This occurs due to unbalanced functioning of the kidneys, which cannot remove accumulated fluid from the body.
Sleeping pills and sedatives taken at night can cause swelling in the fingers, hands of one or both hands, and shoulders in the morning.
In this case, you should consult a doctor and stop taking the drug or change the dosage. Nighttime products often contain ingredients that cause swelling in the hands or forearm area.
In addition, allergic edema can be like:
If your hands swell during an allergic reaction, you must minimize contact with the allergen and take an antihistamine (Diazolin, Suprastin).
Due to prolonged physical activity, swelling of the right hand often appears (in the case when the person is right-handed). To prevent such a situation, it is recommended to strictly observe the work and rest schedule.
The cause of swelling in the hands may be hidden in a bruised finger or hand, and pain and hematoma will also be present.
If the wounds have not been properly treated with an antiseptic, in the morning there will be swelling in the area and possibly an inflammatory process and suppuration.
To determine the exact reason why your hands swell, you should consult a doctor and undergo the necessary diagnostics.
Having addressed a specialist with problems of hand swelling, the patient will be sent for tests to diagnose the causes.
If you suspect that your thyroid gland is not functioning properly, you should consult an endocrinologist.
In case of enlarged lymph nodes and swelling of the arms, the therapist will refer you to an oncologist for examination; women will need to be examined by a mammologist.
You will also need to go through:
So, swelling appears in your hands, what should you do?
To eliminate swelling of the hands, use the following methods:
In any case, after relieving the primary symptoms on your own, be sure to consult a doctor!
If there is slight swelling of the hands, it is not necessary to resort to treatment with medications; there are many traditional medicine recipes that can relieve swelling. It is necessary to use one of the methods after the cause of swelling in the hands has been identified.
Unconventional methods and decoctions can effectively remove excess fluid from the body and normalize the general condition:
When there are signs of swelling in the hands, especially recurrent ones, it is important to identify the cause in order to choose the right treatment. If the condition worsens, consult a doctor immediately.
The answer to the question of why your hands swell may indicate serious health problems. Similar symptoms occur not only in older people, but also in relatively young people.
If such phenomena occur, then they may indicate a dysfunction of some organ.
You need to pay special attention to your health if swelling manifests itself differently on both hands: 1 hand is more swollen than the other.
Hands may swell and change in size in the following cases:
Most often, swelling of the hands occurs due to acute thrombosis, which occurs as a result of excessive physical effort. This applies to young men who are actively involved in sports and those whose profession involves physical labor.
Symptoms of acute thrombosis:
When physical activity is eliminated, these signs disappear and the disease becomes chronic. And then the symptoms make themselves felt after physical work is resumed. Pain and swelling will appear again.
Unilateral swelling of the arm can occur in an elderly person due to a tumor that compresses the subclavian vein.
Unlike acute thrombosis, in this case the arm does not hurt and does not swell as much. Swelling develops gradually.
Along with the subclavian vein, the innominate vein may also be compressed. Then part of the face and neck swells and turns blue.
A purulent disease on the skin of the hand can be complicated by inflammation involving the lymphatic vessels. Then the cause of edema becomes lymphangitis.
Other symptoms include fever, feeling unwell, noticeable swelling of the limb, redness and increased temperature in that part of the body.
The lymph nodes are enlarged and will be painful to palpate.
In women, the arm swells due to impaired lymphatic drainage, which occurs after surgery to remove the mammary gland.
Older women sometimes swell their arms and legs for no particular reason, especially in the hot season. Swelling of the arms occurs in the mornings, and swelling of the legs occurs in the evenings. Tests will show normal health. Sometimes such phenomena are associated with pregnancy or premenstrual syndrome.
Swelling of the upper extremities can be accompanied by swelling of the face, legs and become a consequence of pathologies associated with dysfunction of the cardiovascular, endocrine and kidney systems. Therefore, it is important to undergo an examination and take the necessary tests to choose the right treatment methods.
Swelling is caused by some medications.
There are general recommendations that will help avoid swelling of the upper extremities:
The appearance of swelling in the hands indicates some kind of malfunction in the body, perhaps even the development of cancer. If 1 arm swells up to the elbow, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The doctor will determine the cause of fluid retention and prescribe treatment.
Delaying a visit to a specialist is unacceptable, since the disease may progress, and if time is lost, more costs, including financial ones, may be required for recovery.
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Edema is a symptom of many diseases and appears against the background of impaired fluid metabolism in the body. There are certain pathological reasons why your hands swell, so if you are faced with this problem, you should not ignore it.
It is advisable to consult a doctor and undergo the necessary medical examinations to identify the exact reason why a person’s hands are swollen. Swelling can also be localized on other parts of the body (face, legs) or be generalized.
If swelling is a symptom of a disease, then, as a rule, a person notes the presence of other complaints about his health.
strictly not recommended to self-medicate edema of any location, as this can lead to serious complications.
The most common causes of hand swelling are the following pathological conditions:
Also, swelling in the hands may appear in the morning after sleep if the person consumed too much liquid the day before.
Errors in diet can cause your hands to swell, so it is important to limit the amount of salty, smoked and spicy foods in your diet.
If, in addition to pathology, you have other alarming symptoms, then you need to undergo a comprehensive examination by a doctor as soon as possible.
Vascular pathologies are very common among people of working age. If the left or right arm swells, then the development of thrombophlebitis or lymphangitis of the upper limb should be suspected.
Thrombophlebitis often occurs against the background of receiving injections and develops as a result of an infectious agent entering the vessel. The main manifestations of swelling of the hands are pain and swelling of the upper limb, especially along the inflamed vessel.
The risk increases in the presence of diseases of the blood coagulation system or pathological changes in the vascular endothelium.
With lymphadenitis, inflammation of the lymphatic vessels occurs , as a result of which the adequate outflow of lymph to the regional lymph nodes is disrupted. Because of this, the limb becomes swollen and normal tissue trophism is disrupted.
Therefore, if you notice swelling and pathological changes in one arm, then you need to visit a phlebologist or vascular surgeon.
In women, a violation of the outflow of lymph can occur due to the removal of the mammary gland (for example, swelling of the left arm after removal of the left mammary gland). Superior vena cava syndrome occurs when this vessel is compressed or blocked.
Due to a violation of adequate blood circulation, the patient develops swelling of the face, neck, and upper extremities. The skin becomes cyanotic and dilated superficial veins appear in the affected areas.
This pathological condition is very dangerous and requires timely diagnosis with subsequent treatment in a surgical hospital.
Trauma is another reason why edema of the upper limb may develop.
If your left arm is swollen after a blow or fall, then first of all you need to consult a surgeon or traumatologist to rule out a fracture.
With bruises , swelling is the most characteristic symptom; patients also complain of pain, discoloration of the skin, and the appearance of superficial or deep hematomas.
With proper treatment, swelling and other symptoms go away without a trace, but medications should only be prescribed by a doctor after a thorough examination of the injured limb.
Hands and fingers often swell due to the development of an allergic reaction.
Especially often, allergies arise from contact with chemicals used in everyday life (cleaning and detergents, powders, antiseptics).
An allergic reaction is also characterized by itching, burning, and the appearance of a rash on the skin. In women, hands swell due to hormonal imbalance in the body .
Complaints of swelling appear in the premenstrual period and occur in women before menopause. Swelling during pregnancy may be due to increased levels of the hormone progesterone.
However, women with complaints of pathology should be regularly monitored by a doctor , since swelling may indicate the development of gestosis.
Swelling of the hands may occur in patients with kidney or cardiovascular diseases.
As a rule, in patients with severe forms of the disease, swelling becomes generalized and spreads to the entire body.
In case of kidney pathologies, the complete and timely removal of excess fluid from the body is impaired, and in case of heart disease, swelling is one of the symptoms of progressive heart failure.
Treatment of edema of any etiology should first of all be aimed at eliminating the underlying disease and carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor.
Self-medication with diuretics disrupts water-salt metabolism and can lead to a deterioration in the patient’s condition.
Swelling of the hands can occur on both limbs or on one, right or left. The patient has difficulty moving his fingers, hands, wrists and above.
In any case, treatment is prescribed, including surgery.
Edema can occur due to many diseases. Swelling of the hands begins from the phalanges of the fingers and gradually “spreads” throughout the entire limb.
It can be on either the left or right hand, but most often on both.
What to do in such cases? Where to contact? Treatment is prescribed only by a medical specialist in order to relieve the edematous condition as soon as possible.
If excessive fluid accumulation occurs in the interstitial space, this condition is called “edema.” It can occur on both the limbs and the face.
Visually, swelling is easily determined.
Swelling leads to tissue tension, the size increases, painful sensations arise, and then hyperemia occurs, the usual skin color changes.
Swelling of the hands can occur on both limbs or on one, right or left. The patient has difficulty moving his fingers, hands, wrists and above. In any case, treatment is prescribed, including surgery.
From a physiological point of view, explaining why edema occurs, the following conditions and factors are indicated:
Before making a diagnosis, to find out why the patient’s hands are swollen, it is necessary to establish the reasons that led to the formation of the disease. All of them require a careful approach to determining the “triggering” mechanism.
A mechanical obstacle does not allow venous blood and lymph to move freely through the vessels. The veins are narrowed, the arteries still work, supplying the tissues with arterial blood, which accumulates between the fibers and tissues. Manifestations of thrombophlebitis are possible, which require urgent surgery.
The altered composition of the blood does not allow blood to move freely through the vessels. Fragility, fragility of the vascular system and then circulatory problems occur. As a rule, this is an increased content of albumin and electrolytic balance.
A number of diseases of the central and autonomic nervous system lead to swelling in the upper extremities due to paresis and paralysis, protrusions and hernias in the thoracic spine after strokes.
Caused by the fact that traumatic disorders lead to disruption of the inflow and outflow of blood, and edema forms. This swelling develops quickly, the tissues acquire a bluish tint.
Why is this happening? It is localized in the area that has been traumatically affected. For example, it may be after an animal or insect bite.
Surgery on the extremities, lymph nodes, prolonged anesthesia and position during surgery can lead to swelling of the wrist and hand.
With an inflammatory process in bone tissue, infections, there may be swelling only of the phalanges of the fingers, hands and wrists. Often these are the first symptoms of an incipient disease. It is necessary to identify why the disorders occur, what are the causes, and prescribe treatment for the inflammatory process.
The serious disease lymphedema leads to swelling of the hands due to a violation of the mechanism of lymph outflow through the lymphatic vessels.
Swelling on the right or left side is typical for problems such as: breast cancer, treatment by surgery, consequences of its removal.
Occurs against the background of impaired lymph flow and blood flow.
Excessive alcohol consumption, excessive stress on the upper limbs, or an uncomfortable position during sleep, swelling of the hands occurs due to blood stagnation.
A probable factor in the occurrence of swelling on both hands may also be an allergic component in detergents and cosmetic products. Swelling can also occur in hot weather due to poor fluid drainage.
Pregnancy can also lead to illness, but the cause should be sought in general metabolic disorders.
Treatment begins with diagnosis based on a visual examination of the patient, starting from the hands, wrist and ending with the shoulder joint. This will reveal why the fluid accumulation occurred.
It is better if this is done by a therapist or allergist. After the examination, he will prescribe general clinical blood and urine tests.
If necessary, he will send you for studies of allergen markers to remove allergic causes.
Having identified the causes of the disease, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment. In the most severe cases, when swelling is caused by a purulent process, up to sepsis, operations are performed.
If surgical treatment is not required, antibiotics, antihistamines and diuretics will be prescribed first.
They will allow the tissues to relieve excess osmotic pressure and increase blood flow.
Along with diuretics, potassium supplements are prescribed to help maintain balance in the body. Treatment and results appear already on the second day.
After them, the swelling begins to gradually disappear. The process of swelling begins from the fingertips to the wrist. If this is a consequence of injury or surgery, then the swelling lasts up to two to three weeks.
Processes after injuries recover more slowly.
Treatment of edema is not only about medications. It is mandatory to prescribe a special regimen and diet that will reduce the flow of fluid.
What to do to relieve swelling without resorting to medications? The best way is to significantly limit your fluid and salt intake. You need to drink as little as possible. Salt promotes fluid retention in the body.
Why can't you drink a lot? The answer is simple - excessive load. If you are thirsty, it is better to eat berries and fruits, which will quench your thirst.
Vegetables that are high in sodium and mineral salts, for example, cucumbers and tomatoes, are useful. It is advised to eat more celery, parsley, and if there are no allergies, then melons and watermelons are recommended.
Dairy products help relieve swelling: kefir, yogurt, dairy products.
In the evening, after dinner or before bed, you can make compresses on the hands, wrists, elbow joints from cabbage or burdock leaves, contrast baths that increase blood supply.
Following the advice of doctors, regardless of the cause, you can avoid this disease if you try to lead a lifestyle that will not provoke the occurrence of edema.