Edema is a common pathology of the 21st century, which occurs more often in women than in men. It is an indicator of excess fluid accumulated in the patient’s body. Swelling can appear anywhere on the body, but the most common is on the feet.
Why do women's feet swell?
Very often, the cause of swelling of the feet of the lower extremities in women is serious illness. It could also be a simple overstrain of the feet. Therefore, you simply need to consult a specialist to find out the true causes of the disease.
The main thing is to learn to independently diagnose swelling in the legs and distinguish them from hardening of the lower extremities. It is also necessary to note: how often they occur, from what and for what period of time they last.
Diagnosing swollen feet is as simple as pressing down on your foot with your index finger for a few seconds and then releasing.
Further, if after a minute after pressing there is a small depression left on the foot, this is indeed swelling. In this way, you can check at home whether you have swelling and measure its duration.
Doctors identify the main causes of edema in women, which appear quite often:
If you notice swelling on your feet, which is accompanied by pain, the area of swelling increases, and it lasts for a long time, immediately consult a doctor to identify and eliminate the causes of the disease and prescribe the correct therapy.
If your leg swelling is not a symptom of a serious illness, then doctors often prescribe diuretics that remove excess fluid from the body.
If you are not a supporter of drug treatment, then use traditional methods of treatment carried out independently at home. In the fight against excess fluid, herbal decoctions, infusions of lingonberries and cranberries, watermelon, etc. will help you. You should also limit the use of table salt and hot seasonings, as they contribute to fluid retention in the body.
The resulting solution is brought to a volume of 3 liters by adding warm water and the foot treatment procedure is carried out.
The feet are immersed in the healing solution for a quarter of an hour, and a light foot massage can also be done. Treatment is indicated 2-3 times throughout the day, herbal baths before bed are especially effective;
Why is it necessary to do exercises for prevention purposes?
Daily exercises done at home will help women prevent the development of edema:
Remember! By eliminating the cause of the disease, you will get rid of the disease.
Be sure to consult a doctor who will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe comprehensive treatment, and then women’s legs will be healthy.
Very often, when we come home and take off our shoes, we notice swelling of the feet. We will look at the reasons for this phenomenon in this article. Usually we explain it to ourselves simply - ordinary fatigue, especially since in the morning there was no trace of it. However, if such cases occur constantly, then it’s time to ask the question: “Why do my feet swell?” This is exactly what we will talk about in this article.
Household causes of edema
Medical causes of edema
Unfortunately, swelling of the feet may also have a medical cause. Swelling of the extremities may be due to:
If your feet swell, there can be a variety of reasons. As mentioned earlier, they can be associated either with disorders of the body, or with lifestyle and habits. You should pay attention to swelling if:
Self-medication is not recommended in such situations. The most reasonable and correct decision would be to consult a doctor who will help you identify the cause of the swelling and help eliminate it.
If swelling of the feet, the causes of which we discussed earlier, occurred due to wearing high heels, then you should reconsider your attitude towards them and make a choice in favor of comfortable shoes. If your job requires you to spend most of your working time in a sitting position, find a way to periodically stretch your legs (for example, you can go for a walk during your lunch break). And in the evening, after work, use special creams and lotions that will help relax your legs and return them to their former tone.
A rather terrible and unpleasant, and sometimes painful, phenomenon is a plantar wart. But this is not a reason for disappointment if such a skin defect has been identified. Currently, there are a huge number of good and accessible methods that will help you get rid of this problem without pain or consequences. The main thing is to start acting without delay.
The disease will bring a lot of pain to a person over time, so you need to fight it right away, without putting the problem “on the shelf.” Since pain will cause difficulty in gait, and this will lead to curvature of the spine.
If you know the reasons for its occurrence, a wart on the foot will no longer disturb you with its presence in the future. And the fight will be productive, since the primary source should be eliminated, and not the external symptoms.
The papilloma virus is the main cause of warts. A person can become infected with it through contact with an infected person through personal belongings and household items of the infected person. At the moment, a large number of people are carriers of the virus. However, due to strong immunity, HPV does not manifest itself.
There are a number of reasons that can give rise to the onset of the disease, namely:
Important : when visiting places with high humidity, such as a swimming pool, sauna, a person must take care of protecting his body. Wearing personal shoes in these areas can prevent infection. When you get home , your shoes should be treated with regular laundry soap.
Quite often the growths look like a callus. But if you look closely, you can visually distinguish a neoplasm from a callus using the following parameters.
Important : if you have any doubts about the origin of a wart on the feet that you want to treat at home, it is better to consult a specialist. He will be able to conduct a visual examination and make the correct diagnosis. You should not self-medicate when the true cause .
A wart on the foot will cause unbearable pain when walking. Gradually, this tumor will begin to increase in size. Then new warts will begin to appear along the entire perimeter of the leg. They can merge with each other, forming huge conglomerates. Subsequently, the person will not be able to stand on the affected leg at all.
From an aesthetic point of view, warts on the legs look very unpleasant; in addition, the resulting disgusting smell is disturbing. Even regular foot washing will not help the situation.
Modern medicine can offer several effective treatment methods, namely:
It is used in the initial stage of the appearance of warts on the feet. It helps exfoliate all the dead skin cells through its catalytic agent. Essentially, it is a strong . These are salicylic or trichloroacetic acid. They can be found at any pharmacy without a prescription.
It is worth noting that a wart on the foot, which is treated with keratolysis, may not always go away. And in most cases, the effectiveness of the method is 15 out of 100 percent.
Attention : a wart on the sole of the foot, the treatment of which is prescribed by a doctor, will go away quickly and forever if medications for external and internal consumption are selected in a comprehensive manner .
It is effective only if the lump has appeared relatively recently and has not had time to cause deep lesions. If the plantar wart has taken deep roots, then this method is not recommended, since it will not be effective. After the manipulation, scars remain on the body .
Thanks to this technology, a person will forever forget about the trouble of a wart. The procedure involves removing the lesion with liquid nitrogen, that is, freezing it. The operation itself is painful, but lasts about a minute, and after treatment a small blister will appear.
Important : if a person suffering from a plantar wart turns to an inexperienced specialist, he can expect a relapse. You should choose an institution that has numerous positive reviews. And the doctors have a lot of experience.
Today, the laser method has become more accessible. Compared to liquid nitrogen, the depth of exposure is better controlled. And the most important thing is that the procedure is painless and the recovery period is minimal.
Most dermatologists are inclined to believe that laser removal of plantar warts is one of the most effective and efficient methods. And the main thing is the absence of relapses and scars. And the removed tissues can be sent for research if there are doubts about the causes of the disease.
In this way, you can easily remove a plantar wart. This manipulation, in addition to removing the growth, will help cauterize the vessels to prevent the spread of the virus and prevent bleeding .
The disadvantage of this operation is its accessibility. Since the procedure is high-tech, it can only be used in private clinics. However, the radio wave method is very effective and does not leave scars on the skin.
Today, few people resort to the services of surgeons. Because the method is outdated. But sometimes there are cases when the wart has reached a large size, and removing it does not seem to be a gentle option .
Danger : each method described above is individual for a person. It is selected based on tests and external examination by a dermatologist.
In addition to surgical intervention, it is worth taking antiviral drugs to completely defeat papilloma. The doctor will prescribe medications after determining the types of warts. A plantar wart, which must be treated comprehensively, will recede in a couple of weeks .
Important : before you begin removing a wart at home, you must go to the clinic for a consultation. Since every medicine contains “aggressive components,” they can burn healthy tissue and not solve the problem.
What you need to know about using medications:
Pharmaceutical preparations can be in the form of solutions and creams based on salicylic acid. They have cauterizing properties and destroy the wart. Medicines should be applied directly to the wart. In this case, healthy edges of the skin should be covered to avoid burns. The drugs are applied twice a day. This method is used for up to four weeks until the wart is completely removed .
Danger : do not comb or touch the growth with your hands, as the virus may end up under the nail. And then move on to other parts of the body. This is how genital warts and other types of diseases appear.
Kolomak - ointment for warts on the foot. It is used in the same way as solutions. It is worth noting that this ointment can cause burns to healthy skin, so the precautions are similar to those described above .
The Lapis Pencil remedy for plantar warts has proven itself very well It contains silver nitrite, which confidently copes with growths. Before use, the wart pencil is dipped in water, then the growth is treated. This procedure should be performed 2 times a day for three weeks . As a rule, by the end of the course the wart disappears.
Important : the drugs described above are effective only if used correctly. The course may not always be short. Therefore, each person must make a thoughtful decision: whether he can pay attention to long and complex treatment at home .
An effective remedy for plantar warts of the foot is the Salipod patch. The main component that fights the disease is salicylic acid. To achieve a positive result, the foot is steamed well. Then the dead layer of skin is removed, and a piece of the patch is cut out to fit the size of the spot.
This piece is glued onto it and fixed on top with a regular plaster. After three days, the patch should be removed, then the white layers of the defect should be removed. After this procedure, the growth site is treated with “oxolicinic” acid three times a day for a week. Next, it is determined that if the tumor cannot be completely removed , the patch is reapplied.
Dangerous : before you start treatment with traditional methods, you should know that they are not always effective. In any case, the person himself makes the decision, but one must always remember the consequences.
Treatment at home can be lengthy and requires patience. But the advantage of this method is that it is accessible, since every housewife will always have available means in the kitchen or in the garden.
Cut off the onion feather and soak it in vinegar for a day. Next, apply it to the affected area, wrap it with a bandage and leave it overnight. You need to duplicate this procedure until the growth completely disappears .
This remedy for warts is recommended by many older people.
The procedure is repeated for up to 8 days. Usually this time is enough to get rid of the disease.
This is a very simple and easy method, since the growth disappears within a day.
The recipe is simple and effective. And the most important thing is the result . One or two sessions are enough to forget about your problems forever.
Celandine juice contains ascorbic acid, which is the first enemy for growths. The most useful juice of the plant occurs during the flowering of the bush in the summer. To make a viral wart disappear, you need to squeeze the juice out of the plant and anoint it. Perform this manipulation three times a day.
Interesting : the ointment retains the beneficial properties of celandine until next year .
It is impossible to foresee all the troubles in the world, but some diseases can be prevented. And in order not to have to think about how to treat tumors in the future, you need to follow simple rules.
A wart is a benign growth. The treatment method must be taken very seriously. The main thing is to get advice from a specialist. Only a doctor, through a visual examination, will be able to determine the extent of the damage and give his recommendations for treatment. And lastly, delay is like death !
Many people are familiar with the feeling of heaviness and swelling of the legs. Typically, swelling appears in the evening and disappears by morning, which is why people rarely attach special importance to it. If such symptoms occur periodically, it is worth thinking about the reasons; perhaps the body is trying to warn about the presence of problems.
Fluid in the body is found in cells and in the intercellular space. Normally, the moisture balance is maintained by small capillaries that take up excess and transport it into the venous bed. Swelling and heaviness in the legs occur if excess fluid begins to accumulate in the intercellular space and cells. The proper functioning of blood vessels is influenced by: the degree of permeability of the walls, the sodium and protein content in the body, and blood pressure.
Factors leading to swelling of the legs:
Unfortunately, getting rid of swelling can be difficult. Often the occurrence of swelling and heaviness in the legs indicates the development of diseases:
To find out the exact cause, you need to undergo a full professional examination.
Perhaps, most often, edema is formed due to disruption of venous blood flow. Symptoms indicate vein disease:
The key reasons for the development of varicose veins are increased venous pressure and impaired blood outflow. Manifestations are accompanied by the formation of edema, the appearance of a feeling of heaviness and pain in the lower extremities.
Varicose veins, like other diseases, can develop for various reasons. Main:
The outflow of blood is disrupted in diseases of the kidneys, heart, blood vessels and chronic constipation. The environment, stress and poor nutrition have a significant impact on the development of varicose veins. The listed factors become both direct and indirect causes of impaired elasticity of venous vessels and, as a consequence, the formation of blood clots.
At the very beginning of varicose veins, heaviness in the legs, swelling, and pain occur. With competent and timely treatment, these symptoms can be quickly eliminated. But to prevent the disease from affecting the blood vessels again, prevention is required.
In case of severe damage to the veins, treatment is possible only surgically. During the operation, the affected areas of the vessels that pose the greatest danger to the body are removed. Now there is a more gentle way to treat varicose veins - sclerotherapy. The essence of the procedure is to administer a special composition into the vessels using a syringe, clogging the damaged vessels.
To avoid discomfort in the legs, swelling, and venous diseases for as long as possible, you should adhere to the following tips:
Treatment of any disease, including swelling and heaviness in the legs, should depend on the cause. First of all, a consultation and examination by a doctor is necessary. If the disease is purely physiological in nature, you can get rid of it by normalizing your lifestyle.
If the cause of the disease is more serious, a comprehensive diagnosis and competent, timely treatment are required. And the most important thing is prevention. If you monitor your well-being and follow the recommendations, swelling and discomfort in your legs will never bother you.
Foot edema is a symptom that manifests itself in the form of enlargement and swelling of the foot, caused by the accumulation of fluid in the soft tissues. Usually this condition is accompanied by unpleasant sensations, and not only in the limbs.
Edema can occur sporadically and be the body’s reaction to some external irritant, or it can be chronic. In the latter case, the cause of edema may be diseases of internal organs or disturbances in the functioning of body systems.
In a healthy person, swelling of the foot, as a rule, is episodic and goes away quite quickly. A common cause of foot swelling is overuse of the lower extremities. Typically, this problem is faced by people who, due to profession or circumstances, spend a lot of time on their feet. Also, swelling of the feet can appear in those people who lead a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle.
A common cause of foot swelling is injury. The greatest swelling occurs when the bones of the foot are fractured or dislocated. As the bone heals, or when the ligaments return to their normal position, the swelling goes away. But a bruise can also cause quite serious swelling. If swelling is accompanied by acute pain when walking, an x-ray should be performed.
Separately, it is worth noting swelling of the feet due to a violation of the diet or water regime. This is faced by people who eat large amounts of salt and, as a result, cannot quench their thirst for a long time by drinking more liquid than the body requires. Also, a person is prone to drinking a large amount of liquid in the heat, and it does not have time to leave the body along with sweat and urine. Thus, the fluid, according to gravity, descends into the lower limbs, causing them to significantly increase.
During pregnancy, swelling of the legs and feet occurs in almost all women. The outflow of blood is often disrupted due to an enlarged uterus - such swelling usually goes away quite quickly. Also, a similar problem may be associated with a large consumption of salty foods - this is known to be a weakness for pregnant women. But swelling of the feet can become especially acute in the second half of the term and is accompanied by headaches, cramps, and increased blood pressure. In this case, the woman will probably have to undergo treatment in a hospital, since doctors strongly do not recommend that pregnant women take any medications on their own, and the same applies to traditional medicine.
Often, swelling of the legs and feet is a consequence of taking medications or stimulants, especially if a person has an individual intolerance to their components.
The following groups of drugs can cause swelling of the feet:
hormonal oral contraceptives, which women take to prevent pregnancy, as well as medications containing male hormones (steroids);
medications that are used in the treatment of adrenal glands;
Heart disease is often the cause of swollen feet. Such swelling usually appears in the evening. The skin of the legs takes on a blue tint, and the swelling may extend to the toes and feet, and may rise higher. At night, it is easier for the heart to distribute blood, so by morning the swelling subsides. Other signs of heart problems include shortness of breath, high or low blood pressure, fatigue, and chest pain.
Another cause of swelling of the feet is varicose veins. And swelling in this case is a warning signal. Varicose veins of the lower extremities can be identified by a feeling of heaviness or fatigue in the legs, tortuous dilated veins, pain, and darkening of areas of the skin. Causes swelling and thrombophlebitis - the formation of blood clots in the lumens of the veins of the lower extremities.
Often, liver diseases and disorders of the thyroid gland lead to swelling in the feet. In the first case, edema more often occurs in severe liver pathologies, for example, cirrhosis. Associated symptoms: jaundice, itchy skin, exhaustion, brain dysfunction. With diseases of the thyroid gland, body weight usually increases, facial features change, the tongue swells, constipation, drowsiness, and lethargy appear.
Other causes of foot swelling:
infectious and inflammatory processes in bones, joints, tissues;
impaired process of outflow of lymphatic fluid;
Swelling of the legs in the elderly is a signal indicating that it is necessary to begin treatment. They cause discomfort and pain and disrupt the usual way of life.
Aging is a natural state of the body in which problems arise with metabolism, maintaining homeostasis and the functioning of internal organs. All this can cause swelling of the legs in the elderly. Swelling may be accompanied by pain, itching and ulcers. It is necessary to pay special attention to this problem in the initial stage, since swelling is a signal indicating that there is a problem in the body and it is time to start treatment. These problems can arise from the functioning of individual internal organs and systems, or from the body as a whole.
In older people, edema can occur periodically or constantly, causing painful feelings of fullness, inconvenience, and discomfort. It is difficult to find comfortable shoes, a position for the foot that will somehow alleviate the discomfort. Pain, malaise, physical and psychological fatigue are the companions of the edematous state. The swelling may be located around the ankle, extending only to the toes and sole. In bedridden patients, swelling spreads from the lower back to the foot, growing gradually. In the patient it appears due to immobility, pulmonary edema, and heart failure.
Swelling of the legs can occur on one leg and sometimes occur on the other leg as well. Depending on the reasons that caused the disease, the initial diagnosis can be differentiated. Treatment directly depends on the source of the disease. There are two forms: acute edema and chronic. The reasons are different, so it is important to determine which factor led to the occurrence of violations.
If only one leg is involved in the process of edema, then this is most often a consequence of venous insufficiency. Only a doctor can decide why such swelling occurs. Venous thrombosis, traumatic injuries, an inflammatory and infectious process in the skin or lymph nodes, and joint diseases often occur, causing pain and immobility.
If an elderly person has swelling in both limbs, this indicates a worsening of cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Initially, they could have been triggered by the volume of active movements. Especially in summer, there is a “surge” of elderly people seeking medical help. There is more movement, and patients may be bothered by swelling. The cause and treatment should always be determined by a medical specialist, and a preventive examination for any swelling should be done once every six months.
Occurs due to rapid disruption of venous outflow or hemodynamic disturbances. The patient experiences pain, accompanied by visually detectable swelling and a feeling of fullness. Treatment is often surgical.
This condition occurs after long trips, flights, bed rest, and sometimes against the background of immobilization of the lower limb. As a result of blood stagnation, blood clots form in the legs, which interfere with the flow of blood back to the heart. Increasing pain often occurs, swelling appears in the foot and ankle. Skin color changes and swelling interferes with movement. The limb is cold to the touch and touching the muscles is painful.
In case of injury, there is only one reason - an acute condition due to rupture of muscles, ligaments, and small vessels. Acute pain, changes in skin color, and increasing volume of skin indicate injury.
Chronic swelling begins against the background of diseases that are accompanied by excessive accumulation of fluid in the body and disruption of the dynamics of outflow.
Occurs as a result of chronic circulatory failure due to thrombosis. Pain occurs after exertion or carrying heavy objects. If it is noticed that the swelling has become greater than before, then urgent medical attention is needed. After Doppler sonography, treatment is prescribed by a phlebologist or surgeon.
With this disease, swelling and pain occur in the foot, gradually rising up to the thigh. Cardiac diagnostics must be done, because the disease is directly related to the functioning of the heart. Based on the results of the study, treatment is prescribed by a cardiologist.
Sleep apnea, chronic lung disease, heart failure when the right ventricle is working lead to swelling. Diagnosed using echocardiography data. Often the treatment is carried out by a therapist.
Renal failure leads to impaired blood flow (nephritic) and results in a clear imbalance of protein and oncotic pressure (nephrosis). Treatment in this case is carried out by a urologist or nephrologist.
Edema is formed due to a violation of homeostasis, albumin and globulins in liver cells. Internal portal hypertension syndrome may also be a cause. Treatment is prescribed by a hepatologist. Before this, it is useful to do general examinations.
Excess weight in older people can serve as an additional burden on the circulatory system. Treatment in this case is complex, but first of all, consultation with an endocrinologist is necessary.
Every year there are more and more drugs, but there are no fewer elderly sick people. Taking certain medications may contribute to swelling.
In a patient with swelling of the lower extremities, the first thing that occurs is pastosity. It is expressed in a slight increase in tissue, looseness and softness to the touch are noted. Determination of pastiness is carried out using the McClure-Odich test. The saline solution is injected subcutaneously, after which swelling occurs after a while. This is how the rate of fluid resorption is measured and with severe swelling it will be high.
In addition to visual inspection, it is enough to press your finger on the swelling. A trace remains. This means that the hole is larger; patients are clearly bothered by deep swelling, which may not cause pain.
To determine the characteristics of lymphedema, the Kaposi-Stemmer test is used. If the result is positive, when grasping the skin of the back of the foot in the area of the second phalanx, it is not possible to form a fold.
Additional means of diagnosing the patient are data from clinical studies of blood, urine, phlebography, ultrasound of the vessels of the lower extremities and abdominal organs of an elderly person.
Treatment of edema in older people largely depends on the diagnosis, which leads to disturbances in trophism and homeostasis. If you regularly take standard decongestant diuretics, they will initially remove the fluid accumulated in the tissues and reduce pain. Medicinal herbs that have a diuretic effect are effective.
Placing the legs above the head helps relieve swelling. To do this, just lie quietly for a while and put a pillow under your ankles, which will relieve pain. A contrast shower has a cooling and analgesic effect, after which the patient’s burning sensation will disappear and blood circulation will increase. Experts recommend doing daily physical exercise to avoid stagnation and as a prevention of thrombosis. It is important to remember that elderly patients require careful care and special attention, since the causes of many diseases are interrelated.
How to relieve swelling in the legs. Folk remedies for swelling of the legs.
In this article, we will tell you what to do if you have swelling of the legs, consider folk remedies that relieve swelling of the legs, and tell you recipes for baths to relieve fatigue and swelling of the legs. Unfortunately, with the arrival of heat, the body begins to accumulate water - and as a result, it begins to swell and gain weight, but this can be avoided if you follow folk recipes and take baths that relieve swelling and fatigue in the legs.
To reduce swelling of the legs, phlebologist surgeons recommend:
• Do not constantly wear shoes with heels higher than 5-6 cm.
• At the end of every hour, try to raise your legs up for 15 minutes. Of course, few people can afford this, but it is really very useful.
• You can step from toe to heel and back several times in a row, stretching the muscles of your lower leg.
• It is very useful for swelling of the legs to engage in water sports, primarily water aerobics: on the one hand, a person moves a lot, getting good physical activity, on the other hand, water puts pressure on the skin, preventing the blood vessels from expanding and the legs from swelling. Swimming is very useful, especially in sea water.
• All dynamic sports have a good effect - running, skiing, cycling, skating and even simple walking.
And to relieve swelling and pain in your feet at the end of the day, do foot baths every evening. And here are the folk recipes for foot baths:
Oak and willow bark bath
Pour two tablespoons of oak bark and one tablespoon of willow bark into 1.5 liters of water and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Then strain the finished broth and soak your feet in it for 15-20 minutes. This bath should be done daily after washing your feet.
Pour four tablespoons of crushed horsetail leaves into 1 liter of boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes. Then strain the broth, pour it into a bowl and dilute with another liter of water. Take a bath for 20 minutes.
Pour half a glass of chopped herbs into 1 liter of boiling water and let it brew under the lid for 5-7 minutes. Soak your feet in the strained broth for 15-20 minutes.
Pour three tablespoons of dried herb mixture into 1 liter of boiling water and let it brew a little. Then strain the infusion and soak your feet in it for about 15 minutes. Use this bath every day after washing your feet for a month.
Warm water – 1 glass
Essential oil – drop on a piece of salt and dissolve in water
Take a foot bath for swelling and fatigue for 20 minutes.
Olive oil (cold pressed) - 0.5 cups - heat in a water bath.
Take a foot bath for swelling and fatigue for 15 minutes.
Essential oil – 3-5 drops
Take a foot bath for swelling and fatigue for 20 minutes.
Lavender oil – 5 drops
Take a foot bath for swelling and fatigue for 15 minutes.
Sea salt – 1 tablespoon
Shower gel or liquid soap
Dissolve the gel in water, mix with salt.
Foot bath with chamomile and lemon balm
1 tablespoon chamomile
Pour 2 tablespoons of chopped lemon balm into 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 5 minutes.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of sea salt in 1 liter of water at room temperature, add the strained herbal decoction
Take a foot bath for swelling and fatigue for 25-30 minutes. Then rinse your feet with cool water and dry them with a towel.