Foot Edema - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Of Foot Edema

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Swelling of the foot

Content:

• What is foot edema?
• Causes of foot swelling
• Symptoms of foot swelling
• Treatment of foot edema

What is foot edema?

Swelling of the foot is a symptom that manifests itself as 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 a reaction of the body to any external stimulus, or it can be chronic. In the latter case, the cause of the edema can be diseases of the internal organs or disturbances in the functioning of the body's systems.

Causes of foot swelling

In a healthy person, foot edema is usually episodic and goes away rather quickly. A common cause of foot swelling is overuse of the lower extremities. Usually, people who, due to their profession or circumstances, spend a lot of time on their feet, face such a problem. Also, swelling of the feet may 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 broken or dislocated. As the bone grows together, or when the ligaments take their normal position, the swelling goes away. But a bruise can also cause a rather serious swelling. If the swelling is accompanied by severe pain when walking, X-rays should be taken.

Separately, it is worth noting swelling of the feet due to a violation of 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 fluid than the body needs. 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 the force of gravity, descends into the lower limbs, causing them to increase significantly.

During pregnancy, swelling of the legs and feet occurs in almost all women. Often, the outflow of blood is disrupted due to an increase in the uterus - such edema usually goes away rather quickly. Also, a similar problem may be associated with a large intake of salty foods - this, as you know, is the weakness of pregnant women. But swelling of the feet can be especially acute in the second half of the term and be accompanied by headaches, cramps, and increased pressure. In this case, the woman will probably have to undergo hospital treatment, since doctors strongly advise pregnant women to take any medications on their own, the same applies to traditional medicine.

Often, swelling of the legs and feet is the result 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, and medicines containing male hormones (steroids);
• drugs prescribed for high blood pressure;
• medicines used to treat the adrenal glands;
• antidepressants.

Heart disease is a common cause of swollen feet. Such edema usually appears in the evening. The skin of the feet becomes blue, and the swelling can cover both the toes and the foot, and rise higher. It is easier for the heart to distribute blood at night, so the swelling subsides by morning. Also signs of heart problems are shortness of breath, high or low blood pressure, fatigue, chest pains.

Another cause of foot swelling 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, twisting varicose veins, pain, darkening of the skin. Causes edema and thrombophlebitis - the formation of blood clots in the lumen of the veins of the lower extremities.

Often, liver diseases and thyroid disorders lead to edema in the feet. In the first case, edema often occurs in severe liver pathologies, for example, cirrhosis. Concomitant symptoms: jaundice, itching, exhaustion, impaired brain function. 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;
• disturbed process of outflow of lymphatic fluid;
• acute respiratory infection;
• consequences of kidney disease;
• allergic arthritis;
• the onset of menstruation;
• obesity;
• the body's reaction to drinking alcohol;
• sleep disturbance;
• overwork;
• insect bites, snakes.

Symptoms of foot swelling

Swelling of the foot, as a rule, is not difficult to determine visually - the foot swells up, significantly increases in size. The toes become swollen. The color of the skin often changes - cyanosis appears.

Swelling of the foot is accompanied by a feeling of heaviness in the legs, discomfort, less often pain. There is a desire to stretch your legs or lie down in order to raise them above the body. Often, swelling can rise up to the ankles and cause pain when walking.

Treatment of foot edema

In the event that the cause of the swelling of the foot was a violation of the water balance in the body, the first thing to do is to exclude salt from the diet, or to reduce its amount as much as possible. It is advisable to drink water no more than one and a half to two liters a day, so as not to overload the kidneys and not prevent excess fluid from leaving the body.

Those who spend a lot of time on their feet or driving a car are advised to wear elastic stockings, as well as periodically stretch their legs, massage the feet, and use contrasting foot baths. Lifting the legs above body level while lying down will help drain excess fluid from the lower extremities. There are even special foot pillows that you need to use while sleeping.

If we are talking about heart failure, then, probably, the cardiologist will prescribe the use of diuretics, taking medications that normalize the work of the heart, a special diet and gymnastics, as well as the use of elastic bandages or stockings. In any case, cardiac edema of the legs and feet should be treated under the supervision of a specialist doctor, after having passed all the necessary tests.

Varicose veins and thrombophlebitis, even in the initial stages, are also treated with the participation of a doctor. It is possible to determine the degree of the disease, the cause and the dynamics of development, as well as to choose the appropriate means of treatment only after studies - ultrasound with Doppler or phlebography.

There are many products available in pharmacies to relieve swelling. But, in this case, it must be borne in mind that edema is, most often, a symptom, and ointments will not help get rid of the cause. If the swelling of the foot is caused by overwork, overexertion, or an excessive amount of fluid drunk, then gels that relieve swelling, for example, "Lyoton-gel", can help. Nevertheless, doctors strongly recommend not to treat even the slightest edema of the feet lightly, because they can signal a serious illness.

Author of the article: Lebedev Andrey Sergeevich | Urologist

Education: Diploma in the specialty "Andrology" received after completing residency at the Department of Endoscopic Urology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in the urological center of the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 of JSC Russian Railways (2007). Postgraduate studies were completed here by 2010.