Why Do The Legs Of Women And Men Swell? 8 Reasons For The Appearance Of Edema On The Legs

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

Why do the legs of women and men swell?

Content:

• 8 reasons for the appearance of edema on the legs
• Why do my legs swell in the evening?
• Why do my legs swell in summer?
• How to independently identify swelling in the legs?
• Treatment of leg edema at home

A huge number of people suffer from edema of the legs, which can appear as a result of the occurrence of various diseases, and with any mechanical impact. The swelling causes discomfort, a feeling of heaviness and even pain.

8 reasons for the appearance of edema on the legs

Limb injury

Sometimes severe swelling appears when a fall or injury to the lower limb. This situation requires the immediate participation of a medical professional who is able to make the correct diagnosis and provide first aid. If an injured person experiences severe pain even with a slight movement with a swollen leg, then he should not be transported on his own. Without wasting time, you need to call an ambulance and wait for the arrival of specialists. In this case, it will be possible to avoid unpleasant consequences, manifested in the form of hemorrhage or displacement of bone tissue.

If, in the event of a fall or injury, a person, despite the edema, continues to actively move a limb and can move independently, then a special cream or ointment can help him. When using modern decongestants, do not forget to read their instructions, in which the manufacturers indicate both the daily dosage and possible side effects.

Improper nutrition

Very often, the cause of swelling of the legs is an unbalanced diet, eating harmful foods, etc. Too salty food has a negative effect on many internal organs and systems, and interferes with the full water supply of the body. It is the violation of the water-salt balance in most cases that becomes the main cause of the appearance of edema on the legs. In this case, you need to revise your daily diet, try to eat lightly salted meals and control the amount of fluid you drink. At the same time, one should abandon fast and light carbohydrates, which are capable of retaining fluid in the body twice as much as salt.

Frequent alcohol consumption

It is very easy to identify a person who often drinks alcohol even among a large crowd of people. Even stylish clothes and trendy make-up cannot hide the traces of a "fun evening". In drinking citizens, puffiness appears both on the face and on the upper and lower extremities. This is due to the fact that alcohol has a negative effect on internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, etc. A poorly functioning liver is not able to cope with the toxins contained in alcoholic beverages. In this regard, the liquid begins to linger in the body, thereby causing edema.

Taking a course of treatment

In most cases, the passage of any course of treatment is accompanied by the intake of various medications. Some drugs, retaining in the body, interfere with the excretion of fluid. As a result, in parallel with the therapeutic effect, the drugs cause the appearance of puffiness. Very often, edema is observed in people preparing for or undergoing surgery. This is due to the fact that such patients are daily injected intravenously with a huge amount of liquid medicines (through droppers). The kidneys cannot cope with a large amount of fluid and patients develop severe edema. In this case, you can contact your doctor who will prescribe diuretics. As soon as the course of treatment comes to an end, the edema will begin to disappear on its own.

Overweight

Any degree of obesity can be accompanied by the appearance of edema on the legs. When exercising, overweight people regularly experience edema, especially when running for a long time or walking at a brisk pace. During such exercises, a heavy load is on the athlete's legs, which becomes the cause of the appearance of puffiness.

Usually, people who are overweight have health problems, in particular with the endocrine system. There is one very dangerous disease called diabetes mellitus, which is usually accompanied by swelling. During the progression of the disease, patients have a significantly increased blood sugar level, resulting in edema of the lower extremities.

Climatic conditions

High temperatures, usually observed in the summer season, often cause swelling of the legs. This is primarily due to the fact that during this period people lead a sedentary lifestyle, spending most of the day lying on the beach. At the same time, the amount of fluid consumed increases, with which vacationers try to quench their thirst. A sharp change in climatic conditions can also cause edema on the legs. For example, in the winter season, people go to exotic countries on vacation. Acclimatization is very difficult for many citizens, which can manifest itself in the form of fever, chills, fever, edema, etc.

Advanced age

With the advent of old age, the human body begins to malfunction. During active youth, people pay little to their health, considering it eternal. Bad habits, difficult working conditions, constant lack of sleep have their negative impact. Elderly people develop various diseases associated with the heart, blood vessels, etc. The body is no longer able to fully cope with the tasks, as a result of which the fluid begins to linger, causing edema. The reason for the appearance of edema in older people can also be a sedentary lifestyle, since not every pensioner does exercises every day and takes long walks.

Various diseases

Diseases that cause swelling of the legs include:

Heart diseases

In most cases, heart failure is accompanied by severe swelling of the lower extremities. Patients are required to be prescribed diuretic drugs. When taking a history of the disease, doctors observe the presence of symmetrical edema on both legs.

Various factors can cause their appearance:

• Long stay in an upright position;
• Taking medications;
• Any physical activity, etc.

When diagnosing heart disease, doctors pay great attention to edema. They check their density, periodicity, etc. The emerging puffiness on the legs, accompanied by shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat, should prompt a person to an urgent visit to a cardiologist.

Kidney disease

Many patients of the urology department regularly experience leg edema, as their kidneys cannot work in a normal rhythm and cannot cope with the volume of fluid consumed. In this category of patients, edema manifests itself not only in the evening, but also in the first half of the day. Excess fluid accumulates not only in the lower limbs, but also in the bags under the eyes.

The causes of kidney disease can be commonplace infections, as well as an overabundance of drugs in the body (usually after long-term surgical treatment). Patients who have serious kidney problems may experience large edema, which is the main indicator for urgent hospitalization.

Diseases of the joints

Edema of the lower extremities sometimes indicates the presence of various joint diseases. Many diseases are accompanied by severe changes in the articular tissue, resulting in the accumulation of large amounts of fluid.

Having found edema on the leg, the patient should immediately contact his attending physician so as not to exclude the development of side effects that can affect the further functionality of the musculoskeletal system. In such cases, treatment takes a fairly long period of time and involves the patient taking, in addition to analgesics, other medicines that have anti-inflammatory effects.

Allergic reaction

Sometimes the cause of the appearance of edema on the lower extremities can be an allergy: food, medication, flower, etc. All symptoms of this disease, including puffiness, completely disappear when taking antihistamines. Knowing about their predisposition, patients should avoid direct contact with any allergens so as not to provoke an attack.

Vascular disease

Any problems with the vessels are accompanied by swelling in the lower extremities, while in many patients its uneven manifestation is observed. With vascular diseases, patients complain of the regular frequency of edema: they appear after lunch and disappear by the morning.

One of the main reasons for the appearance of edema on the legs can be impaired blood circulation or varicose veins. This disease in most cases affects the female half of the population. The cause of stagnation of blood in the vessels is the loss of their walls of elasticity. In the early stages of the disease, a venous network appears, nodes and edema appear.

The causes of circulatory problems include:

• Sedentary lifestyle;
• Regular physical activity, sometimes excessive;
• Too high blood clotting rates;
• Poor condition of blood vessels, veins and arteries, etc.

Such patients will have long-term treatment, which is usually carried out in several directions. The main task of the attending physician is to strengthen the walls of the veins and blood vessels. For this, medications are prescribed that can tone them. Patients are also prescribed drugs that can improve blood quality. Modern anticoagulants thin the blood to the desired consistency in record time. In parallel with drug treatment, patients should wear special compression underwear that can provide the necessary support to the vessels and veins.

Constant edema accompanies such a serious illness as thrombosis. Its characteristic symptoms include:

• The appearance of heaviness in the lower limbs;
• The appearance of puffiness in the legs;
• The appearance of a feeling of heaviness;
• There is stagnation of blood in the veins;
• The sensitivity of the skin in places where excess fluid accumulates, etc. is lost.

Similar signs of the disease are present with thrombophlebitis. At the same time, it is worth noting the appearance of inflammation of the walls of the veins, as a result of which their deformation occurs. The cause of the development of this disease is infections, mechanical damage to blood vessels, blood transfusions, etc.

A survey of patients shows that with thrombophlebitis, swelling of the lower extremities appears already at the first stage of this disease. Very often, swelling is accompanied by painful sensations that arise against a background of heaviness and fatigue.

In order to get a positive effect from the treatment of this disease, the attending physician first of all prescribes anti-inflammatory drugs. With severe swelling, diuretics may be prescribed, which can very quickly remove excess fluid from the body. In parallel, patients who are diagnosed with thrombophlebitis are prescribed anticoagulants, thanks to which it is possible to improve the quality of blood.

On the subject: What to do if your legs are swollen?

Why do my legs swell in the evening?

Some people often experience problems caused by edema that appears in the evening.

The root cause of such swelling can be:

• Long-term stay on your feet;
• Wearing high-heeled shoes;
• Wearing shoes that are too tight;
• Too active physical activity;
• Sedentary work (usually office workers get swelling in the evening);
• Stagnation of lymph and blood occurs in the vessels of the legs;
• Drinking fluids in excess of the daily norm;
• Alcohol consumption;
• Various diseases of internal organs and life support systems of the body;
• Congenital malformations of the feet (flat feet);
• Long-term stay on a protein diet;
• Pregnancy and lactation;
• Obesity of any degree;
• Congenital tendency to edema, etc.

If edema is detected in the evening, you first need to take a cool shower, after which a relaxing massage will not interfere. You can use special creams and gels to help eliminate puffiness on the legs. Before using them, you should consult a specialist, since some drugs contain medicinal components that cause a number of side effects. You can also wear special stockings or knee-highs that tightly fix your legs and prevent liquid from accumulating in their lower part.

To avoid the appearance of edema after a busy day at work, you should:

• choose a comfortable position in the chair;
• take frequent breaks and, whenever possible, get up from the table and move;
• while at the workplace, you need to change your shoes into comfortable shoes that do not have heels and do not squeeze your legs;
• if it becomes necessary to visit another department, try to abandon the elevator in favor of a flight of stairs;
• during lunch, you should give up unhealthy fast food, giving preference to vegetables and fruits, etc.

Why do my legs swell in summer?

The onset of summer is awaiting millions of people around the world. Most citizens spend this period of time on vacation, choosing for themselves either a quiet pastime on the beach, or making active travels to unknown places. Unfortunately, the vacation of some vacationers may be overshadowed by the appearance of edema, which can cancel all plans.

In most cases, in the summer, edema appears in the afternoon. With the onset of dusk, the puffiness becomes visible even with the naked eye. Together with it, there are problems associated with the choice of shoes, since the feet may not fit into the usual slippers.

With the arrival of summer, the human body begins to work at an accelerated pace, as it is exposed to great stress associated with high temperature conditions, as well as an increase in the amount of fluid consumed. During this time, the vital systems of the body must ensure that the body does not overheat, as it will begin to produce sweat in large volumes. During sweating, water, which is necessary for the normal functioning of cells, begins to evaporate. For all these processes, the cardiovascular system is "responsible", which, under too much load, may not cope with its duties. As a result, people begin to experience discomfort from the appearance of edema on the legs and other parts of the body.

Regardless of what time of the year edema on the legs was detected, their appearance must be taken with full responsibility. The regularly appearing edema, which disappears for a very long time, should cause great alertness. In such cases, do not hesitate and urgently make an appointment with your local therapist, who will determine a further plan of action.

How to independently identify swelling in the legs?

Each person can independently identify the first signs of edema. To do this, you need to carefully examine your feet when you find the following signs:

• Shoes became difficult to put on and take off;
• While walking, there is discomfort, unpleasant, and sometimes painful sensations;
• The veins in the legs became difficult to see;
• Towards evening, heaviness in the legs is felt;
• When you press on the swelling, a clear dent remains, etc.

If you find any of these signs, you should immediately contact a medical institution, since swelling can be the result of a serious illness. If during the medical examination the specialists did not reveal any pathologies, then you can resort to folk methods of dealing with puffiness.

Treatment of leg edema at home

Sometimes the cause of the appearance of edema on the legs is not a disease at all, but various external factors.

In this case, people can very quickly provide themselves with first aid and get rid of puffiness:

• Significantly reduce the amount of fluid consumed (while taking into account the daily rate). If edema is formed in the summer, then you need to drink only clean water in small sips;
• Massage your feet regularly;
• Lying on the sofa, you need to slightly raise your legs and fix them in this position for a while (you can put a pillow or a rolled blanket under your legs);
• Try to limit the amount of salt in your daily diet (salt strongly retains fluid in the body).

In some cases, folk remedies can also help, which can relieve swelling on the legs, but not eliminate the cause of their occurrence:

• Wet a towel with cold water and apply to areas where swelling is observed. You can put pieces of ice inside the towel, thanks to which the towel will maintain the desired temperature for a longer time;
• Grate raw potatoes on a fine grater. Make a compress from the resulting mixture and apply it to the problem area for an hour (having laid out the gruel first on a piece of cloth or gauze). This procedure should be repeated several times a day until the edema disappears completely;
• Instead of ordinary teas, brew herbs that cause a diuretic effect, etc.

To prevent the appearance of edema on the legs, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures:

• Take long walks in the fresh air (preferably in a park area or in a coniferous forest);
• Play sports regularly;
• Purchase comfortable shoes;
• Regulate the amount of fluid you drink;
• Try to eat not very salty food;
• Refuse completely (or significantly limit) alcohol and tobacco products;
• Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, etc.

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.