Is this Edema or normal?

[Klaxton]

So, for the past year at least I notice when I take off my socks I have an indentation around where the elastic of the socks fit around the leg. It's not a normal indentation, it's a visible dent that can be seen at an angle. It takes about an hour to go back to normal. My socks usually sit just above my ankle.

I first noticed this when I was doing a job where I was on my feet all day. These days, and infact most of my life, I sit at a desk for 12 hours a day. And the days I am working I notice it even more. Or if I go and play snooker for 4-5 hours I notice it when I get home.

It also seems to happen worse when I drink alcohol.

But, when I take my sock off I can not see any swelling. I push my finger into the parts of my leg and the skin doesn't even dent. I've read that edema will leave a dent if you push your finger on it.

Is this just a case of wearing socks too tight for me (I actually never check the size of the sock when I buy them lol, it's a guy thing)? Or maybe the fact I'm either sitting all day, or standing all day, that causes it?

I do have minor heart issues, but they're just PAC's and PVC's which are not dangerous and shouldn't cause these problems. Other than that I'm pretty healthy.

It's possible I've noticed this happening for a good few years.

Any advice?

[achillea]

And I will probably get a reprimand even so.  Wouldn't be necessary if they had either a better data base or a more liberal policy.  Snort.  My days here may be limited.

Sorry, I got distracted.  Really, this is about you, and I hope you find reassurance in what I have posted.

[achillea]

They're pretty good, but some of it got through anyhow.

[achillea]

You seem to have a healthy and rather humorous attitude towards minor heart glitches, and that is a GOOD THING.

As to edema, I think you can put your mind at rest--probably.  For one thing, to test for pitting edema, you have to apply firm fingertip pressure for a number of seconds, not just a quickie.  I myself live in gym socks, and as you may have noticed, these days those puppies have quite a bit of elastic in them. Some years ago, I observed striking indentations and mild pitting edema after hours wearing this gear.

Now, Medhelp frowns on links in messages (oh, yes they do!  Complete with reprimands!), so I'll quote the passage and then give you something that may get by the fr*kkin censor:

"...Any form of pressure, such as from the elastic in socks, can induce pitting with this type of edema. This type of edema may be normal depending on the severity. Almost everyone wears socks all day will have mild pitting edema by the end of the day."

This is from--oh, how do I write it acceptably for medhelp?--a site called medicinenetdotcom, or possibly medicine net *******-ishness, which you can probably get to via words like edema and some form of the aforementioned, not-to-be-linked site.

This is one of the best and briefest rundowns I have ever seen on the subject, but I wonder if this will get posted. Let's just see.