Feet & ankle swelling

[mzdea]

Hello, I have a sibling that has bad feet & ankle swelling that comes and goes.  They have not been able to find a cause or cure.  My sibling is a Social Worker and does quite a bit of driving on a regular basis.  I don't know how much stanging is being done, but I know that there is a lot of driving.  I don't think they are exercising much at all either.  Has anyone found a cure for this problem?  Or anything that has really helped short of medication?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
This could be due to venous pooling. The main reason is faulty valves of the deep veins of the leg. Prolonged sitting in cramped position will cause venous pooling in lymphedema patients.  If there is a history of eczema, cellulitis then secondary venous pooling is possible. Another cause is Filariasis, especially if your sibling lives or has been to a place with tropical climate.
Usually conditions of heart, kidney, liver or low protein or severe anemia, which cause ankle swelling cause both ankles to swell. Hence if both ankles are swelling then you will need to get heart function assessed by ECHO and EKG, get kidney and liver function tests done and get a complete blood picture for anemia. Low sodium in blood, hypothyroidism and malabsorption syndromes causing low protein in blood have to be looked into.
Please ask your sibling to contact a doctor. Meanwhile the legs should be kept raised as much as possible.
Hope this helps. Do let me know if there is any thing else and keep me posted. Take care!

[deedee1981]

I am not a doctor, but I do get swollen feet a lot from standing. There are many things that could cause feet swelling (edema), like kidney, liver or heart problems. Varicose veins, thrombophlebitis  (inflammation of the veins), lymphedema or too much salt could be problems, too. Or she could just be standing/sitting too much. She should try elevating her feet above her heart (the best would be lying on a couch or recliner with her feet on the back) for at least 20-30 minutes every night. Compression (with an Ace bandage wrapped around her feet/ankles) will also help, just make sure not that she does not cut off circulation too much (definitely stop if the toenails change color or the foot goes numb). She could get compression stockings to wear during the day. Soaking the feet in water with Epsom salt may also help. If she has any other symptoms, like fatigue, racing heart, jaundice, she should probably see a doctor. Goodluck!

[mzdea]

Thanks for the information I will definitely pass it along.

[scooot]

glucosamine and chondroitin will help. Also when they get home they should put their feet up for a little while. it will help to regulate the circulation in the ankles and feet. I suffer from this as well I drive 6 hours to visit family.