24 May Why Do Feet Swell?

Whether your feet have just swollen for the first time or it has become a common event recently and you’re wondering what’s going on and if it could be something serious – you’ve come to the right place. 

As experts in everything lower limb here in the Wairarapa, today our podiatrists have shared the seven most common causes of swelling in the feet and legs, why they occur – and what you can do to start getting some relief today.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy significantly increases the volume of fluid in your body – up to twice as much! This means the demand on your circulatory system is much higher, and the body can’t always keep up. This leaves fluid pooled in the feet and legs, resulting in swelling, particularly around the ankles.

If you’re currently pregnant, we’ve shared our pregnancy foot pain FAQ’s here.

Problems with your veins

Often referred to as venous insufficiency, problems with the veins can leave them damaged or struggling to perform their function of moving blood back to the heart against gravity. Often, this is damage to the valves in the veins which stop blood from moving back down the legs, instead supporting the blood to flow in one direction. If this is happening, you may also notice some spider veins on your legs.

Heat

Notice that your feet tend to swell in the heat? That’s because heat causes your blood vessels to dilate (expand), which can leak fluid into the surrounding tissues, and you have swelling. With heat swelling, and swelling in general, it also doesn’t help that gravity is working against your body when it comes to trying to remove some of the excess fluid from the area.

Injury or infection

This isn’t your regular daily swelling, but it’s an important one to mention. When you’ve sustained an injury, whether that be to a tendon, muscle, ligament or bone, swelling often results. This is part of the natural and healthy inflammation process, designed to kickstart the healing and repair process while preventing your body from developing an infection. Speaking of, swelling is also a response to infection in an area.

Salt retention

This one goes back to high school biology where we learnt how when one area has higher salt concentration, fluid will move to that area to even the concentrations. This is what happens here with the salts in your body. It happens because either salts are retained, or are lost at a slow rate. Having too much salts in the body often starts with your diet. 

Sitting or standing for long periods (including during flying)

Movement and physical activity helps promote our circulation. While it’s the veins that carry blood around the body, it’s our muscles that support the function of these veins to help with the pumping. When we are still, we don’t get this same help, the body has to work harder to pump against gravity, and swelling can result.

Medical conditions and medications

Medical conditions, diseases and medications can all result in swelling. For medical conditions, these include kidney or liver disease, heart problems, arthritis and much more. To name a few medications, taking hormone supplements, blood pressure medication, steroids and antidepressants may also result in swelling – though there are plenty more. If you think it may be your medication, you can look up their side effects and discuss these with your GP.

Treating and preventing swollen feet and ankles

One of the top things you can do today to help manage and prevent swelling in the feet and legs is using compression socks and stockings. These medical-grade socks and stockings help promote the function of your veins while limiting the available space for blood to pool in, encouraging its transportation up the body and away from the legs.

We highly recommend trying the Waxeye Merino Circulation socks. They’re podiatrist-approved, designed to combat swelling and promote fluid return, seamless, and are even NZ-made with hard-wearing merino. We love them! And they’re great for anyone with diabetes, too.

Other ways to help with swelling include:

• Elevating your feet – above the level of your heart to use gravity to help return fluids down from your feet
• Exercise – staying active helps keep your circulation going strong. The more the heart is pumping blood around the body, the better your body will help reduce the swelling
• Avoiding heat – where possible, try to avoid long periods in hot enclosed shoes, excessively hot baths, hot showers and saunas 
• Drink up – staying well hydrated with water can help swelling by helping maintain a good salt concentration in your body 
• Eat less salt – when you’re consuming lots of salt, it encourages water retention and swelling
• Seeing your podiatrist if you’re worried about injury, infection or are experiencing any pains in your feet or legs. They can help identify the problem and treat it – thereby alleviating your swelling

Worried about your feet or legs?

If you’re worried about your feet or legs, whether that’s from swelling or something else, our podiatry team at Masterton Foot Clinic are here to help. We’ve been proudly caring for Wairarapa’s foot health for almost 20 years. 

Book your appointment online here or call us on 07 370 4057