Your feet can tell you a lot about your overall health. One of the ways is if you have swelling without any other explanation, like injury. Swelling can cause heaviness in legs, pain/ achiness and fatigue.Swelling is usually noticed at the end of the day when you take off your socks and a dent is noticed at the top in your legs. Some swelling when you press into it bounces right back while other swelling if you press you notice the intent of your finger for time afterwards. The term for this type of swelling is called pitting edema. Swelling can also be a result of the veins being damaged or not working well.
Swelling can be a sign of problems with kidneys, the heart and other full body issues. If you notice more swelling than normal it is a good thing to have it looked at. Basic bloodwork and tests can be done to make sure that swelling is not a result of your heart or kidneys. Also when you’re seeing the doctor please make a note of when you swell more, if the swelling goes away with sleep or elevation and how long you have noticed an increase in swelling.
If you do not have an injury and your bloodwork says your heart and kidneys are OK then the swelling can be treated in different ways. Sometimes your primary care doctor will prescribe you a water pill like Lasix, to help you urinate the excess fluid out of your body. This can take a while to adjust the medication, so you must be patient. Elevation of the legs when you are at rest is also very effective and recommended. Lastly compression of the swelling in the legs can encourage it not to become a chronic problem. Some compression stockings can be very tight and difficult to wear but they’re very effective. Over-the-counter compression socks and athletic compression socks are available. They are less tight and more easily worn for mild to moderate swelling.