Swollen Feet – Treatment And Home Remedies

Swollen Feet

Due to swollen feet, doctors can sometimes make the decision to treat a patient with diuretics, drugs that eliminate water from the body. It is important that your doctor decide whether you present edema or not. If not prevented or treated, over time, swollen feet (edema) can lead to stretching of the skin, which can lead to other annoying situations. If you have swelling and difficulties during breathing, then it is a sign that you should seek immediate medical help. Pregnant women who notice legs swelling must be kept under medical observation.

Treatment

Edema can be treated only by stimulating the evacuation of fluids in the urine by the kidneys. To reach this result,  diuretics and keeping a salt diet are required. Treatment varies for each type of edema depending on the cause that lead to it. A unilateral swelling of a leg, caused by phlebitis, is reduced by anticoagulant treatment. If venous insufficiency is the cause edema can be improved by wearing special stocking. A bilateral lower limb edema, attributable to heart failure, is treated by administering anti-diuretic drugs, and vasodilators.

Swollen Leg

Home Remedies

Swollen feet can be caused by excessive accumulation of fluid in the tissues, generally painless, usually found in older people, overweight persons, pregnant women or a consequence of long periods in standing or sitting position.

Symptoms and medical conditions may indicate excessive fluid retention as a  body response to certain cardiovascular diseases, liver or kidney failure. Other medical situations that could trigger legs inflammation include burns, insect bites, infections and varicose veins, and certain drugs.

The only way to treat leg swelling is to remove the cause that lead to their appearance. Here are some of the actions that you can take to reduce the swelling:

• Put a pillow under your legs when resting to keep the feet in a higher position than the rest of the body
• Wear elastic stockings that you can buy in pharmacies and specialized stores – the pressure they exert on tissues that can prevent the accumulation of fluid in the legs.
• Do not spend too much time standing or in the seated position without changing position.
• Listen to your doctor advice in terms of salt and fluid intake.
• Exercise – can reduce swelling of the legs. Blood flows naturally from the legs to the heart. Exercises stimulates normal blood circulation.
• Raising the legs above the heart – promotes blood circulation to the brain.
• Weight loss – Obesity slows blood circulation in the entire body, and one of the consequences can be swelling of the feet. Losing weight helps blood to circulate better and can reduce inflammation of the extremities.
• Reduce salt intake and adopt a balanced diet
• Applications with vinegar – alternation, one hot, another cold is an alternative treatment for leg swelling. For this purpose you can mix two equal parts of water and vinegar on a towel, which will be applied around the legs for 7 to 10 minutes. The process is repeated two to three times.
• Molasses and aniseed – water added. Boil 250 ml water, 1 / 2 tablespoon molasses 1 tablespoon anise. Keep it boiling until only a half of the mixture will remain. Drink this composition in three or four rounds day as it can reduce swelling of the feet, provided it is not triggered by a chronic disease. Treatment is effective, including in pregnant women who suffer from this drawback.

Leg Swelling Pillow

Physical exercises for swollen ankles

Swollen ankles are most frequently the result of different types of trauma, a sprain for example, or fluid buildup in the lower body (lymphedema, sodium intake, prolonged standing.

Preparing for exercise

Often when a person is experiencing swollen ankles, especially because of the pain, may avoid exercise. However, if your doctor recommends rest and recreation (as for sprains), you must seek advice before starting physical activity. Training will begin gradually.

There are several types of movements that might be useful:

• Exercises keep joints flexible and prevent stiff ankles. These include bending and rotation. Raise the heel as much from ground as possible, standing on the tips of the feet.
• Walking is an excellent exercise for swollen ankles due to fluid retention. As a person is walking, leg motion and fluid flow determines  normalization of the lymphatic system function. It is recommended that the patient begins in the first stage to walk on foot for short distances, and then extend the walks time.
• Toning and stretching
  Toning and stretching exercises prevents fluid retention, ankles become stronger. This can be done by stretching the calf muscles in a sitting position or standing. Stand on the chair and wrap a towel around the ankle foot, pull the towel heads, keeping leg straight in front and the toes pointed upward. Another exercise involves tightening calf muscles climbing stairs on the calfs and down stairs on fingertips on the heels.

Swollen feet could also be a case of a sprained ankle – if this is the case you can find a fast and complete solution here