Why is my left leg swelling? What are the causes of swelling of the left leg in the foot area?

Often associated with pregnancy. But this is not always the only reason. For example, swelling of the left leg, as well as the right, can be caused by the development of varicose veins.

Of course, pregnancy is one of the main reasons due to which such a disease can occur. The fact is that when the uterus enlarges, the large venous trunks located in the small pelvis are compressed, and a mechanical obstacle is created to the outflow of blood from lower limbs. In addition, to provide nutrition to two organisms, the volume of circulating blood increases, creating additional stress on the veins.

How does leg swelling progress?

The development of swelling with varicose veins proceeds quite slowly, and women do not pay attention to it after childbirth or simply think that another reason is to blame. At first they are almost invisible. They are most noticeable towards the evening. The whole point is that a person is in vertical position, resulting in increased blood flow to the lower veins. After a night's rest, the swelling of the left leg disappears or decreases.

To determine the causes of edema, you first need to consult a doctor. However, the recommendations below will help you solve the problem a little faster.

Rest and exercises for legs

Let your legs rest more often. When at rest, you need to lie so that the position of your legs is slightly higher than the level of your body. Also, do several special simple exercises more often:

Move your feet in a circular motion;
- rise on your toes;
- roll from toe to heel.

To relieve swelling in your left leg, you should try to lie on your left side while sleeping to improve blood flow. When sitting, do not cross your legs.

Include grapes and lemons, cranberries, sea buckthorn, and viburnum in your diet, which help thin the blood. Deficiency of lecithin and selenium provokes swelling of the left leg and thickens the blood. Excessive consumption of canned, spicy, smoked and fatty foods also negatively affects the blood condition. You should not abuse cocoa, tea, coffee, carbonated drinks. But you can drink grape juice and herbal teas, but the main product to quench your thirst should be water.

Massage and decoction of dried apricots

Massaging and drinking a decoction of dried apricots helps relieve foot swelling very well. To do this, you will need to pour boiling water over the dried apricots and leave to infuse overnight, and drink in the morning 30-40 minutes before meals.

Foot baths

Baths to relieve fatigue

For baths, make a decoction of 100 g of juniper fruits or a solution of 100 g of sea salt per liter of water. You can also make baths from 1 tbsp. spoons of dry mustard or 2 teaspoons diluted in 1 liter of water.

Contrast baths

The legs should first be held in hot water, then sharply lower into the cold. The procedure should be repeated several times. You can add sea salt or herbal decoctions to such baths. This will help not only get rid of swelling, but also improve general state body and improve your mood

If one leg swells, the reasons for this can be very different. The human body is 70% liquid. The liquid is mainly concentrated inside the cells of various organs and tissues. With edema, fluid may be found in the space between the cells. Most often this occurs with heart and kidney diseases. What are the causes of leg swelling, and how can you get rid of them?

Swelling of the legs is a common complaint of patients when visiting a doctor. With swelling, it is often discovered that one leg is larger than the other. The legs do not always swell due to any disease. This can happen to a healthy person too. One lower limb may swell upon consumption large quantity liquids. Swelling of the foot can be a consequence of prolonged static stress. This occurs when walking or standing for a long time. Swelling can be mild or pronounced. In the first case, a slight swelling of the leg is detected.

If your leg swells, this is only a manifestation of the disease. This pathology can occur with the following diseases and pathological conditions:

kidney diseases (glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis, renal failure);
heart failure;
varicose veins;
violation of lymph outflow;
elephantiasis;
thrombophlebitis of the legs;
rheumatism;
allergic reactions;
arthritis;
osteomyelitis;
traumatic leg injury;
hypertension;
alcoholism;
diabetes mellitus

If one leg or both legs swells, the reason may lie in the use of certain medications (hypotensive drugs, hormones, glucocorticoids). There are a number of predisposing factors, the presence of which increases the likelihood of the occurrence of edema syndrome. They include overweight, sedentary lifestyle, long stay in an awkward position, wearing incorrectly selected shoes. Physiological reasons include the period of pregnancy.

When carrying a child, the vessels in the pelvic area are often compressed, which leads to swelling of the leg. Often pregnant women are drawn to salty food. As you know, salt promotes fluid retention in the body.

Swelling due to lymph stagnation

Why is there leg swelling? Similar condition is the main symptom of elephantism (elephantiasis, lymphedema). The disease is caused by a violation of lymph outflow. The latter is a colorless liquid that contains many lymphocytes. Lymph flows through lymphatic vessels from bottom to top and flows into the superior vena cava. The main purpose of lymph is to return various substances (electrolytes, proteins, tissue metabolic products, toxic substances) from tissues into the blood for subsequent removal from the body. With elephantiasis, lymph stagnation is observed.

At congenital form swelling disease initially occurs in the foot area. The process then spreads to the hips. In the acquired form, the swelling spreads from top to bottom. In most cases, the swelling is unilateral. Upon palpation, after pressing on the skin, a hole remains that does not level out for a long time. This is important distinctive feature from cardiac and renal edema.

Pathology of the heart and kidneys

Edema syndrome is a sign of heart failure. With this pathology, stagnation occurs in big circle blood circulation Blood accumulates in blood vessels, which leads to their stretching. Against the background of all this, the permeability of the vessel wall increases, and blood rushes into the tissue. Heart failure in the absence of proper treatment is a consequence of cardiosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, amyloidosis, congenital heart defects, and rheumatism. Cardiac edema has the following features:

form on the ankles, after which they spread upward;
cold on palpation;
have a bluish tint;
dense;
painless;
arise gradually.

Edema may be a manifestation renal pathology. A common cause is glomerulonephritis. Edema is a sign of amyloidosis and renal failure. With these diseases, the filtration process is disrupted. Swelling in the legs due to kidney disease is diagnosed only in severe cases. At the same time, the swelling is mobile and warm. They can appear unexpectedly and also disappear unexpectedly.

Diagnosis and treatment

Treatment of swelling in the leg is carried out after the underlying disease has been established. Diagnostics includes interviewing the patient, external examination, palpation of the lower extremities, blood and urine tests, sound Dopplerography, electrocardiography, ultrasound of the heart and kidneys, angiography of the vessels of the legs. If your leg hurts and swells due to thrombophlebitis, you may need surgery. If thrombophlebitis is associated with infection, antibiotics are prescribed. For cardiac edema, treatment is aimed at the underlying disease.

Thus, swelling of the lower limb is a reason to consult a doctor.

Every day we expose our body to physical activity of varying intensity, which primarily affects the condition of our legs - every evening we experience fatigue and swelling in our legs. Of course, such fatigue in the legs is a completely natural phenomenon, however, in some cases, our legs can become swollen and painful, which in turn leads us to the most disturbing thoughts. So why does this happen? And how dangerous is it? In this article we will answer your question of why your leg swells and hurts.

Why my leg is swollen and hurts: reasons

So, as we have already said, pain in the legs is a completely natural phenomenon that each of us periodically faces: severe physical fatigue and debilitating physical exercise, our lifestyle and many other factors directly affect the condition of our feet, which is why we experience leg pain. In addition to the painful sensations themselves, all of the above can also cause swelling or swelling in the legs. Of course, all this is quite natural, because such symptoms arise as a protective reaction of our body to excessive physical activity, however, what can swelling of the legs, which arose for no apparent reason, indicate? As many have already guessed, in this situation we are already talking about the presence of some pathology, which is manifested by symptoms such as swelling and pain in the legs. Below we will tell you about these pathologies in more detail.

Injuries of the lower extremities.

Depending on what type of leg injury we have received, it may swell and hurt with varying intensity. As a rule, when we receive a bruise, dislocation or sprain, we rarely turn to a specialist for help, because painful sensations and other “consequences” soon go away on their own, however, this is precisely our mistake, since in the future even the most insignificant microtrauma will contribute to a prolonged resumption of pain. That is why, if you receive any injury, you should always use elastic bandage and special ointments;

Physical overexertion.

Each of us leads our own specific lifestyle with our own specific physical activity, and if we violate such a “schedule” and load our body with excessive physical activity, then in this situation there is swelling and pain in the legs natural reaction our muscles “unprepared” for such loads. As a rule, such “manifestations” of fatigue overtake us in the late afternoon and, after some time of rest, they go away on their own. However, it is worth considering that similar symptoms are also characteristic of the first stage venous insufficiency, which in turn develops against the background of a disease such as varicose veins veins;

Phlebeurysm.

According to statistics, the fair half of humanity is most susceptible to this disease, namely in 70 percent of cases, which in turn is due to the factors that cause the occurrence of this pathology. Among all the reasons that cause the development of varicose veins, it is worth highlighting the one that most provokes the development of this pathology, namely, wearing incorrectly selected shoes. Frequent wearing of shoes high heels or on a platform in combination with long walking - and there are fundamental factors for the development of varicose veins;

Arthritis.

It is worth noting that this disease is very insidious, because its untimely treatment can lead to disability in the future, which is why if regular swelling and pain occurs in any specific area of the leg - lower leg, foot, knee or thigh - it is worth mandatory contact an appropriate specialist. As a rule, arthritis “spreads” to one area of the leg, in the area of which the patient experiences pain and swelling. Some more additional symptoms of this disease– redness of the skin in this area, as well as an increase in its temperature – it becomes hot to the touch;

Arthrosis.

Arthrosis is a joint disease in which the cartilage layer of the joints themselves is destroyed, causing the patient to experience pain not only in the joints of the legs, but throughout the body. As for the causes of this disease, the most important factor influencing the development of this pathology is frequent and uneven physical activity on the body. For example, in most cases, representatives of such professions as drivers, salespeople, builders, as well as those who spend most of their working time sitting at a computer have to deal with such a diagnosis. Specialists of all the above profiles are forced to stay in the same position for a long time, which is why the muscles and joints cannot cope with any physical activity in the future. Various endocrine diseases (diabetes, overweight), and hereditary predisposition are also the causes of such a diagnosis as arthrosis;

Thrombophlebitis.

Thrombophlebitis is a vascular disease that experts call the most insidious and unpredictable, which in turn is due to the fact that its detection usually occurs at a late stage. The main reason for the development of this disease is the presence of a pathology such as varicose veins in an advanced state, however, factors such as heredity and the presence of infection are also the “causative agents” of this dangerous pathology.

As for the symptoms of this disease, these include the following: minor swelling of the legs and redness of the skin in the same area, as well as itching, burning and a feeling of heaviness in the legs;

Fasciitis.

Fasciitis is a disease in which the patient experiences pain in the foot, and the ankle itself swells quite strongly. Surprisingly, in most cases, this pathology affects women aged about forty years, as well as people who suffer from diseases such as arthritis and arthrosis, as well as various diseases spine or leg joints.

As for the symptoms of this disease, in this situation the patient usually experiences pain and discomfort in the morning when taking the first steps, however, such pain syndrome can occur at any other time of the day. Incorrectly selected shoes, as well as high-heeled shoes and flat feet - all of these are among the causes of the development of a disease such as fasciitis.

Swollen and painful leg: classification of symptoms:

It is also worth noting that the presence of any specific pathology can be judged by the location of the swelling and the intensity of the painful sensations themselves. Next, we will tell you in more detail about such symptoms and what pathologies they may indicate.

Mild swelling, discomfort and minor pain in the legs;

The above symptoms in most cases are not associated with any disease: as a rule, mild swelling, as well as minor painful sensations in the legs, bother us at the end of the working day and are usual reaction to the physical activity endured: heavy physical activity, prolonged standing or prolonged walking in uncomfortable shoes always provokes the occurrence of such symptoms. However, it is worth considering that exactly the same symptoms at an early stage manifest themselves in a disease such as varicose veins, which in turn, if left untreated, can progress into pathologies that are more dangerous to our health;

Swelling and pain of equal intensity;

If your leg is swollen and you feel quite intense pain in the same place, then in this situation we are talking about a possible lesion inflammatory process structures such as the meniscus, cartilage, ligaments and periarticular capsules. Such multiple damage to any joint always indicates the presence of a disease such as polyarthritis, which can occur in its various forms - rheumatic, rheumatoid, gout and others.

However, not only this disease occurs with similar symptoms; if swelling and pain occur on the lower leg or thigh inside these segments, then in this situation we are talking about a diagnosis such as thrombophlebitis. With this disease, in addition to the above symptoms, patients also experience redness of the skin and dilated veins in these areas. Such inflammatory diseases joints, such as fasciitis, phlegmon and myositis also “announce” themselves with the above symptoms.

Swelling is more pronounced than pain;

If swelling causes more discomfort than the painful sensations themselves, then in this situation we can talk about pathologies such as cardiac or renal failure. Initially, it is necessary to pay attention to the localization of swelling: if a similar symptom appears on the shins of both legs, then in this situation we are talking about a pathology such as heart failure. It is also worth noting that with this disease, pain in the legs themselves may be moderate or may be completely absent. The formation of small ulcers at the site of swelling is another symptom of an illness such as heart failure.

If swelling of the legs is caused by a pathology such as renal failure, then in this situation, in addition to the swelling and pain itself, a symptom such as cramps is added calf muscles, which in turn can be quite painful.

Painful sensations are more pronounced than swelling;

If the pain in the leg is quite intense, and the swelling is not pronounced, then in this situation we are talking about the presence of serious diseases. As a rule, pain and swelling appear on one side and in one specific place, for example, in the knee, lower leg, thigh, etc. As for the diseases themselves, the list of probable pathologies includes such pathologies as endorteritis and atherosclerosis (diseases associated with damage to arterial vessels), various tumors(metastases or bone tumors or spinal tumors).

As you can see, symptoms such as swelling and pain in the leg can be associated with serious illnesses and pathologies, and therefore, if they occur, it is imperative to contact an appropriate specialist to undergo an examination and prescribe adequate treatment.

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The human body consists of 70% water; without it, the functioning of organs and systems is impossible. The fluid is contained inside the cells and is found in the blood and lymph. When it goes beyond the vascular bed or cell membrane, outwardly it looks like swelling or edema. This phenomenon may occur due to various reasons when the functioning of a number of organs is disrupted. The first swelling is most often localized in the distal areas of both legs. But sometimes the changes affect only one limb. Why does this happen, and what to do if one leg swells?

Most common reasons

Often, when visiting a doctor, a patient complains of swelling of the legs. But this symptom does not always indicate the presence of a serious deviation. The phenomenon also happens in completely healthy people if they have consumed a lot of liquid or long time were in a static forced position, the leg or both may swell during prolonged walking. Usually, in the normal state of the body, there is slight swelling in the ankle area, which quickly disappears after proper rest.

If a person constantly has swelling in one leg, then the reasons may lie in malfunction organs. The following diseases are characterized by swelling:

kidney disease with the development of failure - nephritis, amyloidosis;
pathology of the heart muscle and heart failure;
varicose veins of the lower extremities;
impaired lymphatic drainage, including elephantiasis;
ankle arthritis or knee joint;
thrombophlebitis;
rheumatism;
osteomyelitis;
sprain;
allergy;
hypertension;
diabetes.

There is another reason why the leg swells. Sometimes swelling of one or both lower extremities is observed during treatment with certain drugs - antihypertensive, hormonal. Especially often this symptom develops in people who are overweight.

The problem appears when there is a lack of physical activity, constant standing, or wearing low-quality and uncomfortable shoes.

Swelling often becomes a companion to pregnancy. This happens due to physiological changes in the body of women during this period, but it may also be a sign of trouble.

Lymphostasis

Sometimes one limb becomes greatly enlarged due to impaired outflow of lymphatic fluid, which is observed in a number of diseases, including elephantiasis. Other reasons for this may be burns or erysipelas. Lymph in the human body performs important function transfer from tissues to the blood of various toxic substances and metabolic products. When lymphedema develops, the skin and fatty tissue in the affected area begins to thicken.

The patient has:

severe swelling;
pain;
heaviness and distension;
roughening of the skin;
lymphadenopathy;
increase in limb volume and impaired joint mobility;
dryness and cracks in the skin, sometimes the appearance of ulcerations;
discoloration in the affected area and the appearance of spots.

There are two types of elephantiasis. In the congenital form of this pathology, swelling of one or two legs from the foot is noted, spreading upward. The acquired version of the disease begins with swelling from above, which continues downward. Swelling caused by lymph stagnation is soft to the touch. When pressing, a hole remains in this place for a long time. This makes it possible to differentiate the same condition in case of disruption of the heart and kidneys.

Cardiac and renal failure

The occurrence of swelling in the area of two or one leg may be a sign of heart failure. The organ cannot cope with pumping blood, and stagnation of blood circulation develops. Gradually, the peripheral vessels expand under the pressure of the increasing volume of blood, and its liquid part begins to exit into the tissues. Cardiac failure is formed as a result of rheumatism, congenital and acquired heart defects, cardiomyopathy, severe myocarditis, and cardiosclerotic changes.

Edema with this pathology has its own characteristics:

appear in the ankle area;
tend to spread upward;
upon palpation they feel dense and cold;
painless;
arise and increase slowly.

If there is a deviation in the functioning of the kidneys, edema may also develop. Often, failure of these organs develops against the background of glomerulonephritis or amyloidosis. Filtration disturbances begin, toxic substances circulating in the blood poison the body. Swelling in kidney diseases is warm and loose. They appear quite quickly and disappear just as quickly.

How to treat

Before starting treatment, the doctor must determine the cause of the swelling. Diagnostics includes analysis of patient complaints, objective examination and palpation. After this, the results are studied laboratory research And additional diagnostics. Usually they do a urine and blood test (including biochemical), cardiogram, ultrasound of the kidneys and heart, Doppler sonography, angiography of blood vessels in the legs.

Treatment for a swollen leg usually consists of the following:

Traditional treatment

A person with swollen legs traditional healers recommended to use, in addition to standard treatment, herbal decoction. To prepare it, you should put one large spoonful of birch buds, horsetail, knotweed and flax seed in a small container. After mixing, add 500 ml of boiling water to the mixture and bring to a boil over heat. After this, the decoction should be cooled and taken 100 ml before breakfast.

The healing herbs included in this collection will help not only eliminate swelling in the leg, but also improve microcirculation and increase the tone of the vascular wall.

Edema that appears should be taken seriously, since it can be a symptom of serious abnormalities in the functioning of many organs and systems. Therefore, if even slight pastiness appears in the shin or knee area, you should immediately consult a specialist.

Reasons why it swells left leg from knee to foot, require careful study. Most often, edema develops due to the accumulation of fluid in the tissues. Ignoring pathological process causing swelling can cause serious complications.

Conventionally, all causes of swelling of the left leg can be divided into two groups: caused by pathologies internal organs and not related to system malfunctions.

Diseases that provoke edema

Causes of swelling of the left leg not related to diseases

Edema is not a disease, but a symptom of impaired blood flow in the tissues of the lower extremities. In addition to diseases, such disorders can be caused by the following reasons:

long-term physical activity on the limbs - common reason why the left leg below the knee swells;
incorrectly selected shoes;
excessive consumption of salty, sour and spicy foods;
uncontrolled use of medications;
excess body weight.

Important: regardless of the severity of swelling of the left leg and the reasons why one leg swells and the other does not, treatment can only be determined by a doctor.

Symptoms

Characteristic symptoms of swelling of the left foot are:

swelling skin, upon palpation a dent remains;
gloss, redness of the skin at the site of swelling.

Also, depending on the reason that caused swelling of the leg from the knee to the foot, clinical picture pathology can be supplemented by the following signs:

shortness of breath, fast fatiguability- symptoms arising from heart disease. Blood stagnation occurs and, as a result, swelling of the joints of the left leg below the knee.
Pain in the kidney area heat characteristic of most renal pathologies.
Swelling and pain in the left leg, which occurs mainly in the evening, are most often provoked by problems with the veins and vessels of the lower limb.
Swelling of only the left foot and a feeling of stiffness in the knee joint are characteristic of the disease rheumatism.
Lower back pain and swelling may indicate liver disease.

First aid for swelling of the left leg in the ankle

The left leg is at the bottom, the ankle is swollen, and the ankle is red - this situation requires medical care(and as soon as possible). Only a doctor can accurately determine the cause of pain and swelling and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Some first aid techniques will help to alleviate the patient’s condition before being examined by a doctor:

try to move around less;
rest in a reclining position, with your leg slightly raised;
reduce fluid intake to a minimum (no more than half a liter of clean water per day);
Avoid drinking carbonated drinks, alcohol, salty, smoked and spicy foods;
Massaging a swollen left leg will help quickly relieve pain in the foot and temporarily alleviate the general condition.

Calling an ambulance for swelling of the left leg is necessary if:

swelling occurred suddenly and for no apparent reason;
simultaneously with swelling of the left limb, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and difficulty breathing develop.

Treatment of swelling of the left leg from the knee to the foot

Only a doctor can determine the cause and treatment methods for swelling of the left foot.

Traditionally, the algorithm of actions, how and how to treat swelling in the ankle of the left leg includes:

massage;
gymnastics;
alternative medicine methods;
complete rest.

Patients are also advised to take the following medications:

phlebotonics (phlebofa, phlebaven, vasoket, etc.) - drugs whose action is aimed at strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
anticoagulants (varvarin, etc.) - blood thinners;
diuretics;
means for external use, removing painful sensations, swelling and redness.

If swelling of the ankle or ankle of one leg is caused by varicose veins, a diagram of how to treat it this pathology complemented by one more item - the use of compression garments.

Exercises to relieve swelling

Regardless of the reason that triggered the development of edema, doctors recommend combining traditional methods treatment with therapeutic exercises.

Easy-to-do exercises can be done at home on the floor or bed:

Walking around the room on your toes (exercise duration five minutes).
Rotate your feet clockwise and counterclockwise (at least ten times in each direction).
Fixed position on toes (at least ten seconds).
Use your toes to lift the pencil from the floor (several attempts).
Finger movements (open and close).
Exercise “scissors” - straight leg swings.
Exercise “bicycle” - lying on your back, we make rotational movements, simulating riding a bicycle.

Traditional recipes for the treatment of unilateral edema of the lower extremities

Traditional recipes in combination with taking medications will help you achieve faster positive results in the fight against swelling of the left foot.

Most effective traditional methods treatment:

Prevention

The following rules of prevention will help prevent swelling of the left leg in the lower part.