An expert explains how to get swollen feet, ankles, and legs back down to size.
by: Marisa Cohen
When you can’t seem to squeeze on those strappy sandals that looked so cute last summer, or your formerly slender ankles and calves are starting to balloon up like Snoopy at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, it could just be due to a long day standing in pumps that are a half size too small—but it could also be a signal that something else is going on in your body: “There are probably 50 different things that can cause feet, ankles, and legs to swell,” says Britt H. Tonnessen, MD, a Yale Medicine vascular surgeon.
One of the reasons feet and legs tend to swell more than, say, arms and fingers, is simply that gravity pulls the fluids in the body down to the lower extremities, says Dr. Tonnessen. “I tell my patients, if you were on the moon, you wouldn’t notice it happening as much!” She goes on to explain that the body has two drainage systems: There are the veins, which are the structures that drain blood from your legs back toward your heart; and then there are the lymphatics, which are microscopic channels that move fluids around your body. “These two systems work in tandem to get the fluid out of your legs. But when fluid remains pooled in your feet, legs or ankles, that swelling is called edema.”
“If there’s just a little swelling at the end of the day, that’s very common and probably nothing serious,” Dr. Tonnessen continues, “but if it’s starting to progress, where you’re noticing there’s more swelling after a few weeks or months, if the swelling is only in one foot or leg rather than both, or if there’s any association with shortness of breath, you should see a doctor.”
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