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Suggest Treatment For Swelling In The Feet And Ankles
Question: I am having swelling in my feet and ankles. It is on both sides but primarily on my left side. I am 69 yr old female. I am over weight. It doesn't matter what type of shoes I wear. Most mornings the swelling is down but often not. My left foot really hurts when I walk. I am still working full time. I have not seen my doctor about this yet because I think I am just getting old and need to lose weight. How do I go about getting some relief so that I can walk. I do have high blood pressure but it is controlled with medication. About 2 years ago I had hernia surgery and had to go through a battery of heart tests prior, everything was fine.
Brief Answer:
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
The normal heart tests would make it less likely that the heart is a cause though if you have a history uncontrolled high blood pressure (mentioned however, yours is good), high cholesterol, family history of heart disease or smoking, they may need repeating .
The fact that you experience pain in the left foot on walking may point to arthritis as a contributing factor to the swelling, this is a common cause.
Other causes are: (1) venous disease- swelling occurs if the blood in the veins of the leg is not going back up the the heart as efficiently as it should. Varicose veins may be seen.
Treatment involves elevating the feet during the course of the day when ever possible and the use of compression stockings
In severe cases, surgery is needed.
Weight can impact on venous function, increased weight is one of the causes of poor venous flow.
(2) liver or kidney disease can also cause swelling
(3)side effect of medication eg there is a blood pressure medication that causes swelling of the feet/ankles- amlodipine
Treatment- (1) consider an x ray to determine if arthritis is present, bloods for liver and kidney function, if there are no recent tests, may also be needed.
(2) elevate the feet as often as possible during the day to help the blood to go back to the heart.
Compression stockings, if swelling due to venous disease, would help
(3) if on any meds that may be contributing, may need to be stopped/changed
(4)continue the use of an anti inflammatory medication (advil), can switch to naproxen or cataflam if no relief
Add topical gel voltaren to help with pain relief, works well in some persons
(5) a shoe insert or change of foot wear may help reduce pressure on pressure points of the foot. A podiatrist (person dealing with issues with the feet), would be best able to advise re best footwear
(6)may need to consider the use of walking aids to take the pressure of the left foot when walking eg walking stick
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
The normal heart tests would make it less likely that the heart is a cause though if you have a history uncontrolled high blood pressure (mentioned however, yours is good), high cholesterol, family history of heart disease or smoking, they may need repeating .
The fact that you experience pain in the left foot on walking may point to arthritis as a contributing factor to the swelling, this is a common cause.
Other causes are: (1) venous disease- swelling occurs if the blood in the veins of the leg is not going back up the the heart as efficiently as it should. Varicose veins may be seen.
Treatment involves elevating the feet during the course of the day when ever possible and the use of compression stockings
In severe cases, surgery is needed.
Weight can impact on venous function, increased weight is one of the causes of poor venous flow.
(2) liver or kidney disease can also cause swelling
(3)side effect of medication eg there is a blood pressure medication that causes swelling of the feet/ankles- amlodipine
Treatment- (1) consider an x ray to determine if arthritis is present, bloods for liver and kidney function, if there are no recent tests, may also be needed.
(2) elevate the feet as often as possible during the day to help the blood to go back to the heart.
Compression stockings, if swelling due to venous disease, would help
(3) if on any meds that may be contributing, may need to be stopped/changed
(4)continue the use of an anti inflammatory medication (advil), can switch to naproxen or cataflam if no relief
Add topical gel voltaren to help with pain relief, works well in some persons
(5) a shoe insert or change of foot wear may help reduce pressure on pressure points of the foot. A podiatrist (person dealing with issues with the feet), would be best able to advise re best footwear
(6)may need to consider the use of walking aids to take the pressure of the left foot when walking eg walking stick
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Note: For further inquiries on surgery procedure and its risks or complications book an appointment now
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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