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What Causes Swelling In The Ankles And Feet?

Posted on Fri, 26 Aug 2016

Question: My ankles and feet recently started swelling. It's really bad around the ankle and you can always see indents from my socks. This has been happening for about 4 or 5 weeks. I have tried ice, heat, elevating them, epsom salt gel, drinking more water, and even circulation socks. They are tender to the touch and sometimes go numb/tingle/"fall asleep". Occasionally my upper ankles,shins, and calves will start to swell or tingle. I don't have insurance and no time off work. I work as an auto body painter and I am on my feet for extended periods of time.

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (23 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would recommend performing some tests:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!

I carefully passed through your question and saw your uploaded photos and would explain that this situation could be related to different causes:

a- fluid retention related to heart failure, liver disease or kidney disease
b- chronic vein insufficiency of the lower limbs or varicose veins.

For this reason, I would recommend performing some tests:

- a chest X ray study
- a cardiac ultrasound
- some blood lab tests (complete blood count, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests)
- a Doppler ultrasound of the leg vessels to investigate for possible varicose veins (which are related to prolonged standing up position).

Hope you will find this answer helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar