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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swollen Lower Left Leg After Suffering From Broken Bone Due To Injury?

I was hit by a truck in 2011, and broke my smaller bone in lower left leg. Now my lower left leg swells up above the sock line. Not much pain, more in my ankle. Have 10 screws in my ankle because of the accident. Should I worry about the swelling in my lower left leg?
Fri, 20 Nov 2015
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi there.
Following any orthopaedic surgery in the lower limb and especially one where implants are involved, it is fairly common to see swelling of the leg and is more noticeable above the sock line.
Now you shouldn't worry about it too much if it is not causing any problems to you.
Normally this swelling is limited to one leg and increases as the day goes by because during surgery the lymphatic channels which take away extra tissue fluid are affected as they get damaged during surgery. Hence the swelling.
Now what can you do to reduce it is to try and keep your legs in a non dependent position for about 15-20 mins every few hours and making sure you do not sit in place for long hours at a stretch while keeping your legs in a dependent position.
Hope this helps.
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What Causes Swollen Lower Left Leg After Suffering From Broken Bone Due To Injury?

Hi there. Following any orthopaedic surgery in the lower limb and especially one where implants are involved, it is fairly common to see swelling of the leg and is more noticeable above the sock line. Now you shouldn t worry about it too much if it is not causing any problems to you. Normally this swelling is limited to one leg and increases as the day goes by because during surgery the lymphatic channels which take away extra tissue fluid are affected as they get damaged during surgery. Hence the swelling. Now what can you do to reduce it is to try and keep your legs in a non dependent position for about 15-20 mins every few hours and making sure you do not sit in place for long hours at a stretch while keeping your legs in a dependent position. Hope this helps.