Foot, leg, and ankle swelling

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Foot swelling

Lower leg edema

Overview

Treatment

Foot, leg, and ankle swelling

Definition:

Abnormal buildup of fluid in the ankles, feet, and legs is called peripheral edema.
Alternative Names:
Swelling of the ankles - feet - legs; Ankle swelling; Foot swelling; Leg swelling; Edema - peripheral, Peripheral edema
Considerations:

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Painless swelling of the feet and ankles is a common problem, particularly in older people. It may affect both legs and may include the calves or even the thighs. Because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations.

Common Causes:

Foot, leg, and ankle swelling is common with the following situations:

Prolonged standing
Long airplane flights or automobile rides
Menstrual periods (for some women)
Pregnancy -- excessive swelling may be a sign of pre-eclampsia, a serious condition sometimes called toxemia, that includes high blood pressure and swelling
Being overweight
Increased age
Injury or trauma to your ankle or foot

Swollen legs may be a sign of heart failure, kidney failure, or liver failure. In these conditions, there is too much fluid in the body.

Other conditions that can cause swelling to one or both legs include:

Blood clot
Leg infection
Venous insufficiency (when the veins in your legs are unable to adequately pump blood back to the heart)
Varicose veins
Burns (including sunburn)
Insect bite or sting
Starvation or malnutrition
Surgery to your leg or foot

Certain medications may also cause your legs to swell:

Hormones like estrogen (in birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy) and testosterone
A group of blood pressure lowering drugs called calcium channel blockers (such as nifedipine, amlodipine, diltiazem, felodipine, and verapamil)
Steroids
Antidepressants, including MAO inhibitors (such as phenelzine and tranylcypromine) and tricyclics (such as nortriptyline, desipramine, and amitriptyline)

References:

Cho S. Peripheral edema. Am J Med. 2002; 113(7): 580-586.

Schroeder BM. ACOG practice bulletin on diagnosing and managing preeclampsia and eclampsia. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Am Fam Physician. 2002; 66(2): 330-331.