Swollen feet when i wake up

Foot, leg, and ankle swelling Information | Mount Sinai

Swelling of the ankles - feet - legs; Ankle swelling; Foot swelling; Leg swelling; Edema - peripheral; Peripheral edema

Painless swelling of the feet and ankles is a common problem, especially among older people.

Abnormal buildup of fluid in the ankles, feet, and legs can cause swelling. This fluid buildup and swelling is called edema.

The abnormal buildup of fluid in the body is called edema. Edema is commonly seen in the feet and ankles, because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations. Common causes of edema are prolonged standing, prolonged sitting, pregnancy, being overweight, and increase in age.

Painless swelling of the feet and ankles is a common problem, particularly in older people. Most of the time swelling can be relieved by elevating the legs above the heart while lying down and avoiding sitting or standing without moving for prolonged periods of time. Although swelling of the feet and ankles can be a minor problem, it can also be an indication of more serious illnesses such as heart failure, renal failure, or liver failure.

Considerations

Painless swelling may affect both legs and may include the calves or even the thighs. The effect of gravity makes the swelling most noticeable in the lower part of the body.

Causes

Foot, leg, and ankle swelling is common when the person also:

Is overweight
Has a blood clot in the leg
Is older
Has a leg infection
Has veins in the legs that cannot properly pump blood back to the heart (called venous insufficiency, most often due to varicose veins)

Injury or surgery involving the leg, ankle, or foot can also cause swelling. Swelling may also occur after pelvic surgery, especially for cancer.

Long airplane flights or car rides, as well as standing for long periods of time, often lead to some swelling in the feet and ankles.

Swelling may occur in women who take estrogen, or during parts of the menstrual cycle. Most women have some swelling during pregnancy. More severe swelling during pregnancy may be a sign of preeclampsia, a serious condition that includes high blood pressure and significant swelling.

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, and it collects in the legs.

Certain medicines may also cause your legs to swell. Some of these are:

Antidepressants, including MAO inhibitors and tricyclics
Blood pressure medicines called calcium channel blockers
Hormones, such as estrogen (in birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy) and testosterone
Steroids

Home Care

Some tips that may help reduce swelling:

Put your legs on pillows to raise them above your heart while lying down.
Exercise your legs. This helps pump fluid from your legs back to your heart.
Follow a low-salt diet, which may reduce fluid buildup and swelling.
Wear support stockings (sold at most drugstores and medical supply stores).
When traveling, take breaks often to stand up and move around.
Avoid wearing tight clothing or garters around your thighs.
Lose weight if you need to.

Never stop taking any medicines you think may be causing swelling without first talking to your health care provider.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call 911 or the local emergency number if:

You feel short of breath.
You have chest pain, especially if it feels like pressure or tightness.

Call your provider right away if:

You have heart disease or kidney disease and the swelling gets worse.
You have a history of liver disease and now have swelling in your legs or abdomen.
Your swollen foot or leg is red or warm to the touch.
You have a fever.
You are pregnant and have more than just mild swelling or have a sudden increase in swelling.

Also call your provider if self-care measures do not help or swelling gets worse.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

Your provider will take a medical history and do a thorough physical examination, paying special attention to your heart, lungs, abdomen, lymph nodes, legs, and feet.

Your provider will ask questions such as:

What body parts swell? Your ankles, feet, legs? Above the knee or below?
Do you have swelling at all times or is it worse in the morning or evening?
What makes your swelling better?
What makes your swelling worse?
Does the swelling get better when you raise your legs?
Have you had blood clots in your legs or lungs?
Have you had varicose veins?
What other symptoms do you have?

Diagnostic tests that may be done include:

Blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC) or blood chemistry
Chest x-ray or extremity x-ray
Doppler ultrasound examination of your leg veins
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Urinalysis

Your treatment will focus on the cause of the swelling. Your provider may prescribe diuretics to reduce the swelling, but these can have side effects. Home treatment for leg swelling that is not related to a serious medical condition should be tried before drug therapy.

Magee DJ, Manske RC. Lower leg, ankle, and foot. Magee DJ, Manske RC, eds. Orthopedic Physical Assessment. 7th ed. St Louis MO: Elsevier; 2021:chap 13.

Quick CRG, Biers SM, Arulampalam THA. Pathophysiology, clinical features and disgnosis of vascular disease affecting the limbs. In: Quick CRG, Biers SM, Arulampalam THA, eds. Essential Surgery: Problems, Diagnosis and Management. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 40.

Seller RH, Symons AB. Swelling of the legs. In: Seller RH, Symons AB, eds. Differential Diagnosis of Common Complaints. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 31.

Last reviewed on: 4/24/2021

Reviewed by: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Why are my feet and ankles swollen when I wake up? - General Questions & Answers

I used to work nine hours a day, and never had this swelling problem before. Now that I'm retired I've been having this swelling problem for about a year. I wake up with swollen feet and ankles and they stay this way all day. Compressions socks help a little bit. I'm under 65 years old, and am no longer very active. I don't have medical insurance. What should I do?

Answers from doctors (3)

what is the reason and what will help

July 08, 2020 12:17

On the air of the Russia 1 TV channel, rehabilitation doctor Sergei Agapkin and obstetrician-gynecologist, head of the Center for Gynecology, Reproductive and Aesthetic Medicine Ekaterina Zhumanova told what to do with edema (and, first of all, with swelling of the legs), and how to understand, in than their cause.

On the TV channel "Russia 1" doctor-rehabilitator Sergey Agapkin and obstetrician-gynecologist, head of the Center for Gynecology, Reproductive and Aesthetic Medicine Ekaterina Zhumanova told what to do with edema, and first of all - with swelling of the legs, and how to understand, in than their cause. nine0003

For some, doctors say, it is enough to lift up - throw your legs over your head, for someone - to drink more water. However, if such simple tips do not help, there are reasons for this.

Agapkin explains that the appearance of edema is always based on some conditions that make it difficult to remove fluid from the body. And leg swelling is no exception.

Ekaterina Zhumanova, for her part, says that women should not attribute everything to hormonal changes (including menopause). nine0003

First of all, edema occurs with excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle.

However, at childbearing age, adds Agapkin, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can lead to such consequences.

Among the possible causes of edema are also ovarian dysfunction, impaired lymph flow, thrombosis.

In this case, there is only one recommendation: go to the doctor, take a blood test and do an ultrasound of the veins of the lower extremities in order to understand if there are any problems with the venous outflow. nine0003

Another cause of edema is kidney failure, says Dr. Agapkin.

Doctor Zhumanova adds that she (as well as kidney problems in general) is characterized by swelling of the face.

In this case, you need to take a urine test to determine if there are problems with the kidneys.

If they exist, the expert explains, then only raising your legs and drinking more will not help in this case - this is treated in a completely different way.

It is very difficult to figure this out on your own, Zhumanova adds. nine0003

Experts explain: if edema does not occur every day (for example, when it is hot, you sat more, moved less, or this is clearly the second phase of the cycle), then most likely this is some kind of physiological process that can be controlled.

If it occurs every day, grows, or (as with thrombosis) one leg swells more than the other, then in no case should you self-medicate - you need to urgently go to the doctor.

Dr. Agapkin gives advice to those who develop edema only in the heat. It is enough for them to come home, take a towel, soak in cold water and wrap their legs for 5-10 minutes to cool the skin, subcutaneous fatty tissue. nine0003

If swelling occurs in the afternoon, lie down and raise your legs. However, if a person gets up in the morning with swollen legs, this method will most likely not bring him any relief, doctors say.

Thus, doctors summarize, people who regularly have swollen legs should go to the doctor, have urine tests, as well as a biochemical, clinical blood test.

In addition, women should visit a gynecologist to find out their hormonal status. It is also desirable to do an ultrasound examination of the veins of the lower extremities, and then it will become clear what treatment to prescribe for those who have encountered this problem. nine0003

medicine health Sergey Agapkin edema legs society news

Causes of edema in women

The most common cause of edema, especially in the morning, is excessive water and salt at night. If they appear rarely, there is no reason to panic. But if often, it's time to take urgent action!

Swelling may be a symptom of serious illness. Among them:

2. Kidney diseases

If the kidneys work poorly, then water and salt are not removed from the body in time, which is the cause of edema. Please note that swelling can be a symptom of other kidney diseases that cause a sharp decrease in the amount of protein in the blood. In such diseases, the protein is excreted in the urine and causes swelling.

Symptoms: Such edema appears in the morning. As a rule, on the face. If you wake up with swollen eyelids and bags under your eyes, your kidneys are to blame. In the evening, puffiness usually decreases or disappears. nine0003

Your actions: You don't need to drink liters of diuretic teas, together with water they flush out valuable micro and macro elements from the body. Go to a urologist, and in no case do not self-medicate.

2. Heart disease

Heart failure is another important cause of edema. When our motor cannot cope with pumping blood, it accumulates in the legs, and as a result, swelling begins to bother.

Symptoms: cardiac edema can be noticed in the evening, and in the morning they disappear. You can see them on the legs. Often accompanied by pain or discomfort in the chest, weakness. nine0003

articleContentWhat to do: Under no circumstances should you get rid of cardiac edema yourself. Go see a cardiologist. He will prescribe a treatment that will put the heart in order.

3. Varicose veins

Every day you put a lot of stress on your legs, constantly sit or stand, or you have a habit of sitting in a “foot on foot” position - all this leads to swelling of the legs, because it disrupts blood circulation. Women are more likely to suffer from this disease.

Symptoms: In the evening, after a day's work, you notice a trace from the elastic band of socks on your shins. It seems to you that the size of the foot increases by the end of the day, and the morning shoes are already small - these are all venous edema. In addition, in the evenings, the legs hurt and buzz

articleContentWhat to do: Buy some compression stockings and wear them every day to improve circulation in your legs. To correctly choose such medical clothes, you need to consult with a phlebologist. In addition, you can buy medicated ointments that reduce the symptoms of varicose veins.

4. Hormonal disorders

Female hormonal failure - often causes edema. Here the thyroid gland plays a key role, when it malfunctions, the necessary hormones become too scarce, and they cannot cope with the transit of water in the body. Water is retained, edema occurs, then substances that accumulate in the blood retain water. nine0003

Symptoms: The dislocation of such hormonal edema is most often the legs. They are dense to the touch: if you press, there will be no fingerprint left. In addition to swelling, other symptoms occur - extra pounds that are growing rapidly, constipation, a rare pulse, increased drowsiness.

Your actions: You can't cope without an endocrinologist: hormones are a delicate matter. Therefore, in no case do not go on medications on your own.

5. Allergy

articleContentAllergies often lead to swelling. If you are allergic to a bee or wasp sting, then a rather large tumor-like edema may occur at the site of the sting. Food allergy sufferers may experience swelling of the larynx. If you have eaten an allergenic product and feel itchy and swollen throat, call an ambulance immediately, because it is very dangerous, you can suffocate from such swelling. nine0003

Symptoms: Redness, itching and swelling at the bite site. With allergies, Quincke's edema often occurs, in which the lips, tongue, larynx, and tonsils swell.