Leg Swelling Specialist

What causes leg swelling?

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Leg swelling, or peripheral edema, occurs when fluids build up in the tissues of your legs. This can happen for many reasons, so you should talk to a doctor if it persists to determine what’s causing it if you don’t already know. Some conditions that can cause leg swelling include:

• Salt retention
• Venous insufficiency
• Blood clots (deep vein thrombosis)
• Pregnancy
• Congestive heart failure
• Certain medications
• Bone fractures

 Leg swelling can also happen after spending a lot of time in one position, either standing or sitting or when you’ve been walking around all day. It’s common to find that you have swollen legs after getting off of a long plane ride or sitting for hours in a car. In cases like these, leg swelling is no cause for concern and should go away quickly. 

Your leg swelling may or may not come with other symptoms. Often, leg swelling causes numbness or pain in your leg or skin issues like rashes and itching. 

When should I visit a doctor for leg swelling?

Leg swelling is rarely an emergency, but there are a few cases in which you should schedule an appointment with Sarasota Vascular Specialists for an evaluation and possible treatment. You should schedule a consultation if you’ve tried these home measures and the swelling doesn’t go down:

• Limit the salt in your diet
• Elevate your leg while lying down
• Use over-the-counter pain medication
• Use compression socks if you have them
• Get up and move around regularly if you need to sit down for a long time 

You should seek emergency care if you have leg swelling with chest pain, trouble breathing, fainting, or coughing up blood. Of course, you should also find emergency care if you know that your leg swelling is due to an injury, like a bone fracture. 

How is leg swelling treated?

To choose the best treatment for your leg swelling, your provider asks about your medical history and any current medications you take. They might also perform some diagnostic tests to determine the cause. They might use ultrasound imaging to view the flow of your blood through your leg in real-time, or they might take an X-ray. 

Once they find the underlying condition causing your leg swelling, your provider develops a treatment plan. They may prescribe certain medications like diuretics to help control the swelling in the meantime or recommend that you wear compression socks to boost your blood flow. 

To learn more about leg swelling, the conditions that cause it, and recommended treatments, book an appointment at Sarasota Vascular Specialists by phone or using the online booking tool today.