Swelling Feet
Anyone can experience swelling feet and sometimes it is a sign of an underlying condition. It can be painful and tender that may affect your daily routine. This article will discuss what you can do at home to reduce swelling feet.
Causes of Swelling Feet
Swelling feet can be caused by many conditions, one of which is arthritis. This condition is the inflammation of the joints accompanied by redness and tenderness. Arthritis, surely, will affect one’s daily activities since it involves joint swelling, stiffness, and redness.
Another cause for the swelling is frostbite. Other conditions like renal failure, renal diseases, congestive heart failure, protein deficiency, cancer or salt retention may be linked to the development of swelling feet. Pregnancy is related to this, as well as prolonged standing, premenstrual syndrome, injuries, consumption of oral contraceptives, decreased thyroid hormones, anemia and electrolyte imbalances, vitamin B deficiency and allergic reactions. Swelling feet can be truly bothersome since the condition will alter your everyday doings.
It is painful and often aggravated by movement. Seek medical attention to find out what is the underlying condition causing the swelling e.g. arthritis, nerve damage and circulatory problems.
Home Remedies for Swelling Feet
There are many ways to manage swelling feet at home. Most of the remedies target the reduction of the swelling and tenderness. Here are some of them:
- Apply hot and cold compression on the affected area to relieve the swelling. This is considered as of one the most effective measures for the inflammation.
- Drink lots of water at least 2 to 3 liters per day. This could give you many benefits without any side effects since it is all natural.
- Soak your feet in a basin with lukewarm water then massage gently afterwards. This is very helpful in lessening the pain and inflammation.
- Exercise your feet by simply stretching them, extending and flexing, to promote good circulation of blood as well as reducing the foot pain.
- Swelling feet during pregnancy can be dangerous and for mothers to be, it is advised not to wear high heeled shoes or carry heavy objects.
- Home made creams can be also used. Mix lemon juice, cinnamon, olive oil, water and milk together then apply it on the affected area. Another mixture is baking water plus water. Also, tea tree oil foot soak can be beneficial for the foot pain.
Swelling Feet During Pregnancy
Swelling feet during pregnancy occur in most women. The swelling may be an acute manifestation that will cause discomfort and will disappear on the later stages on pregnancy but, it may also indicate an underlying serious illness that needs immediate clinical attention. The incidence of foot swelling may be experienced by anyone but such an occurrence during pregnancy requires more understanding.
What causes swelling feet during pregnancy?
Fluid buildup in a woman’s system, resulting from a condition called edema, is often the root cause of swelling feet during pregnancy. To help her during pregnancy, a woman’s body increases its blood volume and her uterus expands in size which in return puts additional pressure on her blood vessels.
The increased blood volume and the expanded uterus causes a slower circulation and ends up in creating blood pools in certain areas and water accumulation in foot tissue. The accumulated water is usually excreted but sometimes it remains in the tissues leading to the condition edema. Simply put swelling feet during pregnancy could also lead to a much more serious condition termed pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a dangerous condition wherein a pregnant woman will have manifestations of hypertension, edema and proteinuria.
Swelling feet during pregnancy is a transitory condition which may occur in and out throughout the course of pregnancy. The swelling feet should subside gradually after giving birth. There are also different ways on how to prevent or treat the swelling.
Treatment of swelling feet during pregnancy
The first thing you need to do is keep your feet up (should be higher than the level of your heart) to help drain the fluid.
Another thing you must do is to modify your lifestyle. Eating healthy food and having good and regular exercise may help a lot in keeping you not just in shape, but also in keeping both you and your baby healthy. You should avoid eating salty foods such as junk foods because too much salt in the body attracts water to also to stay inside. Being more active, like always walking and or doing simple household chores can greatly help to achieve good circulation of blood in the body.
One last thing to do is that you should seek immediate medical attention if the swelling becomes painful over time. Though the swelling may be as simple as it seems, it can still be an indication that you are already experiencing a much more serious condition.