Swollen feet and ankles aren’t fun to look at, and they sure don’t make it easy to keep up with your regular responsibilities. Let’s look at why excess swelling may occur and a few products that can help fight pain and inflammation.

Here are a few factors that may be causing your feet and ankles to swell:

Injury

A foot injury is one of the most common causes of swelling. Muscle strains and sprains and bone breaks or fractures can cause swelling as the body attempts to heal the damaged bone or tissue. The necessary process of healing begins with the inflammation, and this draws fluid to the injured area.

For less severe injuries, rest your feet, apply ice, compress the area with a bandage or compression socks, and elevate your feet. This is the so-called R.I.C.E. regimen (rest, ice, compression, elevation).

If the condition is more severe and moderate to severe pain is present and long-lasting, contact your doctor immediately.

Edema

This is a condition marked by excess fluid in the body that can increase swelling and puffiness in your tissue. This can affect a number of areas, feet, and legs. If this is not treated, this condition can lead to pain and difficulty walking due to the excessive swelling.

Edema is too much fluid in the extracellular matrices of the body. Usually, there is a balance of fluid between the cells and the cellular matrix with the circulation (blood). Edema is an imbalance with too much fluid staying in the body and too little getting back into circulation. There are a variety of medical conditions that cause this, and professional evaluation is recommended.  

Your Diet

What you eat and drink can have a direct correlation to the health of your feet and ankles. Alcohol and fatty, salty, or sugary foods can affect your feet by way of your liver or kidneys. Watch what you eat, drink more water, and elevate your feet to help lessen the swelling.

One of the most well-known culprits that can cause swelling after eating is MSG - monosodium glutamate. This is a flavoring product used in hundreds of packaged and commercial foods. It is notorious for moving fluid out of circulation and into the extracellular matrix.  

The Climate

Your environment can also have a substantial impact on your feet and their level of swelling. Hot weather can cause your veins to swell and expand as a means of attempting to cool the body. This is accompanied by a rush of fluids to dehydrated tissues that can gather and cause the affected area to swell. Cool water soaks, drinking water, and wearing breathable footwear can help fight swelling from the heat.

With enough heat, you will sweat as a self-regulating method of removing fluid from your system. The relative humidity of your environment plays a large role in tissue swelling too. If there is low humidity you will have more sweat evaporate, and this will dehydrate the tissues. Higher humidity does not allow for that much evaporation, and thus, more fluid stays in the system.  

These are just a few reasons that your feet may be swelling, though there are several more serious complications and conditions that may be the cause as well. Pregnancy or carrying excess weight may be a cause, though infection, kidney disease, or adverse medication side effects may also be the case behind your swelling.

Always speak with your personal physician to pinpoint the cause of swelling and ensure that there are not critical underlying causes that require further aid.

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