Swollen Feet Causes

Swelling of the feet is a result of buildup of fluids. When fluid is retained in the legs, ankles, and/or feet, it's called peripheral edema. Feet and/or ankles can swell up either due to conditions involving the local extremities (such as bruises), or because of illnesses and conditions that affect the entire body.

What Causes Swollen Feet?
Below are a few swollen feet causes.

Mild Swollen Feet Causes
Swollen feet causes could be simple reasons, such as sitting or standing for too long. At times, it can be the outcome of eating too much salty food. It may also be experienced if the area has suffered from injury or trauma. Among women, one of the causes for swollen ankles and feet is menstruation. Old age and obesity can also cause swollen feet. During pregnancy, many women experience swelling in their hands, feet and face. Feet swelling during pregnancy is caused due to water retention in the body.

Medications that Cause Swollen Feet
You may be surprised to learn that some medications can also cause swollen feet. These include calcium channel blockers (calcium antagonists), high-estrogen birth control pills, Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), certain antidepressants, drugs that open blood vessels (vasodilators) and certain diabetes medications called thiazolidinediones.

Diseases and Conditions that Cause Swollen Feet:
There are several serious swollen feet causes, that require immediate treatment. In congestive heart failure, when the heart losses its ability to pump blood effectively, blood can back up in your feet, legs and ankles, causing edema. Another cause is cirrhosis, which causes scarring of the liver. When liver function is compromised, it can cause fluid accumulation in your legs and abdominal cavity. Kidney diseases makes the kidneys incapable of eliminating enough fluid and sodium from your blood, and can result in edema usually in the legs and around the eyes. Kidney damage also leads to edema. Weakness or damage to veins in the legs, renders them incapable of pumping enough blood back to the heart. This remaining blood, pressurizes the veins and causes swelling. The lymphatic system, which helps clear excess fluid from tissues, may be damaged due to lymphedema or some other disease or medical condition. An inadequate lymphatic system means that the lymph nodes and lymph vessels draining an area may not work properly and thus cause edema. Read more on poor circulation in feet.

As you have seen, the causes of swollen feet are many. In order to detect what causes swollen feet in your particular case, you need to speak with a health care provider. In the meantime, here are some of the steps you can take to prevent swollen feet:

• Include exercise in your daily routine. Most leg exercises increase circulation and can eliminate excess fluid from your feet.
• Another swollen feet prevention measure is to wear support stockings in the morning, to improve circulation. They also reduce fluid buildup that usually occurs throughout the day.
• Don't spend several hours sitting or standing in one place. Every now and then, stop to stretch, or better yet, walk around.
• Excess weight can hamper good circulation, so try to lose weight. Weight loss will bring with it multiple health benefits.
• Reduce the quantity of salt in your food. This too has other health benefits.

I hope reading the swollen feet causes will push you into making a visit to the doctor, who will be able to identify the root of the problem. We also advise that you take a break after every few hours, to kick off your tight shoes, put your feet up (above the level of your heart), lie back and relax.