Because your legs are in the lower part of your body, they have to contend with gravity when it comes to circulation. Extended bouts of standing or sitting allows gravity to pull fluid downward. The fluid buildup can cause our legs to swell.
In many cases, this issue corrects itself fairly quickly once you’re able to change positions. But if your leg swelling sticks around for more than a couple of days or it keeps coming back, it’s worth having a conversation with a doctor about it.
If you’ve been dealing with regular swelling in your legs and you live in northern Kentucky or the Cincinnati, Ohio, area, our specialists at Vascular & Interventional Associates can evaluate your legs and figure out what’s behind the problem.
If your legs are swollen and this is the first time you’ve noticed the issue, you can monitor it on your own initially. If the swelling goes away within a day or two and you don’t notice any new swelling in the coming weeks and months, it was most likely nothing to worry about. That’s particularly true if you can track the swelling back to something, such as a long travel day.
When the swelling persists or if it subsides but then keeps coming back, it’s a sign that something is going on in your legs. That could be an injury causing inflammation or a problem with the veins in your legs.
Some causes of leg swelling — like deep vein thrombosis — could be life-threatening if they go unchecked, so seeing our team helps you prevent a bigger problem.
Ultimately, you can monitor your legs for a day or two, but if the swelling doesn’t improve, make an appointment with us. Seek medical care immediately, however, if any of the following is true:
These could indicate that the leg swelling is a symptom of something serious that requires urgent medical care.
At Vascular & Interventional Associates, our team deploys a number of diagnostic tools to find out what could be causing your legs to swell. We generally use some combination of:
Once we understand what’s behind your leg swelling, we create a treatment plan to address it, including easing any discomfort.
What we prescribe depends on what’s going on inside your legs. If the swelling comes from a blood clot, for example, we may recommend a clot-busting medication or a stent.
Persistent leg swelling is a cause for concern. To figure out what’s causing it — and, more importantly, to treat the root cause — visit Vascular & Interventional Associates in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. Call our office staff or request an appointment online today.
