You feet are an indicator of your overall health. Swelling in your feet could act as a warning sign of a much worse systemic disorder. On the other hand, swelling in your feet could be completely harmless and go away quickly with the proper actions. So, how can you tell whether your swollen feet is a call to action for a serious health disorder or just a sign of aging.
Swollen feet during pregnancy
The most common time we see swollen feet is during pregnancy. This occurs because the fluid volume in your body doubles during pregnancy and the fluid must pool somewhere. As the baby grows within the uterus, it can begin to compress the inferior vena cava, which is the main route of blood return to the heart from the lower limbs. Since the return is slightly blocked, the blood has a harder time being pumped from the feet back up. Some tips to help reduce swollen feet during pregnancy are: wear shoes that are open or just go barefoot (the phrase barefoot and pregnant had to come from somewhere), elevate your feet so that gravity does not play such a large role, massage your feet to increase blood return and finally exercise so that the muscles around the veins can help push the blood back up.
Swollen feet in the non-pregnant
The arterial system, which delivers blood to our feet and other organs, is actually comprised of vessels with a small layer of muscle actively pushing blood out to the organs; unfortunately, the venous system, for returning the deoxygenated blood to the heart, is much less efficient. It works with a much more passive process eliciting help from the muscles around the veins pulsating and pushing the blood under a much lower pressure. As we grow older, our veins lose their elasticity, and it becomes harder to work against gravity pushing them back down. So, in these cases, the blood is pooling around the feet. This is not a major medical problem. It can be helped with compression stockings, exercise, massage, reducing time on your feet and elevated feet.
Unfortunately, swollen feet are not always due to an inefficient venous system. It could be a sign of a failing heart muscle, diabetes or a blood clot if the swelling is in only one leg. All of these cases require medical attention. Please ask your podiatrist, if you are concerned about your swollen feet.
