Legs Water Retention
- The water retention does not only affect the legs but also the calves, ankles, and feet.
- Water or fluid retention in the leg area is often associated with rheumatoid arthritis. This is a condition where there is an inflammation in the joint tissues due to the dysfunction of the body’s autoimmune system.
- Often times, the water retention will cause the legs to swell and look bigger than usual.
- There are a lot of causes that are associated with the condition. Some of these causes are minor ones like prolonged standing. Serious ailments and life-threatening diseases can bring about water retention in the legs. This is why patients should visit the doctor when they can see that their legs are swelling.
Legs Water Retention Causes
There are several causes associated with water or fluid retention in the legs. The primary reason is that blood vessels in the body often leak fluid in the tissues of the legs. Reasons for the leakage are contributed by the following:
- Too much pressure on the tissues which can be attributed to standing for long periods.
- There is an outside force in the vessels of the blood draws the fluid right through it.
- There are factors that compromise the blood vessel walls which prevent it from maintaining balance and thus leak fluid.
The three mechanisms that have been mentioned are usually associated with medical conditions that promote water retention in legs. These include:
- Obesity
- Nutritional Anemia. This is a kind of anemia that is caused by nutritional disorders. Good examples that may cause water retention in legs include iron-deficiency anemia.
- Hypothyroidism
- Pregnancy
- Liver and kidney disease
- Venous Insufficiency
- Heart Failure
- Lung Disorders
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Emphysema
- Deep Vein Thrombosis
Legs Water Retention Remedies
- Patients can tie an elastic bandage below the knees.
- Legs should be elevated or placed on a foot rest for those patients who travel a lot and those who work in an office eight hours a day.
- Elevating the legs by placing it on top of a pillow during sleep.
- The use of compression stockings can help in resisting the fluids from leaking out from the blood vessels.
- For those patients that have nutritional anemia, raising the levels of albumin can prevent fluid leakage which will help reduce retention of fluid in legs.
- Diuretics. These will command the kidneys to excrete excess bodily fluids which in turn will generally reduce the overall volume of fluid in the whole body.
- It is best to consult a doctor when the legs swell due to water retention. This is to properly know the underlying cause of the condition and make necessary treatment measures.