When summer rolls around, shoes come off and are replaced with stylish sandals. Some women are surprised to find they can’t squeeze their tootsies into those stylish little sandals, especially at the end of the day. The reason? Foot and ankle swelling. Ankle swelling is a relatively common problem among women, especially in the warm, summer months. You might notice it at the end of the day when you’ve been sitting or standing for a long period of time. In most cases, ankle swelling that comes and goes and is worse at the end of the day is benign, although ankle swelling can have more serious causes.
Why Ankles Swell and Why Ankle Swelling is More Common in Women
Ankle swelling is so common in the summer, there’s actually a name for it – heat edema. When it’s warm outside, blood vessels, including those in your legs and feet, dilate, or open wider, to release heat and cool your body. At the same time, gravity pulls fluid down into your lower legs and ankles. Because the blood vessels are dilated, the fluid has an easier time entering the soft tissues in your ankles and feet. Standing and sitting for a period of time compound the effects of gravity and make the problem worse. At the end of the day is when you usually start to notice your ankles are swollen and feel tight.
Ankle swelling related to heat or standing too long is more frequent in women and becomes more common with age. Hormones like estrogen play a role. Some women notice ankle swelling during certain times of their menstrual cycle. If you take hormone replacement therapy, you’re also more likely to experience it. Certain other medications can cause ankle edema. Some diabetes medications, anti-depressants, and medications used to treat high blood pressure can cause swelling in the feet and ankles. If you take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or steroid medications like prednisone, you may experience it too.
Some women experience damage to the tiny valves inside veins that prevent backflow of blood. Veins receive oxygenated blood from the heart and direct it back up towards the heart after oxygen has been delivered to the tissues. The valves keep blood moving toward the heart instead of backward towards the feet and ankles. When those valves are damaged, fluid collects in the feet and ankles. The term used to describe this condition is chronic venous insufficiency. Sometimes this problem runs in families. It’s also more common in people who are overweight or tall because being taller or heavier places more pressure on the valves. If you have this problem, you may also, but not necessarily, have varicose veins.
Other Causes of Ankle Edema
Ankle swelling can sometimes be a sign of more serious health problems including kidney or liver disease – or even heart failure. In these cases, you’ll typically have other symptoms and the swelling will be more persistent. An under-active thyroid can also cause ankle swelling. It’s a good idea to get checked out by a doctor if you develop unexplained ankle swelling, especially if it’s a constant problem. Ankle edema that doesn’t disappear overnight suggests a more serious problem.
One thing to be aware of – if one leg or ankle is swollen and the other isn’t – get it checked out right away. Calf swelling on one side only may be a sign of a blood clot in the deeper veins of the lower leg. If you take hormone replacement therapy or birth control pills, you’re at greater risk for blood clots. A blood clot in the calf usually causes pain when you flex the leg – but not always. Swelling on one side only is a reason to seek medical attention – fast.
How Can You Prevent Swollen Ankles?
Who wants to deal with ankle swelling? Here are some measures you can take to help your ankles get back to normal size.
Elevate your feet on a stool or chair when you work at your computer so they aren’t hanging down. Several times a day, prop your feet way up, above your heart. Get up out of your chair and walk around as often as possible. When you walk you contract your calf muscle. These contractions push the fluid in your blood vessels back towards your heart. That’s why exercise is so beneficial for ankle swelling.
If ankle swelling is a big problem, and you’ve been checked out and know it’s nothing serious, wear a pair of knee-high compression stockings when you know you’ll be sitting or standing for a long time. The ones you buy at the drug store offer less compression than prescription stockings but they should still help.
Watch the sodium in your diet. A high-sodium diet definitely makes the problem worse. If you’re eating lots of processed and packaged foods, you’re probably getting a whopping dose of sodium. Eat more potassium-rich fruits and vegetables – and skip the chips. Drink more water! It might sound counterintuitive but drinking water helps ankle swelling by causing your kidneys to release more fluid. In contrast, a high-sodium diet causes your kidneys to hang onto water. It’s easy to forget to drink fluids but doing so is important for a number of reasons including preventing swollen ankles. Drinking plenty of water also helps prevent kidney stones. Like swollen ankles, kidney stones are common in the summer months when people get dehydrated.
The Bottom Line?
Ankle edema is a common problem in women and one that’s usually benign. Simple measures like drinking more water, cutting back on salt and elevating your feet can have a big impact on ankle swelling. On the other hand, it’s important to get persistent or one-sided ankle edema checked out by a doctor.
References:
Medscape Family Medicine. “Approach to Leg Edema of Unclear Etiology”
WebMD. “What Causes Swollen Ankles and Feet?”
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