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What should I do when my feet swell?
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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A specialist will recommend what to do if your legs are swollen, as the causes of swelling can be very different, from fatigue to serious illnesses.
Often, swelling in the legs occurs due to venous disease, which is difficult to treat.
To prevent the development of venous disease, you should lead an active lifestyle, eat right, and monitor your weight (with obesity, excessive stress on the legs leads to severe and sometimes irreversible consequences).
In some cases, your doctor may recommend wearing anti-varicose underwear to improve your condition.
A good remedy for improving the condition of swelling in the legs are various ointments and gels (Thrombless, Liaton, etc.), which will also help prevent the development of thrombosis.
Complex treatment, which includes minimally invasive surgeries, local medications (gels, ointments) and wearing anti-varicose underwear, is highly effective.
To improve blood circulation in the legs, it is recommended to use drugs with sodium heparin (Thrombless), which will also help remove hematomas, blood clots, bruises, and restore venous patency.
What to do if your legs are very swollen?
What to do in case of swelling, especially severe, if it is not possible to immediately consult a specialist:
- cool foot baths. In case of severe swelling, it is recommended to make a foot bath with cool water to increase the effectiveness of the procedure, you can dilute sea salt or pine oil in the water. After the bath, you need to rub your feet well, massage them (from top to bottom). It is worth noting that hot water is contraindicated for swelling, as it can cause stagnation in the veins.
- gymnastics. If you are prone to swelling, you need to regularly do simple exercises (you can even do them at work): slowly bend your toes, jump on your toes, rotate your feet in different directions.
Traditional medicine will help relieve severe swelling in the legs.
A mask made of honey and olive oil (in approximately equal proportions) is very effective. The mixture should be applied to clean feet, left for 15-20 minutes and washed off with cool water. The mask relieves fatigue, smoothes and softens the skin.
In case of severe swelling, you can purchase special local preparations (ointments, creams, gels), which contain horse chestnut, medicinal leech extract or heparin. Such products will help relieve swelling, fatigue, strengthen blood vessels and prevent thrombosis.