Ankles Swelling

Good morning, sorry to hear you are having trouble but it is the sitting. You may have to change chairs or put something under your desk to put your feet upon that will help to keep the blood moving and just stand up like every 30 mins... and stretch, there are things to put in your seat too that put you a little higher so that it don't cut the circulation off in your legs... hope this helps and good luck with the job... and your swelling hope it goes away...and yes cut back on the salt and sodas.. they are really not good for any of us.. I quit drinking soda and changed my diet and lost 27lbs over a year.. Just make sure there are not red lines up or down your legs and just take a walk at lunch too. Exercise will help and that bike thing will help too but moving every 30 mins or sooner will help too. I am also a mom of grown kids and have 14 grandkids now well so far have one not married we had 6 5 living...enjoy your kids S.

I used to work at USAA tied to a phone line all day. They recommended that we stand up at our desk every 15 minutes to get the blood flowing again. Maybe take a silent timer with you that alerts you every 15 minutes so that you can stand up, still working at your desk. You can also use a stool to prop your feet up a little at times. There are also different stretches and exercises you can do with your feet sitting down. Anything to keep the blood flowing. But, it won't hurt to get a test done to rule anything out. This could be an early warning sign of something and therefore a blessing in disguise. You might try and change your chair somehow. If your company is big enough, they should have an ergonomics person that can adjust things for you. If not, you might try and switch it out yourself. You might be sitting too high and cutting off circulation, or sitting too low, etc.

I'm with Kathy P. on this. Sitting all day causes a lot of the fluids to pool in your feet, and they can't get back to the upper body, like when you move around.
This condition is NOT related to arthritis. It would more likely be heart problem if it happened all the time....but you have observed that it doesn't.

Before buying the supplements some mentioned (they are expen$ive), try getting up once an hour and walking around. Go make copies, talk on the phone, whatever job duties you can do standing, try it.
Don't worry about being obvious or not. A desk job I had a few years ago, I did half sitting and half standing---the phone calls, the proofreading, sorting....etc...all standing. If a meeting was going to be long, half sitting, half standing (at side of room) ....after the first meeting no one even asked anymore.

I think you are right in it being associated to sitting so much more. I to have the same problem, and notice on days that I am not as active as usual it is worse. My dr. put me on Lasix for it and it does seem to help, but if you can't afford to go to he dr. you might just try getting up a little more often and moving around. Like during lunch/breaks go take a walk and get your circulation really going. When I was working it did seem to help me when I could do that. There was still some swelling, but not as bad as it was on those days that I could not move around.

They do sell some over the counter water pills, but I have never used them. Sorry I don't have very helpful advice. Good luck!

I would always swing my feet under my chair and put them on the legs of the chair just to put them in another position and I would also move my feet back and forth just to get some circulation in my legs. You need to make sure you move or change positions. Stand up occassionaly just to stretch will help as well. But if it continues you should see a doctor. Sure it could be too much salt in your diet but it could also be something more serious and I wouldn't take that change. I can't think of what it is called off the top of my head, but where you sit to long and not move around and a clot can form which can be deadly. Not to scare you but you shouldn't fool around with it if it continues. Do make sure you move around as you need to get circulation in your legs.

I haven't read other responses yet but I know my mother gets swelling a lot. You may be taking in too much salt. There was a diet my mother had tried once and noticed that she no longer swelled. She hasn't done it in a while but has cut back on her salts. I just remember that the diet included a lot of tomatoes, eggs and spinach. I get swelling off and on but hard to tell right now since I'm pregnant but you might want to check what you eat and see about cutting out some of the salty foods and add more water. By the way my mother doesn't have heart problems. I would definitely check your diet first and write down everything you eat that way you know how much salt your taking in and what to cut out or to cut back on.

The type of exercises they use to strengthen weak ankles will help with the swelling some and can be done relatively unnoticed while you're working. If you have no other health problems to indicate differently, it's probably water retention related and gravity takes that fluid to the feet!
Another thing that will help is "walking the halls". We take the opportunity to walk up, down & around in the hall on our floor during our coffee breaks. At lunch we do a once around the building to get the blood to circulating better.

They have devices you can put under your desk. One looks like bicycle pedals you can pedal while sitting. The other looks like two pedals from an old singer. They are made to keep the calf muscle pushing the venous blood back up your legs when you can't walk around. Please be on the lookout for DVT (look it up). Main cause is prolonged sitting. Usually manifests with swelling, pain, redness. Definately something to watch for. Try to force yourself to get up every hour at least and stretch. Good luck.

I have this exact same problem. I went to an orthopedic specialist and he said I have a flat foot which is causing a nerve to pinch. Sure, maybe it's a little of that but to be honest, it's also being overweight.

Another thing is the lack of circulation contributes to it immensely. I work 15 hrs a day in front of the computer, at my day job and then at home as a photographer. Try to raise your legs while sitting. Either buy a footstool at Officemax or use old phonebooks. get up every 30-45 minutes and take a small walk, grab a drink of water. If you tend to cross your ankles, try to move positions so they're not constricted all day. I take an anti-inflammatory when it gets too bad (Aleve has NSID's I believe). But all those small steps have helped a lot with out the medicine. Just being aware of your ergonomics throughout the day.

Try a different chair, the chair your sitting in may be hitting the backs of your knees and cutting the circulation off and not allowing the blood to flow normally. I would try that before going to the doctor. I would also try getting up and moving around throughout the day.

Hello S.,
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Salt may be a big problem, drink lots of water, the result will be bathroom breaks, which will mean walking to the bathroom thus movement. Also you can flex your ankles while you sit at the desk that may help also.

First of all, I am in awe of you. 19, 16, 14, 11, year old's and you are pregnant! You must be super woman! Congratulations!

I agree with you that if you have been going to your regular check ups for your pregnancy and it has all been fine, this swelling is most likely from all of the sitting.

Drink plenty of fluids, no sodas, no caffeine! Fresh fruit, like melon is also good to nibble on. Try to limit your salt intake. Go to the potty every time you feel like going. Walk around for just a few minutes every 30 minutes if you can get away with it, and try to keep your feet up. Also make sure you are not wearing any binding clothing.

Being active really does relieve this so at night, if you can go for a walk that will also help.

Yes, it is from sitting all day. It can happen when riding in a car, airplane, etc. all day too. Your body is retaining water and it is settling in your legs/feet. No, it is not really good, but happens to most everyone at some point, especially the older you get. Try drinking more water, this can help flush your body.

My feet/legs do it too. When I wear mid-calf socks, I end up with a bulge just above the sock in the evening when I take off my shoes and socks. It goes away after a while.

None of this happens on my days off when I am moving around. My body is expelling the fluid instead of it building up in my body.

Ever since I was a teen and started wearing rings, if we go shopping or somewhere where I am walking around a lot with my arms hanging down, my fingers swell and make my rings hard to take off. Once I get somewhere where my arms aren't just hanging down, the swelling goes away and all is good.

All your responses are good advice. I've found that dehydration causes the body to retain water. See the following article for some good tips (may have to cut & paste address). Good luck!
http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/print.html?article_id=42593

Your legs are not getting enough circulation. That happened to me when I was pregnant. You need to take short breaks and stand up. Wiggle your feed throughout the day. You can also buy socks that help with swelling.

Try and find time to be more active. If you can't leave your desk area just stand up and talk on the phone or take a lap around the office.

I also have a job where I sit all day and ankles and feet have been swelling. I have found that caffene is my problem and I don't know if you have a job that you can wear tennis shoes, but wearing tennis shoes keeps the pressure on the foot so the foot doesn't swell. I drink lots of unsweet tea and water while at work and get up and down so my feet aren't just hanging from my chair and get the blood flow running. Hope this helps.

When my ankles used to swell from sitting, the doc said I had too much salt in my diet. He recommended water pills (not for long-term because I am too skinny for that). Anyway, several things like crossing your legs or even the angle you sit at can make it happen. You could also try thick pantyhose, they help prevent varicose veins, which can cause swelling and discomfort.

Sitting does it to me too when I've consumed too much salt! Just sitting isn't so bad for the swelling, but you've got to cut WAY down on salt intake. Sure helps me!!

I have the same problem when sit to much AND/OR if I eat too much SUGAR! I don't know why, but I noticed it was worst when I ate a lot of sugar that day. By the end of the day, my ankles were swollen and they hurt from the pressure I guess!

I think it's because sugar is a simple carb, and it's for immediate energy. If you are confined in an office, there's not much need for the energy the sugar has to offer. So maybe some bodies cannot process the sugar properly.

Try to cut out sugar for 1 week to see if that's the culprit. Worth trying! Sugar is not good for you anyway... You may feel like you don't have the swings in your energy levels. Actually, I used to eat TONS of sweets, but for Lent my hubby & I gave up sugar. I have so much more energy throughout the day, I lost 5 pounds so far, and I don't think I'm going to go back to candy bars again!

Also -
Try to walk during your lunch break and before & after work. Even if it's just 15 minutes. That could end up being 45 min a day of walking you weren't doing!

There is also Yoga and using a hard bristle brush thingy to stimulate your lymphatic system.

You can also do a juice and raw food cleanse - only consume un-cooked or juiced veggies & fruit for 2-5 days. Salads are raw, just watch what you put on them! You will still get the nutrients and calories you need, but you will be giving your system a break. Hopefully the swelling would be relieved.

Then slowly introduce foods & see if there's the swelling reaction to what you add.

Sorry you are experiencing this, and I wish you luck in finding the solution!

S.,
I would advise going to the Dr. because it COULD be heart problems. My dad died last year at 55 from a heart problem that involved swelling, Congestive Heart Failure. Although you may not have any problem at all, you still need to go and get checked out. If my dad's problem would have been caught sooner, he would still be alive. No test is to expensive when it comes to your life. Best case senario is that you spend a bunch of money to find out that you are fine. Worst case senario is that you don't go to the doctor and you die. I am hear to tell you that you must take care of yourself at any cost. It is super tough not having my dad around. My sister was 25 and I was 28 when my dad died. Your kids are even younger. If you won't spend the money for yourself, please do it for them. They love you and need you to be around for a long time. I BEG YOU TO GO TO THE DOCTOR!PLEASE!

I agree on getting checked out. Although it may be nothing it could be something big and you won't know till you get seen. There are so many things that can cause that. To much salt, heart, poor circulation and just so many things. But if you think of it as a little money now and have peace of mind or a lot of money later on if there is something major wrong. Or if there is something serious you can catch it in time to fix it rather than later.....