Swollen feet? Here’s when to worry about it

Swollen ankles and swollen feet are common and usually not cause for concern, particularly if you have been standing or walking a lot.

Sometimes you end up with swollen feet due to host of external factors such as injuries or nature of your work.

Our feet are probably one of the hardest working parts of our bodies, supporting our body weight and letting us, walk, run, working cooperatively as a team, which adds up a lot of wear and tear.

That is why no wonder a number of patients come to me complaining of swollen feet.

Like I said, injuries, body inactivity, tiredness, or sometimes the type of shoes which are worn can cause feet to swell, and we always offer counselling to patients with swollen feet when they seem to have some of these causes.

Is swollen feet something to worry?

A lot of patients ask me this question. In many cases, swollen feet can be worrisome, but majority of people always do not take it as serious as it may be, which eventually put them in major health concerns.

In this article therefore, I want to highlight just how swollen feet can be a warning from major hidden health concerns, especially when there is so much swelling that it leaves an indentation if you press your finger into it.

1. Heart failure

Swollen feet can be a sign of the heart failure. You may not believe it, but swollen feet and heart failure are highly connected. Heart failure doesn’t mean your heart stops working suddenly, just that, your heart can’t pump enough blood.

This means, blood backs up in the vein, leading to form fluid. This happens especially when the right side of the heart fails to function, which causes the body to retain salt and water resulting in swollen feet.

I therefore, urge you my readers to pay close attention to symptoms that may dim heart failure.

Apart from swollen feet, associated signs are: shortness of breath particularly when exercising or lying down, rapid heartbeat, weakness, fatigue, rapid weight gain from fluid and loss of appetite.

2. Kidney failure

Swollen feet can also be a sign of kidney failure. Your kidneys are responsible for balancing fluid that is no longer needed out of the system.

When one or both don’t function properly, you might end up with swollen feet, because the unwanted fluids which were to be secreted out by the kidney have looked for somewhere else to settle.

With kidney problems, your body has trouble getting rid of fluids then, that swelling is more marked, and not just in the feet, some people with kidneys issues have swelling on other parts of the body too like their hand and face.

Apart from these, swollen feet can be a sign of other many medical issues as well, liver diseases, unbalanced cholesterol, infections of the bones, lymphedema, and foot injuries just to mention few. Finally, my take-home message is, don’t always make your own diagnosis.

3. Pregnancy complications

Some swelling of the ankles and feet is normal during pregnancy. Sudden or excessive swelling, however, may be a sign of preeclampsia, a serious condition in which high blood pressure and protein in the urine develop after the 20th week of pregnancy.

If you experience severe swelling or swelling accompanied by other symptoms such as abdominal pain, headaches, infrequent urination, nausea and vomiting, or vision changes, call your doctor immediately. With so many potential reasons for swelling, it is important to let your doctor to drill down to the cause, prescribe the treatment you need, and help you get back on your feet, as soon as possible.

The author is the medical doctor at Sanitas hospital.