If you’ve ever come home from a long day of sitting at your desk for work, you’ve probably noticed that your lower legs, ankles, and feet are very swollen and sore. If you’ve taken your shoes off, trying to put them back on again can be difficult. This condition, known as edema, is one of the more common leg and foot conditions that Dr. Nathen Horst sees in his practice.

Although it may appear to just be an annoyance, edema can actually be connected to some serious health issues that should be addressed as soon as possible. Fortunately, Dr. Horst can offer a variety of options beyond just pharmaceuticals to help reduce the amount of swelling in the extremities, as well as prevent it from happening. Read more to find out what can cause edema and how best to treat it.

What Causes Edema?

Technically, any type of swelling in the body can be edema. It is the body’s natural inflammatory response to injury or illness. However, most people think of edema as describing the type of swelling that happens in the lower legs, ankles and feet, so we will focus on this definition for this blog post.

Weight gain: Although edema in the lower extremities can be the result of serious health issues, the most common cause is weight gain. Excessive weight gain increases the gravitational pull on fluids in your body, causing them to pool in the legs. Once you lay down to sleep, there is no more vertical gravitational force, so the fluid can then circulate throughout your body. Of course, this may mean you will make several trips to the bathroom during the night. If your edema is due to weight gain, it will also worsen during hot weather.

Excess sodium intake: Some people are particularly sensitive to sodium, so any excess can cause edema. A simple test that you can try is to limit yourself to only 2 grams of sodium per day for three weeks, as well as taking extra magnesium. If you notice an improvement in the amount of edema in your lower extremities, it’s a safe bet that sodium is the culprit. This is also a great time to get in the habit of reading food labels to look for hidden sodium in your favorite foods.

Pregnancy: In general, women are more prone to edema. However, pregnancy can exacerbate the problem. A pregnant woman’s body can increase the amount of fluid and blood it produces by as much as 50 percent, particularly during the third trimester, to help soften up the muscles, ligaments, and tendons around the pelvis in preparation for delivery. This also increases the likelihood of edema.

Sedentary lifestyle: If the cause for edema is fluid pooling in the lower extremities, it should naturally follow that spending too much time sitting would exacerbate the problem because the circulatory system is not working hard enough to pump the fluids back to the rest of the body. Unfortunately, our current workplace environment makes it all too common for us to spend too much time sitting and not enough time moving around.

How to Treat Edema

The easiest way to tackle edema of the lower legs and feet is simply to not sit for hours on end. Dr. Horst suggests setting yourself a goal of getting up from your office desk and moving around at least once an hour, even if it is just to do a lap or two around your office floor or building parking lot, or up and down one flight of stairs. An added bonus is that you may also find yourself losing weight, particularly if you can use your lunch hour for walking around.

Dr. Horst also recommends including certain nutritional supplements in your diet, such as B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium. Foods such as lean chicken and pork, legumes, lettuce, and alfalfa may also be helpful. Finally, certain chiropractic therapies, such as massage, and cryo- (cold) and heat therapy, may help stimulate circulation of fluids.

There’s no question that edema of the legs, ankles, and feet is uncomfortable. However, with a change in diet and increasing your exercise, you can help reduce that swelling.