Left Foot More Swollen Than Right

Why Do You Have Only One Swollen Foot

In most cases, bilateral foot swelling is benign. Generally, simple solutions are enough to put an end to the situation . However, when the swelling is unilateral, a doctor should be contacted quickly. This could be a sign of phlebitis, an infection or an allergy. In the long term, without medical attention, serious complications can arise.

Skin Infection Of The Foot

An infection of the skin of the foot is almost always either fungal or bacterial. A fungal infection of the foot is called tinea pedis, or athlete’s foot. It is caused by different types of dermatophyte fungus and is commonly found in damp places such as showers or locker room floors. A bacterial infection anywhere on the skin is called cellulitis if it extends under the skin. It can develop after a break in the skin allows bacteria to enter and begin growing. These bacteria are most often either Streptococcus or Staphylococcus, which are found throughout the environment.

Most susceptible are diabetic patients, since high blood sugar interferes with healing and wounds can easily become chronic and/or deeply infected. Diagnosis is made through physical examination by a medical provider.

Treatment for either a fungal or bacterial infection involves keeping the skin dry and clean at all times. A fungal infection is treated with topical and/or oral antifungal medications, while a bacterial infection will be treated with topical and/or antibiotic medications.

Rarity: Uncommon

Top Symptoms: fever, foot pain, foot redness, warm red foot swelling, swollen ankle

Symptoms that always occur with skin infection of the foot: foot redness, foot pain, area of skin redness

Urgency: Primary care doctor

When To Contact A Medical Professional

• You feel short of breath.
• You have chest pain, especially if it feels like pressure or tightness.

• You have heart disease or kidney disease and the swelling gets worse.
• You have a history of liver disease and now have swelling in your legs or abdomen.
• Your swollen foot or leg is red or warm to the touch.
• You have a fever.
• You are pregnant and have more than just mild swelling or have a sudden increase in swelling.

Also call your provider if self-care measures do not help or swelling gets worse.

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Leg Pain And Weakness

If you’re experiencing pain or weakness in your legs and have difficulty walking, you may have peripheral vascular disease. Other PVD symptoms include:

• Numbness in your legs
• A sense of cold in the calf or foot, especially compared to the other side
• A change in the color of your legs
• Sores that won’t heal on your feet or legs
• If you’re experiencing these signs of PVD, see your doctor

Leg swelling as a single symptom that lasts more than a few days requires an office visit with a primary care physician or cardiologist, Dr. Bhakta emphasized. There’s about an 85% chance that leg swelling is related to chronic venous insufficiency or side effects from medications, such as calcium channel blockers or corticosteroids . But youll need a healthcare provider’s direction to determine the cause.

If leg swelling is accompanied by shortness of breath or chest pain, go to the ER.

Why Is My One Foot/one Ankle/one Leg Swollen

Swelling in legs and feet can say a lot about your overall health not just the health of feet and legs! There are several different reasons for swelling in legs and feet and sometimes this swelling affects one leg while other times it affects both. Are your legs swollen? Your feet? Your toes? Is it more noticeable at any one time of day?

Swelling in one foot or leg only

When swelling is happening in only one leg, the following are possible reasons for this:

1. Injury: A leg/foot/toe is often swollen if an injury has occured. This can be due to sprains, strains, fractures or tendon tears or ruptures. A lot of times, if an injury is the cause of swelling, this is something you would know about and remember an incident. However, in some cases an injury may have occured which didnt seem like much of a big deal at the time yet some damage to bone or ligaments may have occured. It is important to treat injuries quickly, or the recovery time can be much longer.

3. Infection: Infections can develop following a break in the skin that allows the natural bacteria of the skin to sneak under the surface. However, not all infections require a break in the skin. Swelling from infections is related to the inflammatory process that your body undergoes in efforts to fight off the infection. Redness, pain and sometimes drainage through an open lesion are other signs of infection.

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Urgent Advice: Ask For An Urgent Gp Appointment Or Get Help From Nhs 111 If:

• you have swelling in 1 ankle, foot or leg and there’s no obvious cause, such as an injury
• the swelling is severe, painful or starts very suddenly
• the swollen area is red or feels hot to the touch
• your temperature is very high, or you feel hot and shivery
• you have diabetes and your feet, ankles or legs are swollen

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online.

When To Seek Care For Swelling

You should seek emergency care if you have sudden, unexplained swelling in just one limb or if it occurs along with chest pain, trouble breathing, coughing up blood, fever, or skin that is red and warm to the touch. These can be symptoms of dangerous conditions like deep vein thrombosis , pulmonary embolism , or cellulitis .

If you experience swelling that does not go away on its own, make an appointment to see your primary doctor. If the issue doesnt improve, ask your doctor for a referral to a vascular specialist. Duke offers a special Limb Swelling Clinic for just these kinds of issues. If you have any kind of unexplained swelling, we want you to come in, Geersen said. Well do the proper work-up to make sure you get the help you need.

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Are There Risks Associated With Swollen Ankles And Feet

Although it sure isn’t swell , mild swelling of the ankles and feet caused by edema is harmless and perfectly normal.

However if your face becomes puffy, if you notice more than five pounds of weight gain in one week, or if the severity of the swelling persists for more than a day at a time , call your practitioner.Trusted SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionUrgent Maternal Warning SignsSee All Sources

Excessive swelling can be one sign of preeclampsia but when it is, it’s always accompanied by other symptoms . If your blood pressure and urine are normal, there’s nothing to be concerned about. Edema or swelling is never the only symptom of preeclampsia, so once you’re evaluated by your doctor or midwife, you can feel confident nothing concerning is going on in your pregnancy.

Rarely, swelling in the legs could be a sign of a deep vein thrombosis , a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein. Swelling from DVT tends to affect only one leg , might cause a feeling of heaviness when you stand up, pain in the calf when flexing the foot, or skin that’s red or warm to the touch.

Standing For Hours At A Time

Anyone who works on their feet may feel like their shoes are too tight at the end of the day.

Here’s why: Blood gathers in the veins of your legs because of gravity, and water from the blood begins to pool into the tissues in your legs, feet, and ankles, according to Harvard Health. That causes swelling, which can make your shoes feel tighter.

While annoying, this kind of end-of-the-day swelling is usually not indicative of a larger problem. It should go away once you’ve rested your feet.

“There are no hard and fast guidelines, but if you’re on your feet all day long, it’s reasonable to sit five minutes every hour or put your legs up,” explained Jason Johanning, MD, professor of vascular surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb.

If the swelling persists, or you can’t take breaks from standing or walking, give compression stockings a try.

“Compression stockings work the same way as walking and add a bit of pumping action to keep the blood flowing a little faster,” said Roy Silverstein, MD, professor and chair of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

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What To Expect At Your Office Visit

Your provider will take a medical history and do a thorough physical examination, paying special attention to your heart, lungs, abdomen, lymph nodes, legs, and feet.

Your provider will ask questions such as:

• What body parts swell? Your ankles, feet, legs? Above the knee or below?
• Do you have swelling at all times or is it worse in the morning or evening?
• What makes your swelling better?
• What makes your swelling worse?
• Does the swelling get better when you raise your legs?
• Have you had blood clots in your legs or lungs?
• Have you had varicose veins?
• What other symptoms do you have?

Diagnostic tests that may be done include:

Left Foot More Swollen Than Right

Left Foot More Swollen Than Right. Talk to a doctor now. Swelling in the feet is most common in.

In some cases swelling could indicate a trouble such as heart, liver, or kidney disease. Ankles that swell at night might be a sign of keeping salt and. Talk to a doctor now.

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My right foot is always swollen, and abit bigger than the left. At times, it swells even more.

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My right foot is a lot more swollen than my left and my guess is that my uterus is tipped to the right. Ankles that swell at night might be a sign of keeping salt and.

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I had way more swelling in one foot the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Swelling in the feet is most common in.

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I am pregnant with twins and the girl is head down camped out. My right foot is a lot more swollen than my left and my guess is that my uterus is tipped to the right.

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My right ankle and foot swells noticibely more than my left. Posted at 14:24h in junior national championships by

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Let your doctor know so that. Why is left foot more swollen than right?

Source: www.bmj.com

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Causes Of Swelling In The Arms And Legs

According to Geersen, swelling can be caused by a range of conditions, from bug bites to bruises. After an injury, your body sends fluid to the affected area to help it heal. As the injury heals, excess fluid drains away and the swelling goes down.

In some cases, however, your body may not be able to adequately circulate fluid, especially in areas that are farthest from your heart, like your arms, hands, legs, and feet. This type of swelling is called peripheral edema, and it can signal more dangerous issues, including:

• Blood clots that can travel to your heart, lungs, or brain

How Is Fluid Retention Treated

The treatment depends on the cause talk to your doctor.

Many people will find their problem with fluid improves with more exercise, a healthy diet, less alcohol and less salt.

Some people are prescribed medicines called diuretics to help their body get rid of excess fluid via urine. Some people need to change the medicines they are taking after talking to their doctor.

If the fluid is in just one part of the body, then you might get some relief from:

• wearing compression garments
• massaging the tissue by stroking toward the heart
• elevate the affected part above your heart when you can
• doing exercises as advised by your doctor

Talk to your doctor about how much salt you eat, as salt can increase fluid retention.

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What You Should Do

A little foot swelling is probably nothing to worry about. If you get off your feet and prop them up on a footstool, the swelling should disappear over several hours.

When should you call the doctor? Report your symptoms to your doctor if there’s so much swelling that it leaves an indentation if you press your finger into it, or if it has developed suddenly, lasts for more than a few days, affects just one foot, or is accompanied by pain or discoloration of the skin.

Finally, don’t make your own diagnosis. With so many potential reasons for swelling, it’s important to let your doctor drill down to the cause, prescribe the treatment you need, and help you get back on your feet as soon as possible.

Concerned About Your Swollen Feet Contact Our Experienced Tarrant County Podiatrists Today

There are many other possible causes of swollen feet, and if youve been experiencing unexplained swelling, you should consider booking an appointment at Alliance Foot & Ankle Specialists. Our Tarrant County podiatrists are happy to evaluate your condition and suggest a treatment plan.

We have two locations in Texas, one in Grapevine and the other in Keller, for your convenience. Contact our office that works best for you to schedule your appointment. Well be happy to answer any questions and suggest an appropriate treatment plan.

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Heart Liver Or Kidney Disease

If your ankles swell a lot in the evening, this may be due to retention of excess salt and water. This may be a sign of heart disease. Both the kidneys and liver help regulate the body by flushing out excess. Swelling is a sign of built up fluid, which may mean you have a disease in one of these organs. Swelling by itself is not usually a sign of heart, liver, or kidney disease. However, people with swelling that also experience a loss of appetite, weight gain, and fatigue should talk to a doctor. Shortness of breath or chest pain should always trigger a 911 call.

Treating Foot Leg And Ankle Swelling At Home

There are several treatments you can try at home if your feet, legs, and ankles regularly swell up. These remedies can help relieve swelling when it occurs:

• Elevate your legs whenever youre lying down. The legs should be raised so theyre above your heart. You may want to place a pillow under your legs to make it more comfortable.
• Stay active and focus on stretching and moving the legs.
• Reduce your salt intake, which can decrease the amount of fluid that may build up in your legs.
• Avoid wearing garters and other types of restrictive clothing around your thighs.
• Maintain a healthy body weight.

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Treating Left Leg Swelling

Treatment for the left leg relies heavily on the underlying diagnoses. If you believe your left leg swelling warrants treatment, then it is imperative that you bring it to your doctors attention along with any associated symptoms in order to get the proper care. Almost every cause of left leg swelling can lead to deformity, disability, impaired quality of life, intense pain and discomfort, or death if left unaddressed. The exact treatment you get will vary wildly depending on the root cause, but a few recurrent elements can be seen:

• Diuretics to make you pee out excess water
• Low-salt diet to help maintain fluid balance
• Compression stockings to force excess fluids out of the leg
• Rest, ice, compression, and elevation
• Lifestyle changes

What Are The Risk Factors For Foot Swelling

Risk factors for swelling of the feet include:

• Vascular condition, such as atherosclerosis, chronic venous insufficiency, and deep vein thrombosis

How do you prevent feet from swelling?

If you are prone to foot swelling due to a medical condition, such as cardiovascular disease, try these techniques:

• Avoid being in very warm temperatures, which can make edema more likely.

• Elevate your legs on a stool or above the level of your heart when you are sitting.

• Increase your activity level.

• Lose weight if you are overweight or obese.

• Reduce your salt intake, but check with a healthcare provider first to make sure you are getting enough sodium in your diet.

• Wear compression stockings, especially if you will be standing for any length of time. Moderate compression will reduce the amount of fluid that collects in your lower extremities.

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Causes Of Swollen Ankles Feet And Legs

Swelling in the ankles, feet and legs is often caused by a build-up of fluid in these areas, called oedema.

Oedema is usually caused by:

• standing or sitting in the same position for too long
• eating too much salty food
• being overweight
• taking certain medicines such as some blood pressure medicines, contraceptive pills, antidepressants or steroids

Oedema can also be caused by:

• an injury such as a strain or sprain
• an insect bite or sting
• problems with your kidneys, liver or heart

Unexplained Swelling Of Left Foot And Ankle

Swollen ankles and swollen feet prevail and generally not cause for issue, particularly if you have been standing or walking a great deal. Yet feet and ankles that remain swollen or are gone along with by various other symptoms could indicate a major health problem. We checks out some possible causes of foot and ankle swelling and provides guidance on when to call the doctor.

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