Diagnosis
In order to diagnose why a leg swelling is present, a conversation with a physician should take place first. He or she will ask questions about the beginning and duration of the swelling, whether the swelling is reduced when the legs are raised, whether new medication is being taken and whether there are any previous illnesses. This is followed by a physical examination.
Here an examination of the legs takes place. The doctor will look for pressure painful areas and any overheating or redness. Further examinations are then possible: a blood test to look for the presence of inflammation values, as is often the case with erysipelas, or the presence of a positive D-dimer value, as is usually the case with thrombosis. To exclude a thrombosis, an ultrasound examination of the affected leg can also be performed.To find out whether a weak heart is responsible for the leg swelling, a laboratory examination can be performed to determine the BNP value, and a heart ultrasound can be performed to assess the pumping capacity of the heart.
Symptoms
Leg swelling can be accompanied by various symptoms, depending on the cause. In thrombosis, the leg is often painful (pressure), the skin is shiny and sometimes overheated. In the case of erysipelas (erysipelas), the affected part of the leg is swollen and clearly flamboyant red, the redness is usually sharply visible against the unaffected area.
In addition, erysipelas often causes fever and chills, and the inflammation values in the laboratory are elevated. If there is a leg swelling in the context of a cardiac insufficiency, the affected persons often complain of breathlessness during exercise and reduced resilience, a laboratory value (BNP) is increased and the heart ultrasound results in a limited pumping function. Lymphedema is usually painless, but occasionally patients have described a feeling of tension and heavy legs. This may also be of interest to you: Heavy legs – What can I do?
Treatment/Therapy
The type of treatment depends largely on the triggering cause. If a thrombosis is present, a blood-thinning therapy must be initiated. In addition, a compression therapy of the legs (for example with thrombosis stockings) should be applied.
A wound rash must be treated with antibiotics, regular wound checks and laboratory tests should be carried out. In the case of cardiac oedema, the underlying disease, namely cardiac insufficiency, must be treated first and foremost. Various drugs can be considered here, including water tablets to flush out the excess fluid.
Lymphedema can only be treated sensibly in the early stages, for example, regular lymphatic drainage can be considered. To treat swollen legs or feet Schüssler Salts ointments are offered. Here the types Sodium chloratum, Sodium sulfuricum, Potassium arsenicosum and Potassium iodatum come into question.
They should be applied thinly to the affected area and rubbed in. But also Sodium sulfuricum as a normal Schüssler salt should help with swollen feet. It should be noted, however, that the causative disease cannot be treated with Schüssler salts. Especially if a thrombosis, inflammation or heart disease is suspected, a doctor should be consulted.
