The Allergy | The causes of swollen ankles

The Allergy

Not every allergy can be the cause of ankle swelling. An insect bite with an insect venom allergy is quite conceivable as a trigger for a swelling in the ankle area, if the bite is located near the ankle joint. A hay fever allergy, on the other hand, does not cause swelling of the ankles.

Classically, the mucous membranes in the nasopharynx area swell up. However, if an allergic reaction leads to an allergic shock, the body develops a generalized tendency to oedema. This means that in addition to swelling of the ankles, a global fluid retention takes place here.

Chemotherapy

In chemotherapy, the cause of swelling is usually not the chemotherapeutic drugs (cytostatics) but the administration of cortisone. Cortisone is known to cause an increased storage of fluid in the tissue. However, this side effect is accepted as it has an anti-inflammatory effect and prevents nausea, which is often caused by cytostatic drugs.

The injury

In the ankle area, the most common injury mechanism is “twisting”, which can lead to overstretching or even tearing of the ligaments. In the worst case even the bones are affected. Swelling can be caused by bleeding as well as a local inflammatory reaction caused by the accident mechanism. Experience shows that the more severe the injury, the more pronounced the swelling.So if the ankle swells strongly within seconds, at least one rupture of a joint structure is to be expected, which requires medical treatment.

The ruptured Baker cyst

A Baker’s cyst is an accumulation of fluid in the joint capsule of the knee, typically located in the hollow of the knee. When the cyst opens, the fluid exits and spreads towards the ankle according to gravity. However, swelling of the ankle itself is not characteristic.

It is more likely that the fluid will spread into the lobe between the muscles of the lower leg and cause muscle soreness there. In addition, the amount of fluid is usually only small, so that opening the cyst releases only a few milliliters. Swelling is usually only expected locally in the area of the knee joint.