Are you noticing swelling in your legs? Leg swelling, also known as edema, can be a serious health condition. Edema is often a symptom of an underlying condition. At Heart of Dixie Cardiology, we can help diagnose the underlying condition of your leg swelling and offer a variety of treatments to help improve or resolve these symptoms.
Edema is a type of leg swelling that causes puffiness to the tissue under your skin on your legs from retaining excess fluids. It can make the skin appear stretched or shiny, and if pressed for several seconds, it will retain a dimple for some time after being pressed. This type of leg swelling has many causes but is often the result of congestive heart failure, venous insufficiency, or lymphedema.
If you’re unsure if you have edema, there are several risk factors associated with this type of leg swelling:
Staying in one position for a while
Eating a lot of salty food
High blood pressure medications
Steroids
Some diabetes medications
Pregnancy
Kidney disease
Heart disease
Heart failure
In some cases, edema can be prevented or reduced with some simple changes, including:
If you notice stretched and shiny skin on your legs or that a dimple impression is left when you press on your legs, make an appointment with Heart of Dixie Cardiology. Let us evaluate you to help determine the cause and best treatments available to you. There may be serious underlying heart problems that need to be addressed.
If left untreated, edema can result in complications such as pain, wounds, stiffness, and scarring between the layers of the skin. If the underlying cause of edema goes untreated, it can result in significant health complications, some of which could be dangerous.
Treatments may be as simple as medications to help expel the excess fluids or may include compression stockings, elevation, and avoiding sodium in your diet. Exercise is also beneficial to help pump the fluid out of the legs.
When you notice leg swelling, be sure to contact us at Heart of Dixie Cardiology to schedule an appointment at our location closest to you.
If left untreated, edema can result in complications such as pain, wounds, stiffness, and scarring between the layers of the skin. If the underlying cause of edema goes untreated, it can result in significant health complications, some of which could be dangerous.
Treatments may be as simple as medications to help expel the excess fluids or may include compression stockings, elevation, and avoiding sodium in your diet. Exercise is also beneficial to help pump the fluid out of the legs.
When you notice leg swelling, be sure to contact us at Heart of Dixie Cardiology to schedule an appointment at our location closest to you.
Heart of Dixie Cardiology is a specialty subset of the Revere Health group. We have over a dozen cardiology providers throughout our locations to give you the specialized heart care that you deserve.
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