5 factors that lead to severe swelling

What causes swelling

According to Ukrainian endocrinologist and therapist Natalia Liashenko, swelling can be either physiological or pathological. Very often, it is simply a result of lymphatic stagnation and requires only lifestyle and dietary adjustments.

Swelling is likely if you have:

• A sedentary or standing job. There are fitness trackers that signal every half hour to encourage people to walk 250 steps.
• A high salt intake. Remember that salt also hides in bread, sauces, juices, sausages, canned foods, and salted nuts.
• The second phase of your menstrual cycle.
• You take certain medications (oral contraceptives, NSAIDs, glucocorticoids, calcium channel blockers).
• Alcohol consumption and poor sleep. If you enjoy a glass of beer or wine in the evening, don’t be surprised by swelling in the morning.

Swelling can also occur with certain conditions:

• Hypothyroidism
• Heart, kidney failure, cirrhosis of the liver
• Varicose veins
• Allergies

"If you notice swelling, don’t panic. Analyze your lifestyle," the doctor emphasized.

What causes swelling of the hands and fingers

Swelling of the hands is a common occurrence in hot weather. Normally, in summer you may sometimes struggle to remove your ring at the end of the day.

However, if only one hand is swelling, it is a reason to consult a doctor immediately. The cause could be unilateral lymphatic retention, a phenomenon that could be a sign of cancer.

What you can do without a doctor's prescription: If swelling appears without signs of any disease, you can try the following:

• Reduce salt intake.
• Increase physical activity: this helps train your blood vessels and prevents future insufficiency.
• If you experience swelling in your limbs at the end of the workday, elevate your feet on a pillow above waist level and rest.
• Perform gentle massages. Face rollers and various body massagers are safe as long as they don’t cause discomfort.
• Consider compression stockings: they can help prevent venous insufficiency and swelling of the lower limbs.
• Take foot baths: they are safe and help relieve fatigue.

Earlier, we reported that a deficiency of these vitamins leads to leg pain.

Sources: Instagram page of Ukrainian endocrinologist and therapist Natalia Liashenko and the Wonder Zine website.

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.