Are your feet swollen and painful or just swollen with no pain?
Do they look puffed or uneven when pressing on top of the swelling, making it difficult to walk?
I know you are concerned about the causes and wondering when to consult a doctor.
What you should know, it is very common to have swelling in one or both feet with no apparent cause.
For this article I consulted an expert in foot swelling and of course delved into medical scientific studies to answer your questions.
Happy reading!🙋
Any questions? remarks? Let’s meet in the comments section at the end of this article.🙏
Last updated: June, 2024. Written by Juliet Semakula a diagnostic radiographer
Disclaimer: no affiliate links.
▶️What does it mean when one foot is swollen and you have no pain?
Do you have swelling on your foot but absolutely no pain when walking or moving your foot?
In this case the most probable causes of this swelling are:
🔴Deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot in the leg, may cause one foot to swell due to compromised circulation.
🔴Foot swelling on one side could be a blockage of the blood vessels. This issue can cause a clotting disorder, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
🔴Edema (water retention) caused by an accumulation of fluid without a specific cause, which can sometimes affect both feet.
🔴Lymphedema: swelling could be caused by a lymphatic malformation that leads to swelling in your foot.
🔴Some medications such as antihypertensive or anti-inflammatories can sometimes cause swelling in your foot.
🔴Biting insects such as midges and mosquitoes are more likely to cause local allergic reactions, such as redness and/or swelling of your foot.
Having no pain does not indicate that there is completely no problem. Swelling alone can provide clues, but it is not sufficient gauge!
▶️Swelling on top of one foot with pain.
If you are experiencing swelling on top of your foot with pain
In most cases this is caused by:
🟠Trauma, such as a sprain
When you have had a sprain which involves anything from a partial tear to a complete tear of a ligament on the foot.
This may cause your entire foot to swell and unable to bear weight for a mild sprain and you may have minimal swelling for a complete tear.
🟠Having a localised injury for example a fracture, often leads to localised swelling, restricting fluid flow in the affected area which also causes pain.
🟠A simple bruise can cause swelling and pain to your foot.
🟠Pseudogout is a form of arthritis characterised by sudden, painful swelling in one or more of the joints in your foot.
▶️Why does my foot swell on top and around it but I did not injure it?
🟠Sitting or standing for a longer period can lead to fluid retention causing your foot to swell.
🟠or if you have certain health conditions, such as congestive heart failure, causes one or both your heart’s lower chambers stop pumping blood well.
As a result, blood can back up in the legs, ankles, and feet, causing peripheral Edema, which refers to an accumulation of fluid in these parts of the body leading to swelling
🟠 Eating too much salty food facilitates the retention of water in the body, which can ultimately cause swollen feet.
🟠 Being overweight can decrease your blood circulation, which can cause fluids to accumulate in the tissues, causing them to swell.
🟠During pregnancy, the extra fluid in the body and the pressure from the growing uterus can cause swelling in the ankles and feet.
🟠Taking certain medicines such as some blood pressure medicines, contraceptive pills, hormone therapy, antidepressants or steroids.
The reason why the abnormal build up of fluid in the body called edema is commonly seen in the feet and ankles is because of the effect of gravity, swelling is particularly noticeable in these locations.
▶️Swelling on top of the foot and outside.
Aging may also increase the possibility of swollen feet that can also be caused by bone and tendon conditions, including fractures, arthritis, and tendinitis.
You may have DVT, deep vein thrombosis, if you notice that one limb is swollen, painful, warm, and red.
But many other things can cause similar symptoms. Some of them, like:
♦️Minor cuts to the foot that could lead to infection if not treated.
♦️Fractures or sprains of the foot and ankle.
♦️A ganglion is a common benign cystic lesion, containing gelatinous material. Ganglia are most commonly symptomless, except for a lump, but symptoms depend on the location.
This area holds the dorsalis artery and peroneal nerve under the fascia. Pain can be attributed to its proximity and its location in the thin subcutaneous tissue over the foot bone.
A dorsal foot ganglion cyst projected in the image on the left is sometimes typically painful.
Both the pain and the mass effect associated with the cyst can make wearing shoes difficult and painful.
▶️ Swelling foot with tingling.
⚫Numbness, tingling, and swelling of the ankle or foot can be seen with localised trauma or injury as well as conditions affecting the nervous system.
⚫When your blood sugar levels are consistently too high this can cause nerve damage in the feet, which can result in tingling, numbness, and swelling. This is a condition known as diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
⚫When you have a blood clot in the leg it may cause foot swelling and tingling.
⚫The sudden onset of numbness or tingling on one side of the body can be also a sign of stroke.
⚫Swelling due to edema will usually make the skin feel tight, heavy, or sore. And sometimes tingling or burning sensations around the swelling.
Note these are the most likely causes in the case of swelling and pain with tingling, however likely does not mean certain!
▶️ Could swelling of feet be cancer?
I always hear this question a lot from patients who come for interventional biopsies procedures with swollen feet.
Most of the time they have kidney disease where one of the main functions of the kidneys is releasing excess fluid in the body.
This type of condition can make it difficult for the kidneys to function properly, and as a result the feet may become swollen.
This does not mean that it is a sign of cancer. But it is understandable because when we are all faced with a health problem our first worry is to think the worst.
But the probability that your swollen foot, without any other associated symptoms or health problems, is due to cancer is close to 0.
But if you have other health conditions such as cancer there are a few ways that cancer and cancer treatment can cause edema or swelling in the foot.
If a tumour is large enough, for instance, it can sometimes press on blood vessels or lymphatic vessels and cause swelling because fluid is not draining as it should.
Chemotherapy is often accompanied by steroids, which come with side effects such as water retention. Edema can happen in many parts of the body. The most common being the legs and feet.
If you have any health problems and you have swelling in your foot, it will be advised to see your doctor to rule out any fears you might have.
▶️Is swelling in my foot a symptom of hypertension (high blood sugar).
Having pain and swelling on top of your foot is not a very good indicator to pinpoint the exact cause of swelling on either or both feet.
Hypertension is when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high (140/90 mmHg or higher). It is common but can be serious if not treated.
Uncontrolled hypertension can also lead to heart disease, which may present as swelling in your feet and legs.
Usually if you have high blood pressure at 180/120 higher and experiencing other symptoms such as.
♦️Severe headaches.
♦️Chest pain and dizziness.
♦️Difficulty breathing.
♦️Nausea and vomiting
♦️Blurred vision or other vision changes.
♦️Anxiety.
It is advisable usually to see a doctor for proper diagnosis.
▶️How do I know if my foot swelling is serious? To consult a doctor?
The truth is in a vast majority of cases, swelling in one foot without any other symptoms does not require consultation.
You can only go to the doctors if you are concerned and worried about it or when you have other symptoms such as:
♦️When your swelling and pain is severe especially after an injury of a foot or ankle it’s better to get it checked it might be a fracture causing the swelling and pain.
♦️Have an open wound or a wound that is oozing pus, it is better to get it checked to avoid things like foot amputations which can be a result of diabetes foot infection.
♦️Have signs of infection, such as redness, warmth and tenderness in the affected area or you have a fever over 100F (37.8 C).
♦️You are unable to walk or put weight on the foot.
▶️Can the swelling go away on its own?
Yes, completely.
Swelling normally lasts for a few days. In the first two days, you will experience the most swelling, and it should start to reduce by the third day or more, but it will eventually go away.
As a radiographer I have seen patients with ligament rupture in the ankle that have presented with swelling and after a few days it resolves on its own.
If your swelling is based on an injury it may last for only a few days while others stay swollen for weeks or even months.
This timeline depends on the severity of your injury and the steps you take to manage it. Other factors can impact swelling time too,
⚠️Caution!⚠️Swelling that lasts for a longer time with no injury may be an underlying cause such as heart failure, blood clot in a leg vein, kidney disease, or cirrhosis of the liver. If you have such worries seek medical advice.
▶️How to reduce foot swelling?
This will depend on the cause of your foot swelling, regardless of the cause. There are things you can do to help you reduce foot swelling.
I have seen patients with medical, non-medical, or surgical treatments for foot swelling being given almost the same advice.
And some patients always ask. How do you make swelling go away faster?
The truth is resting your foot is one of the best ways to manage at home especially if you have had an injury but you should:
1️⃣Seek medical advice to determine the cause of your swelling if it lasts more than normal.
2️⃣Wearing compression socks or stockings to help with the swelling.
3️⃣Soaking the feet in cool water does help for some.
4️⃣Raising the feet above the heart regularly.
5️⃣Staying active by walking throughout the day.
6️⃣Losing weight if overweight.
7️⃣Eating a healthy diet and being mindful of salt intake.
7️⃣Massaging your feet.
8️⃣Avoid standing for a long period of time.
We have come to the end of this article. I hope I have answered some of your questions. I wish you a quick recovery.🙋
Below are some of the resources I have relied on.
📚Sources:
Ahn J.H., Choy W.S., Kim H.Y. Operative treatment for ganglion cysts of the foot and ankle. J. Foot Ankle Surg. 2010;49(5):442–445. doi: 10.1053/j.jfas.2010.06.006. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]
Samantha J, De S. Swollen hands and feet syndrome: An uncommon presentation of a common disease. Trop Doct. 2023 Jan;53(1):187-189. doi: 10.1177/00494755221118995. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35957614.
Dean SM, Valenti E, Hock K, et al. The clinical characteristics of lower extremity lymphedema in 440 patients. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord 2020; 8: 851–859. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Lin YH, Chen CY, Cho MH. Effectiveness of leg movement in reducing leg swelling and discomfort in lower extremities. Appl Ergon. 2012 Nov;43(6):1033-7. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2012.03.002. Epub 2012 Apr 1. PMID: 22472344.