Do you ignore painful, swollen legs as a minor inconvenience to live with until the problem improves? Unfortunately, these symptoms are so common that that’s what many people do. But ignoring them could lead to severe complications.
Swollen, painful legs are warning signs of dangerous health conditions. If the problem persists or occasionally improves only to reappear, chances are they’re symptoms of a heart or blood vessel condition.
If you have leg swelling and pain, or questions about your symptoms, Kishore K. Arcot, MD, FACC, and our team at Memphis Vein Center are here to help. We can quickly run diagnostic imaging in the office, identify the problem, and recommend customized treatment.
Are you wondering what underlying conditions cause leg swelling and pain? Here are the top causes:
Several cardiovascular conditions frequently cause leg swelling and pain. The swelling develops when a heart problem causes fluids to build up in your legs (peripheral edema).
Mild edema may not cause pain. As the fluids accumulate, pain and other symptoms appear, such as leg weakness, itching, and limited movement.
The heart conditions most likely to cause leg swelling include:
Heart failure means the muscles are too stiff, weak, or damaged to push enough blood from the heart to your body. As a result, fluids back up in your body, causing swelling in your legs, ankles, and feet.
If you have heart failure, you may also experience fatigue, an irregular or rapid heartbeat, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Many people can’t stay active or exercise as long.
The heart is surrounded and protected by a fluid-filled sac (pericardium). When inflammation develops, you have pericarditis.
Chest pain is usually the first sign of pericarditis. But the condition also causes swelling in the legs, feet, and abdomen.
Cardiomyopathy refers to heart muscle disease that interferes with the muscle’s ability to pump blood. The symptoms of cardiomyopathy are similar to heart failure, including swelling of the legs and feet and stomach bloating (also from fluid buildup).
Blood circulation is blocked when veins and arteries in your legs become damaged or develop a disease. As a result, fluids are pushed out of the vessels, causing swelling and discomfort in the lower leg and ankle.
These are two blood vessel conditions that most often cause leg swelling:
CVI begins when valves inside the leg veins weaken or stretch. As one or more valves stop working, circulation is affected, and some blood flows down the leg (instead of up the leg on its way back to the heart).
As refluxing blood accumulates in the vein, several problems develop. The veins enlarge and turn into bulging, twisting varicose veins. Additionally, poor circulation causes high blood pressure in your lower leg.
The high venous pressure pushes fluids out of the veins, leading to edema and other complications, like thick and discolored skin, leg rashes, and dangerous leg ulcers.
Cholesterol (and other fats) stick to damaged artery walls, causing plaque that gradually enlarges and blocks blood flow (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis often appears in the heart (coronary artery disease) and legs (peripheral artery disease).
The type of leg swelling and pain that PAD causes is different from the other conditions in this list. If you have PAD, leg pain is the earliest symptom.
The pain occurs when you’re active and improves with rest. Swelling due to edema may develop as PAD progresses and more blood flow is blocked.
You have deep vein thrombosis when a blood clot develops in veins deep in the center of your leg. The clot slows the blood flow, causing leg swelling and pain. You may also have tenderness or red, warm skin.
Blood clots develop when circulation slows and blood thickens. This could occur for several reasons, including chronic venous insufficiency, prolonged sitting and standing, injury to the vein, and heart failure.
Without treatment, the conditions responsible for leg swelling and pain can progress to cause complications, including heart attacks, strokes, non-healing leg ulcers, and tissue death leading to amputation.
Call us at Memphis Vein Center today in Memphis, Tennessee, or request an evaluation online for compassionate, comprehensive cardiology and blood vessel care.
