How to reduce leg swelling in the elderly

Elderly people should be alert to leg swelling, which may be caused by kidney disease. They should go to the hospital for examination in time to see what the cause is. If it is idiopathic edema, no treatment is required. You just need to strengthen your health in daily life. You should eat more foods containing potassium, such as bananas, grapes, etc. In addition, you should supplement B vitamins in time and exercise moderately. Exercise can promote blood circulation.

How to reduce leg swelling in the elderly

1. Elderly people with swollen legs should go to the hospital in time to find out the cause and receive targeted treatment. For senile edema, we must first find out the cause. If it is related to any disease, the primary disease should be actively controlled. If it is idiopathic edema, no treatment is required.

2. Regardless of the cause of lower limb edema, you should pay attention to diet and lifestyle conditioning, supplement protein in moderation, strengthen exercise, wear shoes and socks with appropriate tightness to prevent skin damage.

3. When edema is severe, you can take Chinese medicine that can clear the lungs, strengthen the spleen, and benefit the kidneys, such as astragalus, cinnamon twig, poria peel, tangerine peel, and white atractylodes. These drugs should be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor.

4. Eat more potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, watermelons, grapes, etc. To supplement B vitamins, you can eat seaweed, peanuts, sesame seeds, etc. Eat more foods containing vitamin E, such as lean meat. Eat in moderation and eat less sugar, fat and coffee. Eat more foods that are good for reducing swelling, such as red beans, winter melon, watermelon, gourd, etc.

5. When sleeping, keep your lower limbs elevated and do not sit on a chair that is too high to reduce the time your lower limbs hang down. Clothes should not be too tight, and pay attention to protecting the blood circulation of the waist and lower limbs.

6. Appropriate activities can promote blood circulation. Excessive activity and fatigue in the lower limbs will aggravate edema, while inactivity will lead to poor blood circulation, making edema more likely.

Why do elderly people have swollen legs?

There are many reasons for leg swelling in the elderly, such as local inflammation, trauma, heart failure causing reduced blood return to the lower limbs, abnormal liver function causing hypoproteinemia, decreased plasma osmotic pressure, abnormal renal function leading to water and sodium retention and hypoproteinemia, lower limb venous valve insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs causing blood return obstruction, dermal mucopolysaccharide deposition caused by hypothyroidism, lower limb lymphatic return obstruction caused by filariasis, etc.