Health & Fitness

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Q: My leg has suddenly swollen. Should I be concerned?

A: We’ll go with our usual answer here - it depends.

Sometimes the swelling is a result of a build-up of fluids in the leg tissues, a condition known medically as peripheral edema. This may occur anywhere in the leg including the feet, ankles, calves or thighs.

Some causes of this are relatively harmless and do not require a visit to your doctor, such as too much sitting or standing. However, this fluid accumulation may also be a result of a malfunction in one of the systems that helps keep them in balance such as the kidneys, the circulatory system or the lymphatic system.

Conditions involving these systems that can result in leg swelling include cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart tissue), kidney failure, heart failure, lymphedema (blockage of the lymph system), pericarditis (disease of the lining around the heart), thrombophlebitis (blood clots) and others.

Sometimes the leg selling may be caused by inflammation due to an injury or disease rather than just fluid accumulation. Conditions that may result in this include gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, infection, Baker’s cyst and numerous physical problems such as sprains and breaks.

With so many causes, it is difficult to determine whether your swelling is a minor ailment or a symptom of a significant disorder. As such, it should always be checked out with your physician.

If it is accompanied by other symptoms, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, fainting, dizziness and/or confusion (all of which might indicate an underlying heart condition), or firm swelling, redness, warm feeling over the affected area or sharp pain when the foot is flexed upward (which might point to the presence of a blood clot), an immediate visit to the emergency department would be warranted.

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Monday, November 28, 2011