Swollen Ankles

  • Got a question for you all. Does any one have trouble with swelled ankles during the hot summer months. Mine get so bad they hurt sometimes. Walking helps, but they don't go all the way down to normal until the weather cools down. Can you recommend anything that might help to get the swelling to go away.

    Thanks,
  • I had that problem ALL last summer - which was a pretty hot one for us in central NY.

    I switched to a very low sodium diet (no salt added veggies, very little fried stuff, adding NO salt during all cooking, etc). It did help somewhat - and it REALLY helped food to taste better. I had been salting everything to death - it was my replacement for my MiracleWhip addiction

    Exercise is good - walking, or every better swimming. I also started using a leg pillow when sleeping - they make contoured memory foam ones for between the legs (just above or below knees) that helps align your body better in sleep.

    Hope it helps
  • I sure do. I have cut out all of my salt and went to the health food store and bought some herbal supplements for water balance. It has helped a lot. I have been taking the supplements 3 x a day for 3 weeks now. It took about a week to start working but now my swelling has just about gone all the way down.
    Terrie
  • I eliminated some ankle swelling by just drinking a ton of water every day (64-96 oz).
  • I have stopped adding salt to any of my foods awhile now and I drink at least 64 oz of water a day, so I think I might have to go check out the local health store and see if they have something similar to the water balance herb. I don't like taking alot of medications, so that might be a better option for me.

    Thanks for your input!
  • Thank you for this thread and all of these suggestions. I've been having the same problem and I'm going to try some of these.
  • Quote:
    I have stopped adding salt to any of my foods awhile now and I drink at least 64 oz of water a day, so I think I might have to go check out the local health store and see if they have something similar to the water balance herb. I don't like taking alot of medications, so that might be a better option for me.
    While you are drinking alot more water than most people you are still a long way off your bodys water needs (132oz). You need 1oz of water per every 2 pounds of bodyweight. I would say this is especially important when you are losing weight to flush the toxins from your body.

    Water helps weight loss in many ways:
    1) Increases your metabolism
    2) Flushes water from your body
    3) Gives you more energy
    4) Allows your kidneys to flush waste so your liver can burn fat

    Your body uses fat to help dilute toxins in your body, by drinking more water your body is able to flush more toxins and therefore doesn't need as much fat.
  • ok, i have a similar problem, my feet get SUPER HOT and red at night during the summer. it happened last summer and its happening this summer as well. they do look a bit swollen, but not bad, mostly just red and burning up. has this happened to anyone else? i get to the point where i will stick my feet in front of the a/c vents (floor vents--the house was built in 1922) just to cool them off and i can`t sleep with them covered at all.


    meagan
  • So, LuckySmyle, I should be doubling the amount of water I'm taking in daily. I'll be running to the bathroom every 5 minutes but if that helps I'll try it.

    As far as the burning feet, I haven't had that problem, but I know that my mother, who has diabetes, has had the pain and burning in her heals and bottom of her feet.
  • Quote:
    So, LuckySmyle, I should be doubling the amount of water I'm taking in daily. I'll be running to the bathroom every 5 minutes but if that helps I'll try it.
    Yeah the bathroom thing sucks, slowly build up to that amount of water so it's not so bad. You will notice going to the bathroom less after you have been properly hydrated for awhile. At first your body is flushing all the water you have been holding onto, so what come out is twice as much as what is going in.
  • Thanks for all of the input! Today the weather has cooled down a bit and they are actually forecasting 3 days of rain, and guess what, my ankles aren't as swollen with the cooler weather. Oh well. I'll still up the water intake and see how I do. Happy Friday everyone!