Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffA wide range of factors — varying greatly in seriousness — can cause leg swelling. Some generalizations about causes can be made based on features of leg swelling and additional signs or symptoms you may have. These generalizations aren't, however, a substitute for a doctor's exam.
Generalizations that may help in determining the cause of leg swelling include the following:
- Swelling in only one leg is more likely related to a condition in that leg alone, rather than involving distant organs, such as the heart or kidneys.
- Swelling in both legs is more likely caused by a condition not directly related to the legs, such as prolonged standing or sitting, or by a condition that more widely affects the whole body, such as a drug side effect or heart disease.
- Leg swelling usually isn't the only sign or symptom of a serious disorder. For example, leg swelling related to heart disease is also likely to occur with such symptoms as shortness of breath, chest pain or easily tiring with exercise.
- Leg swelling from a blood clot in a vein usually appears suddenly for no obvious reason, except perhaps a long period of not moving about, such as when you travel. In addition to leg swelling, blood clots often cause aching pain deep in the calf or upper, inner thigh. The leg may also be cool and pale.
Causes related to trapped fluids
Leg swelling caused by the buildup of fluids in leg tissues is known as peripheral edema. Several body systems help maintain the appropriate balance of fluids, including the circulatory system, the lymphatic system and the kidneys. A problem with any one of these systems may contribute to the buildup of fluids. Gravity can also contribute to the accumulation of fluids in your lower limbs, particularly with prolonged standing or sitting.
Leg swelling due to trapped fluids can be caused by such factors as:
- Cardiomyopathy
- Chronic venous insufficiency (problem with leg veins returning blood to the heart)
- Cirrhosis
- Heart failure
- Hormone therapy
- Kidney failure, acute
- Kidney failure, chronic
- Lymphedema
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others)
- Pericarditis
- Preeclampsia
- Pregnancy
- Thrombophlebitis
- Prescription medications, including some drugs for depression, diabetes and high blood pressure
- Prolonged standing
- Prolonged sitting, such as during airline flights
Causes related to inflammation
Leg swelling may also be caused by an immune system response that leads to inflammation in leg tissues. Inflammation may be a normal response to injury or disease, or it may be the result of an inflammatory disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Leg swelling related to inflammation is usually associated with pain. Factors that can contribute to inflammation in the leg include:
- Achilles tendon rupture
- ACL injury
- Broken ankle/broken foot
- Broken leg
- Gout
- Infection or wound in the leg
- Knee bursitis
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sprained ankle
Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.
