Leg or foot swelling, also known as peripheral edema is the accumulation of fluid in the legs, feet, and ankles.
This happens when small blood vessels leak fluid into nearby tissues, causing extra buildup of fluid and making the tissues located in your feet swell.
Inactivity often causes swelling in the feet, while regular and simple exercises can help reduce swelling and pump fluids from the feet into the centre area of the body.
Here are some simple exercises to help reduce leg swelling:
1. Walking
Walking is the easiest way to reduce swelling in the feet and to increase the blood flow in your legs.
Taking a 10 to 15-minute walk can help the swelling reduce drastically by improving circulation and reducing inflammation and fluid retention.
2. Knee extension kicks
This particular exercise requires lying on your back. Here’s how to do it: lie on your back, bend your knees, and lift your feet off the ground.
Straighten one leg and kick the foot upwards. Repeat with the other leg. Do this for about 5 minutes.
This exercise helps strengthen your leg muscles and improve lymphatic drainage. This will help the contraction of your leg muscles and help your lymphatic vessels get rid of excess fluids.
3. Laying down trunk rotation
This exercise is effective in reducing the resistance in your leg’s blood vessels.
Trunk rotation is a simple exercise done by lying on your back. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be by your sides, with your palms resting on the ground.
Now, slowly rotate your upper body to one side, keeping your shoulders pressed down. Hold this position for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Repeat on the other side. Do this exercise for several minutes to strengthen your core.
4. Squats
Squatting helps strengthen your calves muscles and can reduce fluid buildup in your legs.
To do a squat, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly bend your knees as if sitting down, keeping your back straight. Push through your heels to stand back up. Do about 10 squats.
5. Seated calves raise
This exercise helps pump blood back to your heart, which can reduce swelling in your feet.
This exercise is great for reducing swelling in feet. You can do it anywhere, anytime. Just find a chair and some space. Sit down with your feet flat on the floor. Slowly raise your heels off the ground for a few seconds, then lower them back down. Repeat this 10 times.
Feet swelling can cause a lot of discomfort and pain; that’s why these exercises are excellent options to reduce swelling. However, if the condition doesn’t improve, then you can reach out to a healthcare professional for help.
