The swelling in the legs is a common complaint, especially popular among women who spend much time in a static position, such as standing or sitting. This symptom is so frequently that often go unnoticed, as if it were an inevitable consequence of time passing. But when the swelling is associated with a sense of heaviness and pain, raises the first, inevitable, concerns, prompting the subject to a check.
Although more common in older people, leg pain can affect people of any age. Since this symptom can hide various diseases of clinical interest, it is important to carefully determine the cause of pain. In such situations, a medical consultation will assess the presence of pathological conditions and to intervene early to help solve.
The diagnosis will benefit from the feelings and experiences reported by the patient. At the control visit the doctor will assess, for example, if the swelling affects one or both legs, it is combined with heat, if it arose suddenly, if it is localized at the level of articular joints like the ankle or knee, if it is was the result of an injury or if it is combined with other symptoms such as backache. The specialist will also receive information on the possible use of drugs (contraceptive pill, steroids, calcium channel blockers, etc.). And the state of general health (with particular attention to the functionality of liver, kidney and thyroid).
The evaluation of these parameters will help the doctor make a diagnosis, which will then be confirmed by clinical examination (swelling characteristics and the overlying skin, search for varicose veins, assessment of blood pressure, mobility of joints, postural examination, etc…)
Tags: cause of pain, leg, leg pain, pain
