Have Severe Swelling In Ankles And Feet With Swollen Calves. It Turns Red With Dark Splotches While Walking. Suggest?

Posted on Sun, 15 Sep 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 15 Sep 2013 Answered on

Sun, 6 Oct 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have severe swelling in my ankles and feet on a daily basis. Some days my calves are swollen as well. When I travel my feet and ankles get so swollen they turn red and have dark splotches on them and I get reddish maroon dots on the backs of my calves. The only time the swelling goes down is when I lay down and keep me feet elevated for a day or two. But the swelling starts again as soon as I am on my feet or even sitting upright. What is going on????

Answered by Dr. Dr. R.A. SINGH (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
It seems to be postural edema.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing your query.

After reading your post, it seems that you might be having postural edema.
In this fluid collects in the subcutaneous tissue of the feet due to increased hydrostatic pressure in the capillaries as a result of standing for long durations.

I would also advise that you should go for a clinical examination by a vascular surgeon to rule out Varicose veins.
Dark patches can be due to blood clotting within the affected veins.

You should avoid standing for long durations. Elevation of legs will be helpful.
You can wear elastic compression stockings for support.

I hope this is helpful to you.
If you have any further query, I will be happy to help.
Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar