# Swollen feet and ankles

> Foot and ankle swelling is usually oedema, fluid building up under the skin. It often comes from long periods of standing or sitting, but can also come from a vein, heart, kidney or liver problem. Keeping your ankles moving helps. Sudden or one-sided swelling should be seen by a GP or podiatrist the same day.

Guide in [Nerves and circulation](https://footanklelowerlimb.com.au/learn/topics/nerves-and-circulation), from Foot Ankle Lower Limb: https://footanklelowerlimb.com.au/learn/foot-and-ankle-swelling
Reviewed by Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod (Podiatrist) on 27 October 2026.
Next review by 27 October 2027.

- **Swelling is usually fluid build-up** (oedema) in the feet, ankles and lower legs.
- **Everyday causes are the commonest,** such as long periods of standing or sitting, but swelling can also point to a problem with your veins, heart, kidneys or liver.
- **One swollen leg and two swollen legs can mean different things,** so note which side is affected and how fast it came on.
- **Moving your ankles and raising your legs** are good first steps.
- **Sudden, one-sided or breathless swelling needs a same-day check** by your GP or a podiatrist.

## What is foot and ankle swelling?

Foot and ankle swelling is usually oedema (fluid building up in the tissue under your skin), most often in the lower legs and ankles [1]. If you press gently on the area for a few seconds and a dent stays, that's called pitting oedema [1]. Note whether one foot or both are swollen, when it started and whether it's worse by the end of the day, and tell your podiatrist.

Swelling like this is very common and has many causes [2]. Often the cause is harmless, such as sitting or standing for long periods, but it can also signal heart, liver or kidney disease, so finding the cause matters more than treating the swelling alone [2].

## What can cause swollen feet and ankles?

The commonest cause is standing or sitting still for long periods [1]. Others include salty food, being overweight, pregnancy, varicose veins, thyroid problems, and some medicines such as certain blood pressure tablets, hormones, antidepressants and steroids [3]. An injury such as a sprain, a bite, an infection or a blood clot can also cause swelling, as can heart, kidney or liver problems [3].

A few clues help tell causes apart, though they overlap:

- **One leg or both?** One leg more often means a local problem such as infection or a clot. Both legs more often means a whole-body cause such as heart, kidney or liver disease [4].
- **How fast?** Swelling within 72 hours is more often linked with a clot, cellulitis (a skin infection), an injury or a newly started medicine. Swelling that builds over days, weeks or months more often has a whole-body cause [5].
- **Tender or not?** Cellulitis and clots are often tender; swelling from heart, kidney or liver disease usually isn't [5].
- **Lymphoedema** (long-term swelling when the lymphatic system isn't draining properly) may be soft and pit early on, come and go, and be worse during the day [6]. It's usually non-pitting, without the skin darkening or eczema seen with vein-related swelling [4].

## How is the cause found?

A podiatrist starts with your story and an examination, which is enough to find the cause in most people [7]. They'll ask when it started, whether one or both sides are swollen, whether it eases overnight, and about injuries and every medicine you take, so a list helps. They'll compare both legs, checking for pitting, skin changes, varicose veins, sores and tenderness [4][5], and may check blood flow to your feet before suggesting compression [5].

Only some people need tests [7]. If a heart, kidney, liver or thyroid cause is suspected, blood and urine tests and heart tests may be arranged [8]. An ultrasound scan is used when a clot or vein problem is possible [5].

## What helps first?

Keeping your ankles moving is described as the most important thing you can do to stop them swelling [9]. These simple steps can help too [3]:

- walk little and often rather than taking one long walk [9];
- raise your legs on a chair or pillows when you can;
- wear wide, comfortable shoes with a low heel and soft sole, and avoid tight clothes or footwear;
- avoid long periods of standing or sitting;
- wash, dry and moisturise your feet.

> [!tip] Try this
> Whenever you've been sitting or standing for a while, slowly point your toes away from you, then pull them back towards your shin. Repeat several times.

After a recent ankle sprain, early exercise with a brace or tape works better than rest, ice, compression or elevation on their own, and better than a compression bandage [10]. This guidance comes from athletes, so it may not suit everyone. A podiatrist or physiotherapist can guide your exercises.

For swelling from weak leg veins, graded compression stockings are the main treatment [4]. They aren't safe if blood flow to the legs is poor, so have your circulation checked first [5].

## What helps if that isn't enough?

If swelling lasts despite self-care, ask for a review to confirm the cause rather than adding treatments yourself. Compression is described as effective for most causes of oedema [8]. In adults with long-term leg swelling and repeated cellulitis, it lowered the chance of cellulitis coming back [11]. After a DVT (a blood clot in a deep vein), it eased symptoms in the first year but not after that [12]. If lymphoedema is suspected or confirmed, referral to a lymphoedema service is recommended for learning to manage it and for treatment [2].

Compression needs care. It isn't suitable with poor circulation, a leg or foot infection or severe heart failure [13][14]. Fit matters, and people with nerve damage or fragile skin need padding, low pressure and close checks [13].

## Will it go away, and can I stop it coming back?

It depends on the cause. Lymphoedema is long-term, and without treatment its swelling usually becomes more severe and persistent [6]. After a DVT, some people develop post-thrombotic syndrome (lasting leg problems after a clot), which can include venous ulcers [15]. After an ankle sprain, starting guided exercise early reduces repeat injuries [10].

To lower the chance of swelling returning, keep active, move your ankles during long periods of sitting or standing, raise your legs when resting and wear wide, comfortable shoes. These steps are sensible, but it isn't clear yet how well they prevent swelling returning. Book a review if it returns or changes.

## When to see a podiatrist

Call 000 and ask for an ambulance if a swollen, painful leg comes with chest pain, sudden severe breathlessness or coughing up blood, because a clot can travel to the lungs [16]. Also call if swelling comes with confusion [4].

See your GP or a podiatrist the same day if:

- swelling comes on suddenly, especially in one leg, or your calf is hot, swollen and painful [8];
- the area is red, hot, painful or more swollen, or you have a fever or feel hot, cold or shivery, which can mean cellulitis (redness can be harder to see on brown and black skin) [6];
- you feel short of breath with the swelling [1];
- you have diabetes and a wound, sore, blister or colour change on your foot;
- you can't put weight on your foot after an injury.

For urgent advice when it isn't an emergency, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 (24 hours a day), or go to a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

See your GP if swelling doesn't clear by itself [1], or if both ankles, feet or legs are swollen and it hasn't improved after a few days of home care, gets worse, or you have a heart, kidney or leg vein condition [3]. See your GP soon if a varicose vein bleeds [17].

## Common questions

### Why are my ankles and feet swollen at the end of the day?

Standing or sitting in the same position for a long time is the commonest cause of swollen ankles and feet. Moving your ankles, walking little and often, and raising your legs when you can all help. See your GP if the swelling is still there in the morning or keeps getting worse. See your GP or a podiatrist the same day if it comes on suddenly or affects only one leg.

### Can my medicines cause swollen ankles?

Yes, some can. Certain blood pressure tablets, contraceptive pills, hormone treatments, antidepressants and steroids are linked with swelling. Ask your GP or pharmacist whether a medicine could be involved rather than changing it yourself, and bring a list of everything you take, including anti-inflammatories, to your appointment.

## Further reading

- [Swollen feet and ankles on Clindice](https://clindice.com/foot-and-ankle-swelling)
- [Foot, leg, and ankle swelling: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003104.htm), MedlinePlus
- [Lymphoedema Service | Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust](https://www.wuth.nhs.uk/our-departments/a-z-of-departments/lymphoedema-service/), NHS
- [Edema: When Swelling Is a Cause for Concern](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/pitting-edema), Cleveland Clinic
- [Fluid retention](https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/symptoms/fluid-retention), healthdirect
- [Hints to Prevent Chronic Leg Oedema](https://dchft.nhs.uk/leaflets/hints-to-prevent-chronic-leg-oedema/), NHS

## Sources

1. Oedema · nidirect. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/oedema
2. Assessing and managing lower limb oedema: a clinical review · Alsararatee HH, Hussain Y, Adnan A · British Journal of Nursing (Mark Allen Publishing) · 2024. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2024.0210
3. Swollen ankles, feet and legs (oedema) · NHS · 2018. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/oedema/
4. Approach to bilateral lower limb oedema · Jacob JE, Liow Y, Teo DBS · Singapore Medical Journal · 2023. https://doi.org/10.4103/singaporemedj.smj-2021-142
5. Peripheral Edema · Goyal A, Singh B, Afzal M · NCBI Bookshelf · 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK554452/
6. Lymphoedema · NHS · 2025. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lymphoedema/
7. Leg swelling · Schellong SM, Wollina U, Unger L et al. · Der Internist · 2013. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00108-013-3339-z
8. Peripheral Edema: Evaluation and Management in Primary Care · Patel H, Skok C, DeMarco A · American Family Physician · 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36379502/
9. Hints to Prevent Chronic Leg Oedema · Dorset County Hospital. https://dchft.nhs.uk/leaflets/hints-to-prevent-chronic-leg-oedema/
10. Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of ankle sprains: update of an evidence-based clinical guideline · Vuurberg G, Hoorntje A, Wink LM et al. · British Journal of Sports Medicine · 2018. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-098106
11. Compression Therapy to Prevent Recurrent Cellulitis of the Leg · Webb E, Neeman T, Bowden FJ et al. · The New England Journal of Medicine · 2020. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1917197
12. Effect of prolonged treatment with compression stockings to prevent post-thrombotic sequelae: a randomized controlled trial · Aschwanden M, Jeanneret C, Koller MT et al. · Journal of Vascular Surgery · 2008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2008.01.008
13. Risks and contraindications of medical compression treatment - A critical reappraisal. An international consensus statement · Rabe E, Partsch H, Morrison N et al. · Phlebology · 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268355520909066
14. Guidance on compression hosiery and garments - South & West · South & West. https://southwest.devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/formulary/chapters/17-wound-management/guidance-on-compression-hosiery-and-garments
15. The post-thrombotic syndrome · Kahn SR · Hematology · 2016. https://doi.org/10.1182/asheducation-2016.1.413
16. DVT (deep vein thrombosis) · NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/deep-vein-thrombosis-dvt/
17. The 2023 Society for Vascular Surgery, American Venous Forum, and American Vein and Lymphatic Society clinical practice guidelines for the management of varicose veins of the lower extremities. Part II: Endorsed by the Society of Interventional Radiology and the Society for Vascular Medicine · Gloviczki P, Lawrence PF, Wasan SM et al. · Journal of Vascular Surgery · 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvsv.2023.08.011

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This page is general information, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan for you. For advice about your own feet or legs, see a podiatrist or your doctor. In an emergency, call 000.