If swelling is a natural thing, why do we wear compression socks, elevate our swollen feet, and put them in ice? Doesnt the blood being there allow the body to cure the area?
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When blood initially floods in it is a good thing. Think of it like a natural way to call in soldiers on a battlefield with explosive vests. They blow themselves up as well as the invaders and might cause some collateral damage. If your body wins, then there’s a clean up crew that handles the mess, and gives the ‘all clear’, the soldiers leave. The swelling goes down.
This all happens in a matter of hours.
But what if the soldiers don’t win? Or they’re pushed into a stale mate? The bacteria is gaining more soldiers and spreading their toxin, the injured area is filling up with casualties and forming what’s called pus. The swelling gets so bad that blood circulation is hampered.
The whole limb could die.
This is what doctors want to avoid. So they give you antibiotics to help clear the infection faster, drain pus from the injury if needed, and elevate the area to relieve swelling so your tissues don’t get starved of oxygen while the fighting continues. 🙂
Your examples don’t seem to involve acute injury, just spontaneous swelling. They also seem to be specifically about the lower limbs, so I’m going to give an answer that addresses that stuff in particular. Swelling due to injury involves extra things that others have covered, so I won’t.
When blood is pooling in your legs and feet, it’s not circulating throughout your body correctly. Not only does this mean that your blood is unevenly distributed (your brain needs the blood, but it’s in your feet!), but you’re not moving blood and fluids around to get reoxygenated and waste filtered out.
There’s an increased chance of clots forming, veins deforming, and tissue damage (due to the aforementioned lack of oxygenation and waste removal) when blood is pooling in your feet.
So, compression, ice, and elevation are all to restore normal circulation of the blood and prevent clots, vein and tissue damage, and complications related to insufficient blood in the brain (stuff like fainting, or activating your fight/flight response that will increase your heart rate).
Your examples don’t seem to involve acute injury, just spontaneous swelling. They also seem to be specifically about the lower limbs, so I’m going to give an answer that addresses that stuff in particular. Swelling due to injury involves extra things that others have covered, so I won’t.
When blood is pooling in your legs and feet, it’s not circulating throughout your body correctly. Not only does this mean that your blood is unevenly distributed (your brain needs the blood, but it’s in your feet!), but you’re not moving blood and fluids around to get reoxygenated and waste filtered out.
There’s an increased chance of clots forming, veins deforming, and tissue damage (due to the aforementioned lack of oxygenation and waste removal) when blood is pooling in your feet.
So, compression, ice, and elevation are all to restore normal circulation of the blood and prevent clots, vein and tissue damage, and complications related to insufficient blood in the brain (stuff like fainting, or activating your fight/flight response that will increase your heart rate).
When blood initially floods in it is a good thing. Think of it like a natural way to call in soldiers on a battlefield with explosive vests. They blow themselves up as well as the invaders and might cause some collateral damage. If your body wins, then there’s a clean up crew that handles the mess, and gives the ‘all clear’, the soldiers leave. The swelling goes down.
This all happens in a matter of hours.
But what if the soldiers don’t win? Or they’re pushed into a stale mate? The bacteria is gaining more soldiers and spreading their toxin, the injured area is filling up with casualties and forming what’s called pus. The swelling gets so bad that blood circulation is hampered.
The whole limb could die.
This is what doctors want to avoid. So they give you antibiotics to help clear the infection faster, drain pus from the injury if needed, and elevate the area to relieve swelling so your tissues don’t get starved of oxygen while the fighting continues. 🙂
Your examples don’t seem to involve acute injury, just spontaneous swelling. They also seem to be specifically about the lower limbs, so I’m going to give an answer that addresses that stuff in particular. Swelling due to injury involves extra things that others have covered, so I won’t.
When blood is pooling in your legs and feet, it’s not circulating throughout your body correctly. Not only does this mean that your blood is unevenly distributed (your brain needs the blood, but it’s in your feet!), but you’re not moving blood and fluids around to get reoxygenated and waste filtered out.
There’s an increased chance of clots forming, veins deforming, and tissue damage (due to the aforementioned lack of oxygenation and waste removal) when blood is pooling in your feet.
So, compression, ice, and elevation are all to restore normal circulation of the blood and prevent clots, vein and tissue damage, and complications related to insufficient blood in the brain (stuff like fainting, or activating your fight/flight response that will increase your heart rate).
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It’s important to remember that not all “swelling” is created equal. Compression socks work best for lymph swelling which is usually caused by pooling of fluids in the lowest position because it doesn’t have a pump like a heart to move it back up. You don’t want that to pool because 1) it’s uncomfortable and 2) can cause skin issues because it stretches your skin out and all that fluid’s not supposed to hang out in one place.
As for blood-related swelling, like an injury, it does flood the area with white blood cells and oxygen that can help with inflammation and infection (not to mention platelets for wound closure). The problem is this process can be rather slow and can lead to increased infection rates. With technology, we can speed up the process and avoid the unpleasant side effects. The most recent research indicates that it’s best to work with your body on these things rather than against it. Some movement is good, it promotes blood flow to the area. Some ice for pain relief is ok, but, since it works by constricting blood vessels, don’t use too much. Let your body do its thing while minimizing pain and further injury as much as possible.
Disclaimer: The above advice only applies in minor injuries that can be managed with basic first aid. Anything more serious needs a trained eye to look at and treat.
It’s important to remember that not all “swelling” is created equal. Compression socks work best for lymph swelling which is usually caused by pooling of fluids in the lowest position because it doesn’t have a pump like a heart to move it back up. You don’t want that to pool because 1) it’s uncomfortable and 2) can cause skin issues because it stretches your skin out and all that fluid’s not supposed to hang out in one place.
As for blood-related swelling, like an injury, it does flood the area with white blood cells and oxygen that can help with inflammation and infection (not to mention platelets for wound closure). The problem is this process can be rather slow and can lead to increased infection rates. With technology, we can speed up the process and avoid the unpleasant side effects. The most recent research indicates that it’s best to work with your body on these things rather than against it. Some movement is good, it promotes blood flow to the area. Some ice for pain relief is ok, but, since it works by constricting blood vessels, don’t use too much. Let your body do its thing while minimizing pain and further injury as much as possible.
Disclaimer: The above advice only applies in minor injuries that can be managed with basic first aid. Anything more serious needs a trained eye to look at and treat.
I’m paraphrasing but I was once told this by a Wound Care Doctor regarding scabs.
“Scabs are great for protecting a wound but terrible for healing it. Wound care is wet. ”
So I questioned that…he said, “your body is doing the best it can to heal you as if doctors didn’t exist, scabs, swelling, calluses feet are all ways that your body protects itself to live outdoors, naked”
Makes sense..
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