List Of 7 Possible Causes Of Swollen Ankles You Should Know

possible causes of swollen ankles

The swollen ankle is one of the common symptoms in most people. However, swelling of ankles itself, actually, is not a type of disease but, in nature, it plays as an indicator of some underlying diseases. In fact, people who have this symptom often do not pay much attention to their condition because they assume that swollen ankles are not a cause for concern at all. Their perception can be acceptable but in some cases, if you ignore the swelling of ankles, you might have to deal with some serious health problems.

To avoid this, VKool.com would like to show you some possible causes of swollen ankles that you should know. You are highly recommended reading this article because it will provide you a lot of useful information. For those who have suffered from this health condition, you should understand the causes of swollen ankles in order to know how to treat it well. In contrast, people who have never had this symptom also need to acknowledge this information because it will help you prevent your ankles from swelling. Now is the time for you to discover what causes of swollen ankles are. Let’s see together!

List Of 7 Possible Causes Of Swollen Ankles You Should Know

1. Pregnancy Complications

causes of swollen ankles - pregnancy complications

One of the main causes of swollen ankles is simply a form of pregnancy complications. It means that when you are in pregnancy, it is more likely to have this symptom than the others are. Therefore, if it occurs, you should not be worried such about that because it is normal. Nevertheless, in some situations, the swelling of ankle might be one of the signs of preeclampsia, which is known as a serious health condition for pregnant women. Unfortunately, this is a situation where protein in urine and high blood pressure develop from 21st week of pregnancy on. In a case of severe swelling accompanied by a headache infrequent urination, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, you are highly recommended visiting a doctor. If you do not take this action, your condition will be more serious and might have bad effects on your health.

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2. Lymphedema

Not only are pregnancy complications the causes of swollen ankles but also lymphedema is the main reason leading to this symptom. Have you ever heard the term lymphedema? What do you understand about it? If you cannot solve this question, we would like to support you by providing some information below.

Lymphedema, also categorized as lymphatic obstruction, is a situation in which the blockage of lymphatic fluid develops in the tissues. This is due to the absence of lymph vessels. Besides, the lymph nodes’ removal also leads to the blockage of lymphatic fluid. Actually, lymph is a form of a protein-rich fluid, which circulates throughout the vessel and capillary network. When it comes to lymph nodes, the unwanted substance will be trapped and destroyed. If the lymph nodes or the vessels are problematic, there will be an existence of the blockage of lymphatic fluid. That is one of the common causes of swollen ankles as well. Since lymph plays an important role in the healing wound, if you do not treat it well, the capacity of healing wound will be impaired, in turn. Moreover, the swelling of ankles can lead to deformity as well as infection. Another thing that you should bear in your mind is that lymphedema often occurs after you experience the radiation therapy as well as lymph nodes removing. Especially, cancer patients should pay more attention to this symptom because they are more likely to get lymphedema.

We have introduced you two causes of swollen ankles, they are quite common reasons for this symptom. In both cases, you should go to the hospital and give it a treatment as soon as possible. It is always highly recommended.

Lymphedema is among the common causes of swollen ankles – Have you heard about it?

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3. Side Effects Of Medications

causes of swollen ankles - side effects of medications

If you are in neither pregnancy nor getting lymphedema, you might still suffer from swollen ankles as well. In fact, side effects of medication are also one of the possible causes of swollen ankles that you may not know. Drugs contain some of the substance that is able to cause fluid retention directly leading to swelling. Therefore, if you are taking some drugs and getting swollen ankles at the same time, you can think about your medications immediately. Here we got a list of these substances, which may be contained in some medicines, in general. You are advised to read them in order to know whether they are your problems or not.

  • Hormones: testosterone, estrogen,…
  • Calcium channel blockers
  • Steroids: androgenic, anabolic steroids, corticosteroids…
  • Antidepressants
  • Diabetes medications

As stated above, if you cannot find your causes of swollen ankles, you should consider your individual drugs that you are drinking. In that case, you need to speak with your doctor to have a proper treatment for your health condition.

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4. Venous Insufficiency

Do you know venous insufficiency? Actually, an inadequate flow of blood goes through the veins in that health condition, which results in a pooled blood in your legs, in turn. Venous insufficiency will manifest through some symptoms including swelling of your ankles. Normally, some valves act as a flow keeper, which means that blood will flow in one way only. However, in some situations, some factors damage these valves or weaken them, thus, blood cannot flow back to your heart and it leaks back down your vessels as well. Moreover, fluid will be retained in tissues of ankles and feet. In conclusion, venous insufficiency will cause the swelling of ankles.

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5. Heart, Kidney, And Liver Diseases

People who are having some diseases related to heart, kidney, and liver should spend your time to reading this piece of news because they are also some possible causes of swollen ankles. In fact, swollen ankles and feet are known as an indicator of these diseases. For example, in the evening, you may see your ankles swell because of retaining water and salt due to the failure of the right-sided heart. Therefore, heart attack patients sometimes get this symptom. In addition to heart diseases, we should not ignore the consequence that kidney diseases can cause to your body. Generally, if your kidney is not well functioning, fluid will build up, leading to swollen ankles. Regarding liver’s diseases, they are also possible indirect causes of swollen ankles. When your liver has some problems, its functions will be reduced. As a result, the amount of albumin produced by the liver, a form of protein, will be inadequate, which is a reason for fluid leakage. In short, liver’s diseases can be one of the main factors, which cause swelling in ankles.

Read more: Best Liver Cleansing Diet Tips – 24 Amazing Foods

6. Infection

causes of swollen ankles - infection

In the list of common causes of swollen ankles, infection is also an indispensable one. Actually, swollen ankles are possible signs of infection. This symptom often appears in both diabetic neuropathy patients and those others who have some nerve problems. You should bear in your mind that diabetic people have a higher risk to get swollen ankles. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect feet on a daily basis for sores and blisters as well. The reason for that is nerve damage is able to blunt the pain sensation, at the same time; there is a fast progress of foot problems. In this case, contact with your doctor is necessary. Otherwise, it may lead to some serious issues later.

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7. Blood Clots In Legs

At the end of our article, we would like to mention blood clot that is also among the common causes of swollen ankles. According to doctors, the blood clot could be an obstacle in the veins, which block the return blood flow to your heart. Hence, it directly makes your ankles swollen. A blood clot will become more dangerous if it breaks loose along with traveling to your lungs and your heart. People often consider blood clots as a small issue but it is very dangerous for us, in reality. Please remember that if you have the following symptoms together, you should immediately go to the hospital. Here is the list of symptoms, including swelling in legs, pain, low-grade fever, and color changes in your affected legs.

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We have discovered seven possible causes of swollen ankles that you might not know. In our opinion, swelling in ankles is quite a common symptom for us. Therefore, acknowledging some basic information about this condition is necessary for treating and preventing it. It is also a big pity to not able to list out all the possible causes but we think that all the information we provide in this article is main ideas about swollen ankles. If you have the intention to discuss more and further, you are welcomed to leave your comments below this topic. We will attempt to answer all your questions. Besides, we also want to hear your recommendations about what we have provided you in order to make an improvement in other articles.

Finally, we would like to invite you and your friends to visit our main page Heath to get more information. Hopefully, our page will become your favorite site about health, beauty, and life.

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