{"id":977,"date":"2021-06-16T21:41:55","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T21:41:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msapc.managed3.brouser.net\/vascular-services\/?p=977"},"modified":"2021-07-19T02:30:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T02:30:23","slug":"when-to-take-leg-or-arm-swelling-seriously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/msapc.com\/vascular-services\/when-to-take-leg-or-arm-swelling-seriously\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Take Leg (or Arm) Swelling Seriously"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any number of things can cause swelling in your feet or legs. One potentially serious condition is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein in the leg (or less often, the arm). DVT is dangerous because the clot could travel to the heart or lungs and be fatal. While almost 50% of people with DVT have no symptoms, others experience these signs and symptoms:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">swelling in one leg (or arm)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">leg pain or tenderness that feels like a cramp or Charley horse<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bluish or reddish tint to the skin<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">leg (or arm) feeling warm to the touch<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you experience any of these symptoms, you may need to see a doctor, especially if you are at a higher risk for having developed DVT due to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">inactivity, such as after a major operation or during a flight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">damage to a vein from a catheter (like those used in dialysis) or from a PICC line<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cancer and certain other diseases and genetic conditions, called hypercoagulable states, that can cause your blood to clot more easily<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">medications, especially hormones (including birth control)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Diagnosing DVT<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A vascular specialist will diagnose DVT by considering the patient\u2019s risk factors and symptoms, conducting a physical exam, and running specific tests. These tests may include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D-dimer blood test, which can help determine if a blood clot has begun to form<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">duplex ultrasound, which images the veins to check for clots<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Other Causes of Swollen Legs<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Swollen legs can also be caused by edema, or fluid buildup, which occurs when the tissues or blood vessels retain more fluid than they should. This can be the result of spending a long day on your feet or sitting for too long, or it could be a sign that you are overweight or have heart failure. Some medications cause fluid retention, which can cause swelling in the legs. <\/span><a href=\"\/vascular-services\/vascular-conditions\/venous-insufficiency-dvt\/varicose-veins\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Varicose veins<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can also sometimes cause leg swelling.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edema in the legs might be a sign of a more serious medical condition, including injury or infection, <\/span><a href=\"\/vascular-services\/vascular-conditions\/venous-insufficiency-dvt\/chronic-venous-insufficiency\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">venous insufficiency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"\/vascular-services\/vascular-conditions\/venous-insufficiency-dvt\/lymphedema\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lymphedema<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or other issues. Fluid build-up could also be a symptom of congestive heart failure, especially if accompanied by shortness of breath, fatigue, and a cough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have unexplained swelling in a leg or legs, you may need to see a vascular specialist. Muskegon Surgical Associates are highly skilled and experienced at treating <\/span><a href=\"\/vascular-services\/vascular-conditions\/venous-insufficiency-dvt\/deep-vein-thrombosis\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DVT<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and other vascular conditions. <\/span><a href=\"\/vascular-services\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contact us<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for an appointment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sources: <\/span><a href=\"\/vascular-services\/vascular-conditions\/venous-insufficiency-dvt\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MSA Vascular Services, <\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stoptheclot.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop the Clot<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/health\/foot-leg-and-ankle-swelling#causes\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Healthline<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Any number of things can cause swelling in your feet or legs. One potentially serious condition is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein in the leg (or less often, the arm). DVT is dangerous because the clot could travel to the heart or lungs and be fatal&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When to Take Leg (or Arm) Swelling Seriously - MSA Vascular Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Swelling and cramp-like pain in one leg (or arm) can be signs of a life-threatening blood clot, or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/msapc.com\/vascular-services\/when-to-take-leg-or-arm-swelling-seriously\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When to Take Leg (or Arm) Swelling Seriously - 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