Edema

Edema is a very common problem among pregnant women, but it can set into anyone who has problems with fluid getting trapped in the body tissues. The human body is designed to eliminate excess fluid, but there are a number of things that can cause water retention and swelling: kidney disease, liver damage, and heart disease. Massage for edema is one of the best ways to alleviate your swelling problems.

If you’re noticing swelling in your feet and ankles (the most common sites for swelling), you may want to try massage for edema. Massage won’t deal with the underlying cause of your problem, but it can help to drain some of the fluid from your feet and ankles and reduce swelling.

For truly effective results, you should get a massage for edema from a professional. However, you can try a few of the following techniques to self-massage or have a friend/partner/spouse massage you to drain the fluid:

Elevate the limb

Lift your foot or feet above the level of your heart. This will encourage blood flow back up the legs, as gravity will pull it back toward your heart. It will reduce swelling and make the massage more effective. Keep your legs elevated for a full 15 minutes before the massage begins. This is one of the easiest edema treatment ideas.

Can Massage Help fluid retention?

A professional massage therapist can manipulate both your tissue and lymphatic vessels, encouraging excess fluid to drain. It’s a safe and effective way to treat water retention without medication. … Massage therapy helps mobilize fluid through the lymphatic system so it can drain more easily.

Do massaging legs help edema?

Massage your feet Massage can be great for swollen feet and can also promote relaxation. Massage (or have someone massage them for you!) your feet toward your heart with firm strokes and some pressure. This can help move the fluid out of the area and reduce swelling.

How do you perform a retrograde massage for edema?

Retrograde massage is another way of reducing edema in your hand. Position your hand on pillows or hold your hand in the air with the elbow resting on a table. Apply lotion to the hand. Begin at your fingertips and use firm pressure with long, smooth strokes to rub down your fingers towards the hand and wrist.

What vitamins help with edema?

Increase Vitamin B6 IntakeVitamin B6 is a group of several related vitamins. They are important for the formation of red blood cells and serve many other functions in the body. Vitamin B6 has been shown to reduce water retention in women with premenstrual syndrome.

Can you die from edema? Pulmonary edema:

Excess fluid collects in the lungs, making breathing difficult. This can result from either congestive heart failure or acute lung injury. It is a serious condition, it can be a medical emergency, and it can lead to respiratory failure and death. Cerebral edema: This occurs in the brain.

What deficiency causes edema?

Low protein levels in the blood caused by malnutrition, kidney and liver disease can cause edema. The proteins help to hold salt and water inside the blood vessels so fluid does not leak out into the tissues.

Can chiropractic help edema?

Especially in cases where an injury or illness restricts a patient’s activity, chiropractic care can often help with pain control in order to allow more movement and thereby help prevent leg edema. If you are experiencing swelling of the legs and feet, talk to your chiropractor about it at your next visit.

What herbs are good for edema?

Before trying these remedies, talk to your doctor about dosages and potential drug interactions.

• Dandelion. To some, the dandelion is just a weed. …
• Hawthorn. This relative of the rose family is a powerful diuretic. …
• Horsetail. …
• Juniper. …
• Green and black tea. …
• Parsley. …
• Hibiscus. …
• 8 diuretic foods.

Can dehydration cause edema?

If you do not take in enough fluids or water, you become dehydrated. … This can lead to edema (excess fluid in the skin and tissues). Many medical problems can cause fluid imbalance: After surgery, the body usually retains large amounts of fluid for several days, causing swelling of the body.

What is Edema?

Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body’s tissues. Although edema can affect any part of your body, you may notice it more in your hands, arms, feet, ankles, and legs.

Edema can be the result of medication, pregnancy, or an underlying disease — often congestive heart failure, kidney disease, or cirrhosis of the liver.

Taking medication to remove excess fluid and reducing the amount of salt in your food often relieves edema. When edema is a sign of an underlying disease, the disease itself requires separate treatment.

Signs of edema include:

• Swelling or puffiness of the tissue directly under your skin, especially in your legs or arms
• Stretched or shiny skin
• Skin that retains a dimple (pits), after being pressed for several seconds
• Increased abdominal size

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment to see your doctor if you have swelling, stretched or shiny skin, or skin that retains a dimple after being pressed (pitting). See your doctor immediately if you experience:

• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest pain

These can be signs of pulmonary edema, which requires prompt treatment.

If you’ve been sitting for a prolonged period, such as on a long flight, and you develop leg pain and swelling that won’t go away, call your doctor. Persistent leg pain and swelling can indicate a blood clot deep in your vein (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT).

Causes

Edema occurs when tiny blood vessels in your body (capillaries) leak fluid. The fluid builds up in surrounding tissues, leading to swelling.

Mild cases of edema may result from:

• Sitting or staying in one position for too long
• Eating too much salty food
• Having premenstrual signs and symptoms
• Being pregnant

Edema can also be a side effect of some medications, including:

• High blood pressure medications
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Steroid drugs
• Estrogens
• Certain diabetes medications called thiazolidinediones

In some cases, however, edema may be a sign of a more serious underlying medical condition. Several diseases and conditions may cause edema, including:

• Congestive heart failure. If you have congestive heart failure, one or both of your heart’s lower chambers lose their ability to pump blood effectively. As a result, blood can back up in your legs, ankles, and feet, causing edema. Congestive heart failure can also cause swelling in your abdomen. Sometimes, this condition can cause fluid to accumulate in your lungs (pulmonary edema), which can lead to shortness of breath.
• Cirrhosis. Fluid may accumulate in your abdominal cavity (ascites) and in your legs as a result of liver damage (cirrhosis).
• Kidney disease. When you have kidney disease, extra fluid and sodium in your circulation may cause edema. The edema associated with kidney disease usually occurs in your legs and around your eyes.
• Kidney damage. Damage to the tiny, filtering blood vessels in your kidneys can result in nephrotic syndrome. In nephrotic syndrome, declining levels of protein (albumin) in your blood can lead to fluid accumulation and edema.
• Weakness or damage to veins in your legs. If you have chronic venous insufficiency, the one-way valves in your leg veins are weakened or damaged, which allows blood to pool in your leg veins and causes swelling. Sudden onset of swelling in one leg accompanied by pain in your calf muscle can be due to a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT) in one of your leg veins. If this occurs, seek medical help immediately.
• Inadequate lymphatic system. Your body’s lymphatic system helps clear excess fluid from tissues. If this system is damaged — for example, by cancer surgery — the lymph nodes and lymph vessels draining an area may not work correctly, and edema can occur.
• Severe, long-term protein deficiency. An extreme lack (deficiency), of protein in your diet over a long period of time can lead to fluid accumulation and edema.

Risk factors

If you are pregnant, your body retains more sodium and water than usual due to the fluid needed by the fetus and placenta. This can increase your risk of developing edema.

Your risk of edema may be increased if you take certain medications, including:

• High blood pressure medications
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Steroid drugs
• Estrogens
• Certain diabetes medications called thiazolidinediones

A chronic illness — such as congestive heart failure or liver or kidney disease — can increase your risk of edema. Also, surgery can sometimes obstruct a lymph node, leading to swelling in an arm or leg, usually on just one side.

Complications

If left untreated, edema can cause:

• Increasingly painful swelling
• Difficulty walking
• Stiffness
• Stretched skin, which can become itchy and uncomfortable
• Increased risk of infection in the swollen area
• Scarring between layers of tissue
• Decreased blood circulation
• Decreased elasticity of arteries, veins, joints, and muscles
• Increased risk of skin ulcers

*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis, or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company, or specific massage therapy technique, modality, or approach. All trademarks, registered trademarks, brand names, registered brand names, logos, and company logos referenced in this post are the property of their owners.