Is there a better explanation for why your lower leg swells? During my years in chiropractic college, I learned about primary care from the chiropractic holistic care perspective because our school was located in a state that recognized and treated chiropractors as primary care doctors in the early 1980s. People are often surprised to hear that their local chiropractor practices a form of primary care without drugs, surgery, or other interventions that is effective for the musculoskeletal system and also to rule out true medical emergencies. Unlike most medical offices, we do not tell everyone to go to the ER, as most medical and therapy offices do. Often, a simple phone conversation can help us decide if we can help them avoid the waiting and get better immediate care for what they consider an emergency. A well-known statistic is that 95% of those who think they are having a heart attack have another problem, usually musculoskeletal in nature. I will, if it is appropriate, refer them to the ER or urgent care if needed. I do take blood pressure, and if needed, listen to the heart and lungs too when required. I will even look at your ears and throat as you normally do during a medical evaluation. While I will check the lower leg pulses, I will do a comprehensive history and a thorough musculoskeletal evaluation. If this sounds like primary care, it is, only we specialize in the musculoskeletal system, which is often not considered as a reason for a swollen leg, yet it is often the most common finding in our office and the most easily solvable. What I often hear from patients who have swelling in their ankles, lower legs, or feet. I was told to wear support hose. I was told I need to see a vein specialist to have the distended veins that are making my legs ache removed. I am on a medication to reduce swelling. I am seeing a specialist for my foot pain, my back pain, my bad hip, etc. I need special shoes for my painful feet. Injuries to muscles and tendons just happen. You are getting older. Sometimes people just develop stress fractures. I have been checked multiple times to rule out blood clots. The tests are negative. You have gout that will flare up from time to time, yet your uric acid levels are not high. What I often see is patients whose condition never improves, and may have to endure treatments, and other one-size-fits-all approaches that are not curative. If you have circulation issues, why? If an injury just occurred after having pain for years that was treated with medication, why? What they needed was a proper diagnosis. Why see a chiropractor first for a swollen leg? A swollen leg can mean anything from cellulitis, which we have referred out to the ER, to the most common reason: impact. When was the last time your doctor evaluated your musculoskeletal system, which comprises 55% of your body? For most patients with swollen legs, the answer is usually never, yet this is the most common reason for a swollen lower leg. The problems of impact can occur from being overweight, but often, patients who have this are known to have a heavy gait, meaning everyone can hear them walking. When we place them on a treadmill, they often lose balance at the faster speeds, and you can hear the loud impact on the surface of the platform as they walk. It is not uncommon for a new patient who has a swollen leg to present with back, leg, and hip pain. During the evaluation, I asked about it and the history behind it. It is quite common to get a list of symptoms that helps us solve not only their painful problem but their swollen leg as well. What medical doctors often miss, even though it is standing in front of them. I will point these things out to a new patient as we begin our exam from the feet up. To understand why someone hurts, we must look at them, not just their symptom. While we never see a bad knee or back walking in the park, we do see people who are limping or are trying to use exercise to relieve stiffness and pain, yet we can visibly see they are not walking properly. Over time, these problems predictably worsen as the core works more poorly, the legs tighten, and even getting into their car or out of the chair is more difficult. The good news is your chiropractor can help you because of their skills in evaluation and how they improve the way you move. The most common findings in people who have swollen ankles are tight legs. This leads to immobile ankles and feet, which will eventually cause knee, hip, leg, sciatic, spine, and even foot pain, such as plantar fasciitis. Over time, the impact causes stress on the tissues, which tighten over time, and reduce flexibility throughout the fascial system, which makes us chronically tight and sore. This is exacerbated by sitting, something many of us do for work and at home, resulting in leg swelling. The use of medications does nothing to improve your body mechanics and, long term, is likely why so many people have joint replacement surgery, vein removal procedures, and other approaches to pain rather than function. How does your chiropractor improve your swollen leg? Once properly diagnosed and treated, using methods such as manipulation of the joints of the spine and extremities, myofascial release to improve the fascia, an essential part of how we move, and corrective exercises, most people see reductions of swelling and pain naturally as movement and the way you walk improves while you are now lighter on your feet. Patients who are unlevel from the ground up because they are asymmetrically built may have off-the-shelf foot orthotics recommended to improve how they walk and improve how they move. We also check shoe size since so many of our patients with toe pain that is treated by podiatrists improve by choosing properly fitted footwear. Being thorough is built into the holistic model for care. A mechanical approach to mechanical problems is what chiropractors do. Our primary care approach reduces medical costs by efficiently solving your problems by improving how you move and function, which helps you do more and feel better while you enjoy a more active and pain-free lifestyle. Is it time for a chiropractic visit? Do you have chronic back and leg pain and swelling in the legs as well? We can help. Book online or call today.