Why Do My Legs Look Swollen at Night?

Leg swelling (also known as peripheral edema) occurs when something disrupts the fluid balance in your cells, causing fluid to accumulate in your tissue. The force of gravity pulls the excess fluid into your extremities, namely your feet, hands, and legs. 

The cause may be simple. Many experience swollen legs after sitting or standing for too long, sustaining an injury, wearing tight clothing, changing elevations, or even eating too much salt. Pregnant women and older adults are also more likely to experience swollen legs.

It’s not uncommon for your legs and ankles to swell a bit at night. After all, you’ve been on your feet all day, and depending on the temperature, your diet, and other factors, chances are you’re holding on to a bit of extra fluid in your extremities. 

However, that doesn’t mean you should ignore leg swelling that only appears at certain times of the day.

Certain vascular conditions associated with peripheral edema set alarm bells off in our minds. In this blog, our team of specialists at Advanced Vascular Solutions walks through a few of the more serious causes of leg swelling so you can make informed decisions about your health.

Vascular conditions connected to leg swelling

There’s no easy way to tell if your swollen legs result from a temporary condition or an underlying disease. The best thing you can do is educate yourself on all the possible causes of leg swelling and then make an appointment with us at the first sign of persistent swelling. 

Some of the cardiovascular conditions that cause leg swelling include the following. 

Venous insufficiency

When you have venous insufficiency, it means the veins in your legs are weak or damaged and can’t pump blood up toward your heart. The blood begins to pool in your lower legs, often causing other warning signs, like spider and varicose veins. 

Venous insufficiency is also one of the most common causes of leg swelling. In the beginning stages, your swollen legs will be soft, and you may notice some pitting (brief indentation in your skin after touching it). Later, your skin may change color and become thicker and more fibrous. 

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)

Peripheral arterial disease refers to a narrowing or blockage of your blood vessels, namely those in your arms and legs. The blockage usually stems from plaque buildup along the blood vessel walls. 

In addition to leg and ankle swelling, you may experience leg pain, muscle loss or weakness, numbness, tingling, slow wound healing, and even hair loss or growth on the affected leg. 

When to see us about leg swelling

Venous insufficiency and PAD are just two of the most common vascular conditions we see that can cause leg swelling. There are many other causes, ranging from mild to life-threatening. 

For that reason, we encourage you to take leg swelling seriously, even if it only happens in the evening and nighttime. You should seek immediate medical attention if leg swelling is accompanied by: 

• Chest pain
• Difficult breathing
• Shortness of breath with activity or lying flat in bed
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Coughing blood

Sudden, severe swelling, swelling connected to a physical injury, pain, temperature, and color changes are also causes for concern and should be evaluated by one of our specialists. 

What we can do about leg swelling

Your treatment plan depends solely on the cause, which often requires extensive diagnostic testing to uncover. Depending on your specific symptoms, we may perform an ankle-brachial index (ABI) to compare blood pressure in your arms to the readings in your legs and/or an ultrasound. 

Treatment also varies from person to person. Almost everyone with leg swelling needs to make certain lifestyle adjustments to improve their vascular health, such as modifying their diet, increasing their activity levels, and quitting smoking.

We can treat many underlying causes and symptoms of leg swelling with disease-specific medications, thrombolytic therapy, angioplasty, bypass surgery, wound care, and VenaSeal™. 

Whether your leg swelling is a problem all day long or it comes and goes in the evenings, we want to talk to you about a potential vascular problem. You can request an appointment online or over the phone today. We serve patients in the Melbourne and Sebastian, Florida, area.