6 Home Remedies for Swollen Feet
Swollen feet and ankles, also called edema, is the result of excess fluid trapped in the tissue of your body’s lower extremities. Many times, swollen feet and ankles can be caused by simple things such as being on your feet too long, lots of physical activity, eating salty foods, or even being pregnant. Sometimes, however, swollen feet can be indicative of more serious underlying health conditions that require medical attention.
If you’ve consulted your doctor and ruled out serious medical conditions, you may be looking for how to treat swollen feet at home for regular relief. To help, we’re giving you our list of six home remedies for swollen feet you can try right away.
Easy Home Remedies for Swollen Feet
As we mentioned before, foot swelling can occur for a number of reasons such as being on your feet too long, wearing shoes that don’t fit properly, or as the result of dietary choices. While edema may work itself out naturally, finding ways to get swollen feet relief faster is always ideal! Methods for how to treat swollen feet don’t have to be overly complicated. Some of our favorite home remedies for swollen feet include:
- Drinking more water
- Adding Epsom salt to your bath
- Elevating your legs above the heart level
- Staying physically active
- Making dietary changes
- Wearing compression socks
Drinking Water to Reduce Swelling
The first item on our list of home remedies for swollen feet is super easy to do: drink more water! When your body is dehydrated, it tends to hold on to any fluid it has, which can result in swelling.
To help with how to treat swollen feet, experts recommend drinking an average of 11.5 cups of water for women and 15.5 cups for men. This number encompasses water intake from both food and drinks. Statistically, about 20% may come from food while the rest from simply drinking water directly.
Epsom Salt for Feet Swelling
You may be familiar with the next entry in our guide to home remedies for swollen feet but unaware of all its uses. Epsom salt baths are a favorite amongst athletes as part of a post workout recovery routine or to help with recovering from sports injuries. This is frequently due to the characteristics of Epsom salt to help alleviate muscle tension and pain. Did you know that Epsom salt baths can help with fighting swelling and inflammation, as well?
Adding Epsom salt to your bath as part of a relaxing night time routine may provide swollen feet relief or prevent swelling from occurring. When choosing Epsom salt to use, make sure it’s labeled with the USP designation. This is the mark showing that the product meets standards set for by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that it’s safe to use.
Elevating Your Legs for Swollen Feet Relief
Elevating your legs is another easy technique that makes our list of home remedies for swollen feet. The key is to make sure you’re doing it properly for maximum effectiveness. While you’re relaxing or sleeping, try to elevate your legs above the heart level for at least 20 minutes at a time.
For those looking for easy ways to achieve this, you might consider choosing a zero gravity chair. When choosing between a zero gravity chair or recliner, it’s important to note the major differences in uses. Sure, they’re both comfortable chairs for the living room, but what about the benefits behind the scenes? Traditional recliners don’t typically lean far enough back to elevate legs above the heart level, making them less efficient for how to treat swollen feet. Additionally, they concentrate pressure on the lower back, which could result in chronic back pain problems becoming worse.
Zero gravity chairs, on the other hand, are designed to elevate your legs above the heart level while reducing pressure on the lower back. This makes them not only potentially effective for swollen feet relief, but popular for sciatica treatment at home and back pain relief, as well. Many of the potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs stem from better circulation. When the blood flows more efficiently throughout the body, swelling may go down and it may even enhance how the body heals itself.
Exercise to Reduce Swelling
It may surprise you that exercising makes our list of home remedies for swollen feet, but staying active could help! Studies have shown that exercising may reduce edema and provide swollen feet relief better than resting in certain positions. Any kind of movement or exercise that gets the blood pumping may be beneficial for how to treat swollen feet (or even help prevent it from happening).
Have you ever experienced swelling or pain from sitting too long? While certain chairs, such as zero gravity chairs, may be useful to break those bad sitting habits and alleviate pain, it’s important to get up and move around, too. For example, taking breaks to do some exercises at work may keep you loose and reduce swelling potential. If you’re at home, there are also simple full body workout exercises you can do to keep the blood pumping throughout the day and achieve swollen feet relief.
Choosing a Healthy Diet for Swelling Relief
Choosing a healthy diet for swelling relief is another method for how to treat swollen feet you can do at home. One of the important dietary changes to make as part of your home remedies for swollen feet is reducing your sodium intake. This means cutting back the salt! There are loads of low-sodium and “no salt added” foods on the market today. Consult with your doctor for recommendations on which ones may be best for you.
Compression Socks for Swelling
Last, but certainly not least, in our guide to home remedies for swollen feet is wearing compression socks. Compression socks work by applying pressure gently to your feet and legs to keep blood flowing in your lower extremities. You can buy them in a variety of weights and compressions depending on your need. Typically, people start out with lighter-pressure compression socks and work themselves up as needed to provide swollen feet relief.
Note: For more severe cases of edema, you may speak to your doctor about prescription compression socks.
We hope this guide has given you some new home remedies for swollen feet to try. Learning how to treat swollen feet can be as simple as keeping active, choosing a zero gravity chair to elevate your legs, or adjusting your dietary habits. If you notice swelling in your feet and ankles, consult your doctor to ensure it’s not indicative of a more severe underlying health condition. Once you’ve been cleared, try these remedies and experience swollen feet relief at home!
Zero gravity chairs have a multitude of uses. For more information on the potential health benefits of zero gravity recliners, check out these resources:
