6 Ways to Reduce Ankle Swelling Fast
Key takeaways:
There’s no way to get rid of ankle swelling immediately. But there are steps you can take to reduce it.
Leg elevation, movement, compression stockings, and a low-sodium diet can help relieve swollen ankles.
Ankle swelling can look like other, more serious conditions. It’s important to watch for certain symptoms and know when to get medical attention.
Table of contents
Most people experience swollen ankles at some point in their lives. Most commonly, it’s dependent edema — or swelling caused by gravity pulling fluid downward. This can happen after you’ve been sitting or standing in one position for too long.
Swollen ankles can also be related to pregnancy, age, high levels of salt in your diet, medications, or lower extremity trauma. However, there are more serious causes of leg swelling. These include blood clots in the leg or worsening of heart, kidney, or liver disease.
How stubborn the swelling is will depend on the cause. While there’s no way to get rid of swollen ankles immediately, you can take some steps to decrease or prevent swelling. Here are six things to try.
1. Elevate your legs
Elevating your legs above the level of your heart lowers the pressure in your vessels. This prompts fluid to leave your tissues and re-enter your blood vessels. This lowers swelling in your legs.
An easy way to elevate your legs is to lie flat on your back with your legs propped up on pillows. Or you can perform a pose called “legs up the wall.”
2. Move your legs
Moving your legs can also help reduce swelling. This is because activities that use your leg muscles squeeze blood and lymph vessels. This pressure pushes fluid back into your vessels and into circulation, where it can then leave your body. Some great options include:
Walking
Running
Yoga
Simple lower body exercises like calf raises
Not sure why your ankles are swollen? It could be one of these medications.
“Poor circulation” in your legs can have different causes. Learn the difference between chronic venous insufficiency and peripheral arterial disease.
Chronic leg swelling can also cause skin problems. These images of venous stasis dermatitis can help you understand what it may look like on your skin.
3. Wear support or compression stockings
Compression socks or stockings can also apply helpful pressure on your legs. The compression presses on the outside of your vessels and helps push fluid back into your vessels. A healthcare professional can prescribe compression stockings that are specific to your needs and size. Many stores and pharmacies carry some options as well.
4. Decrease salt intake
Changes in your blood’s salt concentration can make fluid move in or out of your vessels. Lowering your salt intake can help your body move fluid into your vessels more efficiently.
On average, people in the U.S. eat more salt than they really need. Experts recommend keeping your salt intake below 2,300 mg each day. There are a lot of sneaky sources of salt — especially in processed and canned foods — so it helps to look at labels. It may take some time to get used to a lower sodium diet, but it’ll be worth it in the end.
5. Avoid sitting or standing still
Take frequent movement breaks if you’re traveling a long distance by train, car, or plane. It’s also a good idea to take movement breaks if you have a job where you have to sit or stand in one place for a long time. Moving instead of standing or sitting allows your muscles to help push fluids back into circulation. If you can’t move from where you are, doing calf raises and ankle circles can help too.
6. Avoid tight clothing around the thighs
Tight clothing around the top of your legs (the thigh area) can keep fluid in your lower legs from returning to your heart. If tight-fitting clothing squeezes your thighs, it can also increase pressure in the tissues in your lower legs. Clothes with loose-fitting thighs and waist bands will better allow fluid to leave your ankles.
When should you seek medical care for swollen ankles?
Lower leg swelling can also be a symptom of a blood clot. A blood clot usually happens in only one leg and also causes redness and warmth in the area. Get medical attention if you experience these symptoms in one leg.
Call 911 or go to the ER immediately if you develop chest pain or shortness of breath with your leg swelling. These are symptoms of a pulmonary embolus, which is a blood clot that has moved to your lungs. This can be life-threatening.
If you have swollen ankles and any of the following, call or see a healthcare professional right away:
Heart, liver, or kidney disease
Redness, warmth, or fever, which can indicate infection
Worsening or persistent symptoms despite attempts to manage them at home
Lastly, if you’re pregnant and have significant swelling (in your feet, or anywhere else in your body), call your obstetrician. A small amount of swelling is typical in pregnancy. But larger amounts can indicate a severe problem. It can be related to preeclampsia, blood clots, or problems with your heart, among other serious issues.
The bottom line
Ankle swelling is common and often improves with measures to push fluid back into the circulation. They include elevation, exercise, compression stockings, and loose clothing. Reducing salt in your diet and staying active can also help over the longer term. More serious problems can also cause increased leg and ankle swelling. So, it’s important to know what to watch for and when to get medical attention.
Why trust our experts?
References
Berman, J., et al. (2023). Foot, leg, and ankle swelling. MedlinePlus.
Chandler, V. (2016). Easy in-flight exercises for when you’re travelling. Good Housekeeping.
Rizopoulos, N., et al. (2022). Legs up the wall pose. Yoga Journal.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Sodium in your diet: Use the nutrition facts label and reduce your intake.
