Lower leg swelling

[Chanel]

I have swelling in my lower leg. It's very painful, the pain goes down in my foot and up to my knee. Not all the time in all areas but there's always pain somewhere in my lower leg. I've had an Ultrasound and no blood clot, the xray didn't show a break. I'm supposed to have an MRI done but I don't have insurance so as soon as I can I'm having that done. I just don't know what is wrong. There is a knot right above my ankle bone on the inside left of my lower leg. It's painful when pressing it. They have ruled out edema. The swelling is still there even after I have slept all night with my leg elevated. Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, etc?

[alumni]

There are many possibilities that can cause the symptoms you describe including a malfunctioning lymph system, advanced varicose veins and other circulatory conditions that might not present from an x-ray or ultrasound depending on the specific test used.
If pregnancy is a possibility, it also could be an indication of preeclamsia which is a very serious medical problem.
A consult with a vascular specialist may be in order. If the pain is affecting your quality of life, the sooner you get diagnosed, the better, insurance or no insurance.

[Gup]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"] [COLOR="Purple"]I have swelling in my lower leg. It's very painful, the pain goes down in my foot and up to my knee. Not all the time in all areas but there's always pain somewhere in my lower leg. I've had an Ultrasound and no blood clot, the xray didn't show a break.

@Chanel Well, it's good they ruled out DVT. Wondering if it could be some kind of bursitis, or ganglion cyst that's pressing on a nerve. Is the knot fixed or mobile? Does it feel soft and squishy, hard, craggy?

[riverstyx]

u r not on seraquel r u? that will cause swelling in one leg.
this is not something u can self-diagnose.
list any and all meds u r on. look up all side effects of same. it may surprise u.

good luck.

[newsom3569]

Thank whatever god you believe in that it is not dvt's. I have had dvt's and Pe's 9 times in 9 years and it is not fun. I am told I am lucky to be alive right now. I have a lot of swelling in my legs and feet and it gets really painful. I would say try some lasix, even if they have ruled out edema it is a highly possible cause. Doctors are not always right. YOu may also want to think about PAD peripheral artery disease. I know this may sound kinda quacky, but get some EEVO extra virgin olive oil and rub your legs down. do it several times. It may help, it has been proven that it helps with inflamation and swelling. It is also one of the only oils that will absorb into the skin as oppsed to sitting on top. Good luck
d

[Chanel]

Thanks for your reply. It's kind of soft but firm, it will move if I push it with my fingers.

Thanks so much for your help. I will try the olive oil. Thanks again.

[Neofate]

I would check your medications (if you are on any).. and their side effect profiles. Sometimes swelling and some more paradoxical effects can take a long time to actually occur. IE: I just had a person ask me about why they were feeling tingling, and numbness in their arms and legs all of the sudden. I knew this person for a long time and their history. Initially one would think of neurodegenerative disorders, even nerve compression via the facet joints or vertebral bodies/discs.. However, it turns out it was a medication she takes for narcolepsy that took 5 years to have this effect.

Beyond medications -- The knot you feel may or may not have a bearing, if so.. then it could be impinging nerves in the area.

If I had to guess,.. the Dorsal cutenous nerve is in close proximity to where you are describing and could very well be aggravating the fibula (superficial) nerve. Unless it feels incredibly deep then it may be the "deep fibula" being innervated.

The MRI will help dissolve any doubt on the soft tissue damage or lack thereof,.. however it is a static image. So you may need some blood flow checks as well.. an MRA would be exceptional in your case.. but first things first. In fact regular CT scan may provide some clues at a cheaper and quicker price/time than MRI if strapped for money.

There are alot of nerve branches in this area.. among them is the sciatic nerve which can technically be irritated below the knee without lower back/buttocks/thigh involvement.

An EMG conduction test, and/or trip to neurologist may be warranted if no answers are found. But try and be sure it is ruled benign before seeing a physiotherapist.

Good luck

[DarksideoftheRainbow]

The first thing I thought of was a DVT; I actually had the same thing in my one leg (swollen foot, ankle, going up to the knee, it would come and go.) It was an ultrasound that identified a blood clot in my leg, and later after a bunch of tests it was determined that I was born with a "hyper-coaguable state" meaning I'm just randomly likely to get blood clots and need to be on blood-thinners. But if an ultrasound didn't find anything, that can't be it.. unless you have a clot in a particular vein that's very hard to spot on an ultrasound, which does happen sometimes.. the ultrasound tech is only trained to search a few major veins for blood clots and occasionally there might be a clot somewhere rarer they're just not looking at. But the bump/lump you're describing doesn't seem consistent with blood clots, I'd say definitely follow through with the MRI you mentioned. Have you run a fever at all, or has the lump felt hot to the touch or hurt worse when it's submerged in hot water like in the bath or shower, or has it give off a kind of "throbbing" pain? Those could be symptoms of some kind of skin infection, which would explain why elevating your leg doesn't really stop the swelling.

I hope you're able to get the problem identified! It's so stressful when no one is sure what's wrong with you, I know the feeling well!

[Neofate]

@overtherainbow

Interesting Dx you had.

I know that we have one way valves in our lower extremities that are easily dysfunctional from sitting and being sedentary. The valves allow the blood to return to the heart, veinous flow as opposed to arterial. These valves are like this:

Showing healthy and non -- (some variations of this can happen as well of course)

http://www.carolinaveincenter.com/css/images/duplex.jpg

With these dysfunction swelling, 'varicose' appearance, and general pooling of blood is common. This pooling can cause swelling many times, due to capillary leaking through the dermis layers. (Similar principle to swollen eye bags, and the rings .. (sorry best example I could think of at the time ).

But, these are mostly superficial.

Now more symptomatic is what is known as PAD, or peripheral artery disease. I've seen this quite a bit in school. It is the same process that effects the heart and surrounding the periocardium vicinity of valves.

For example:

http://hearthealthywomen.org/images/PVD/pad_plaque.jpg

This could be something similar in these conditions.

though @Chanel still sounds and presents very much neuro related.. (not brain) but innervation through the leg, perhaps from lower back.. or even the leg itself from the swelling.

If you find out soon, please let us know.

[Chanel]

@overtherainbow

Interesting Dx you had.

I know that we have one way valves in our lower extremities that are easily dysfunctional from sitting and being sedentary. The valves allow the blood to return to the heart, veinous flow as opposed to arterial. These valves are like this:

Showing healthy and non -- (some variations of this can happen as well of course)

http://www.carolinaveincenter.com/css/images/duplex.jpg

With these dysfunction swelling, 'varicose' appearance, and general pooling of blood is common. This pooling can cause swelling many times, due to capillary leaking through the dermis layers. (Similar principle to swollen eye bags, and the rings .. (sorry best example I could think of at the time ).

But, these are mostly superficial.

Now more symptomatic is what is known as PAD, or peripheral artery disease. I've seen this quite a bit in school. It is the same process that effects the heart and surrounding the periocardium vicinity of valves.

For example:

http://hearthealthywomen.org/images/PVD/pad_plaque.jpg

This could be something similar in these conditions.

though @Chanel still sounds and presents very much neuro related.. (not brain) but innervation through the leg, perhaps from lower back.. or even the leg itself from the swelling.

If you find out soon, please let us know.

Thanks so much. I had my MRI done and there is nothing there. I do not understand this at all. The swelling is so evident and the knot is larger than a few weeks ago. I don't know what to do. Now my Dr is saying that since there was nothing in the MRI that I will need to just use Ibuprophen for pain when my hydro runs out. He did take blood to check for Lupus. I get the results for that Friday. I don't know what to do now. Ibuprophen does nothing when the pain is full force, it doesn't even help when the pain is just starting. I posted in another thread to see if anyone can recommend a Dr here in GA. I don't want to change Dr's but I have to be able to function and I don't know how/what to tell the Dr I have now since he said that to me. Any advice please give me. I'm confused, scared, stressed.

[simplyjudi]

Hi Chanel, I am going to try and make this as short as possible. I am 69 female but that probably means nothing. I suffered from that of which you are suffering. I was in the process of going to a new doctor and put off looking for help from my swelling and pain. New doc, looked at my lower legs, ankles and feet and immediately told me to purchase Medical Legwear. (No script needed) The one I purchased was JOBST, the pharmacist will have to measure your ankles and calfs/calves to be sure that you are getting the correct size. Do as doctor and/or phamacist tells you. I wore for two days and the swelling and pain supsided and hasn't come back, that was 2 months ago. I still don't know what I had, but who cares, it worked! The JOBST is the same as knee highs and cost about $80. Good luck Chanel

[Jessie85]

I’m sorry to hear about your condition. I hope your are feeling better now, or you found out what is causing your leg pain and swelling. It’s good to know that your Ultra sound came out negative for blood clot and our MRI showed up negative as well. That should give you relieve because those are two very good confirmatory tests and can rule out many diseases.
Leg swelling can be a caused by many factors so it can be anything. For one I know that leg swelling means fluid is pooling in your lower legs which only shows that you have problem with your circulatory system. Blood which is suppose to be transported by the veins back to the heart is impaired.
Has your doctor suggested wearing compression stockings to control or treat your leg swelling. I heard they help improve circulation in the lower legs thus minimizing leg swelling. Maybe you should inquire about it form your doctor. You can check Legs Therapy for compression products. It’s an online store and its easy to find what you need. They have good brands and are affordable. I wear my compression stockings all day everyday except when sleeping to prevent leg swelling. I suffered from leg swelling before but with no pain, just the feeling of heaviness so I decided to use compression stockings. Thank God it worked for me. I hope you find the right treatment. Good Luck!