After a hot day you can suffer from swollen feet and ankles. It cannot always be prevented, but with these tips you can reduce it.
Jan Jorn van het Land (physiotherapist) :‘The fact that you can suffer from thick ankles and swollen feet at the end of a hot summer day is because your body can no longer get rid of the heat. The blood circulation is less, so that the blood vessels in the legs can no longer drain blood properly to the heart. Result:fluid accumulation (edema) in feet, ankles and lower legs. You can check whether it is indeed fluid accumulation by pressing your finger into the skin; if you remove your finger and you can see a pit, you are retaining fluid.
Read also: 'Are flip flops bad for your feet?'
Fat feet cannot always be prevented, but you can limit the complaints. Make sure you are in good shape; therefore the blood circulation is better. So move enough. For example, go for a walk for half an hour. No longer; that actually encourages getting fat legs. Also look for cooling on hot days and raise your legs regularly, so that you facilitate circulation.
A good exercise:From a supine position, raise your legs up, and alternately move your feet away from you and toward you. A light massage often has an effect. Some physiotherapists are authorized to perform lymphatic drainage. Fluid is drained via the lymphatic system with a special massage technique. Also make sure that your food does not contain too much salt. Salt binds moisture, so you lose it less quickly.
Fluid accumulation in the legs due to the heat mainly occurs at the end of the day or, for example, after a long flight. The next morning they usually have shrunk again. If not, then there could be something else going on. In that case, it is best to contact your GP.'
