Socks leave marks on legs: Causes and treatment

Socks can leave marks on a person’s legs when the elastic bands that hold the socks in place put pressure on the skin. Pressure marks are generally more noticeable when a person has peripheral edema, or swelling, in the lower legs.

The swelling may be mild and go away on its own, or it may be due to an underlying medical condition and be more persistent.

In this article, we discuss what can cause socks to leave marks on the legs and explain when a person should contact a doctor.

Socks leaving marks on the legs is common, and most of the time, it is not a sign of an underlying health condition.

Socks marks can occur as a result of peripheral edema. Edema is swelling that occurs in the body. Peripheral refers to swelling that happens in the outer extremities, such as the legs and arms.

According to a 2016 article, benign factors — such as pregnancy, standing for long periods, or flying on an airplane — may cause temporary peripheral edema. However, it can sometimes be a sign of a medical condition, such as heart failure, trauma, renal failure, or liver failure.

Sock marks can appear on the legs due to a variety of causes, which range in severity.

Water retention

Water retention can cause a person’s socks to leave marks on their legs.

Swelling that is the result of water retention is generally benign. It can cause general puffiness or swelling in the hands, feet, or face.

This symptom can occur when a person has been standing or sitting for too long. It can also happen during menstruation.

A person does not typically need to seek treatment for water retention because it will go away on its own.

Learn more about water retention here.

During pregnancy

The Office on Women’s Health note that while some swelling is common in pregnancy, it can sometimes be a sign of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and after a person has given birth.

A person who is pregnant and experiencing swelling should talk with their doctor.

Learn more about preeclampsia here.

Venous insufficiency

This condition can cause swelling in the feet and ankles.

Venous insufficiency means that the veins have difficulty transporting the blood to the feet and back to the heart. As a result, the blood collects in the legs, forcing fluid out of the blood vessels and into the surrounding tissues.

Venous insufficiency is the most common cause of peripheral edema in those over the age of 50 years.

Learn more about venous insufficiency here.

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are veins that are swollen and enlarged. They typically occur on the feet and legs.

According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), other symptoms include:

• swollen ankles and feet
• burning and throbbing in the legs
• legs that ache or feel heavy
• muscle cramps in the legs, especially during sleep
• dry and itchy skin over the vein

Learn more about varicose veins here.

Congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly.

As a result, the blood flow out of the heart slows down, and blood accumulates in the veins. This buildup causes fluid to seep into the surrounding tissue, which causes swelling.

The swelling can affect the legs and abdomen.

Other symptoms include:

• shortness of breath
• fatigue
• swollen legs and ankles

Learn more about congestive heart failure here.

Kidney disease

The National Kidney Foundation note that more than 37 million people in the United States have kidney disease, with many of them being unaware.

Kidney disease can cause a person to experience swelling in the legs and around the eyes.

This swelling occurs because the kidneys are unable to remove sodium and water from the body effectively.

Learn more about chronic kidney disease here.

Liver disease

Cirrhosis is the term for scarring of the liver. It can occur as a result of various liver conditions.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases note that many people may not be aware that they have cirrhosis. The reason for this is that they may not experience symptoms until the liver is badly damaged.

Those who do have early symptoms may experience:

• fatigue
• weakness
• low appetite
• unexplained weight loss
• nausea
• vomiting
• mild discomfort or pain in the upper right side of the abdomen

As liver function worsens, a person can experience swelling in the lower legs, ankles, and feet.

Learn more about cirrhosis here.

Lung conditions

Lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can cause a person to experience swelling in the legs and feet. This symptom can occur when the pressure in the lungs and heart becomes very high.

However, the NHS note that this is a less common symptom and that it can be a sign that COPD has reached an advanced stage.

Learn more about COPD here.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema is a chronic condition that occurs when the lymphatic system becomes damaged. Healthcare professionals can recognize the condition due to the collection of lymphatic fluid in the body.

Swelling can occur anywhere, but it mostly affects the:

• legs
• arms
• genitals
• face
• neck
• oral cavity
• chest wall

Learn more about lymphedema here.

If a person has developed sock marks on the legs due to water retention, they can try the following:

• lying down or sleeping with the feet raised on a pillow
• massaging the feet, ankles, or legs
• engaging in gentle exercise
• avoiding wearing tight socks, shoes, or clothes
• wearing compression stockings

When peripheral edema is the result of an underlying medical condition, a person will need to work with a doctor to treat the condition.

Diuretics can treat some of the conditions responsible for edema, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and liver disease.

Specific therapies will vary depending on the condition affecting a person and their age and overall health.

When socks leave a mark on the legs, this may not be a sign of any major medical condition. It can sometimes occur due to standing for long periods, pregnancy, or flying in an airplane.

However, persistent or frequent swelling may be a sign of an underlying condition.

A person should speak with a doctor if swelling in the feet, hands, or other areas of the body occurs regularly.

They should also seek medical advice if other symptoms accompany the swelling, such as high blood pressure or blurry vision.

A doctor can determine the cause of the swelling and recommend a suitable treatment plan.

A person can take steps to help prevent or lessen the effects of edema in the legs and ankles.

These steps include:

• limiting sodium in the diet
• raising the feet on a stool
• avoiding tight-fitting clothing
• exercising regularly, if a doctor advises this
• taking medications according to the label or prescription

When socks leave an indentation, it is typically the result of peripheral edema. Several benign causes are possible, such as standing for long periods.

However, edema can sometimes result from an underlying health condition, such as renal or heart failure.

Anyone who experiences frequent or persistent swelling in their legs, hands, or face should speak with a doctor.

The treatment options will depend on the cause, but they may include diuretics and compression therapies. A person can take steps to reduce the risk of swelling, such as reducing sodium in their diet, keeping their feet up, and adhering to treatments for other conditions.

Socks leave marks on legs: Causes and treatment

Socks can leave marks on a person’s legs when the elastic bands that hold the socks in place put pressure on the skin. Pressure marks are generally more noticeable when a person has peripheral edema, or swelling, in the lower legs.

The swelling may be mild and go away on its own, or it may be due to an underlying medical condition and be more persistent.

In this article, we discuss what can cause socks to leave marks on the legs and explain when a person should contact a doctor.

Socks leaving marks on the legs is common, and most of the time, it is not a sign of an underlying health condition.

Socks marks can occur as a result of peripheral edema. Edema is swelling that occurs in the body. Peripheral refers to swelling that happens in the outer extremities, such as the legs and arms.

According to a 2016 article, benign factors — such as pregnancy, standing for long periods, or flying on an airplane — may cause temporary peripheral edema. However, it can sometimes be a sign of a medical condition, such as heart failure, trauma, renal failure, or liver failure.

Sock marks can appear on the legs due to a variety of causes, which range in severity.

Water retention

Water retention can cause a person’s socks to leave marks on their legs.

Swelling that is the result of water retention is generally benign. It can cause general puffiness or swelling in the hands, feet, or face.

This symptom can occur when a person has been standing or sitting for too long. It can also happen during menstruation.

A person does not typically need to seek treatment for water retention because it will go away on its own.

Learn more about water retention here.

During pregnancy

The Office on Women’s Health note that while some swelling is common in pregnancy, it can sometimes be a sign of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and after a person has given birth.

A person who is pregnant and experiencing swelling should talk with their doctor.

Learn more about preeclampsia here.

Venous insufficiency

This condition can cause swelling in the feet and ankles.

Venous insufficiency means that the veins have difficulty transporting the blood to the feet and back to the heart. As a result, the blood collects in the legs, forcing fluid out of the blood vessels and into the surrounding tissues.

Venous insufficiency is the most common cause of peripheral edema in those over the age of 50 years.

Learn more about venous insufficiency here.

Varicose veins

Varicose veins are veins that are swollen and enlarged. They typically occur on the feet and legs.

According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), other symptoms include:

• swollen ankles and feet
• burning and throbbing in the legs
• legs that ache or feel heavy
• muscle cramps in the legs, especially during sleep
• dry and itchy skin over the vein

Learn more about varicose veins here.

Congestive heart failure

Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly.

As a result, the blood flow out of the heart slows down, and blood accumulates in the veins. This buildup causes fluid to seep into the surrounding tissue, which causes swelling.

The swelling can affect the legs and abdomen.

Other symptoms include:

• shortness of breath
• fatigue
• swollen legs and ankles

Learn more about congestive heart failure here.

Kidney disease

The National Kidney Foundation note that more than 37 million people in the United States have kidney disease, with many of them being unaware.

Kidney disease can cause a person to experience swelling in the legs and around the eyes.

This swelling occurs because the kidneys are unable to remove sodium and water from the body effectively.

Learn more about chronic kidney disease here.

Liver disease

Cirrhosis is the term for scarring of the liver. It can occur as a result of various liver conditions.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases note that many people may not be aware that they have cirrhosis. The reason for this is that they may not experience symptoms until the liver is badly damaged.

Those who do have early symptoms may experience:

• fatigue
• weakness
• low appetite
• unexplained weight loss
• nausea
• vomiting
• mild discomfort or pain in the upper right side of the abdomen

As liver function worsens, a person can experience swelling in the lower legs, ankles, and feet.

Learn more about cirrhosis here.

Lung conditions

Lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can cause a person to experience swelling in the legs and feet. This symptom can occur when the pressure in the lungs and heart becomes very high.

However, the NHS note that this is a less common symptom and that it can be a sign that COPD has reached an advanced stage.

Learn more about COPD here.

Lymphedema

Lymphedema is a chronic condition that occurs when the lymphatic system becomes damaged. Healthcare professionals can recognize the condition due to the collection of lymphatic fluid in the body.

Swelling can occur anywhere, but it mostly affects the:

• legs
• arms
• genitals
• face
• neck
• oral cavity
• chest wall

Learn more about lymphedema here.

If a person has developed sock marks on the legs due to water retention, they can try the following:

• lying down or sleeping with the feet raised on a pillow
• massaging the feet, ankles, or legs
• engaging in gentle exercise
• avoiding wearing tight socks, shoes, or clothes
• wearing compression stockings

When peripheral edema is the result of an underlying medical condition, a person will need to work with a doctor to treat the condition.

Diuretics can treat some of the conditions responsible for edema, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and liver disease.

Specific therapies will vary depending on the condition affecting a person and their age and overall health.

When socks leave a mark on the legs, this may not be a sign of any major medical condition. It can sometimes occur due to standing for long periods, pregnancy, or flying in an airplane.

However, persistent or frequent swelling may be a sign of an underlying condition.

A person should speak with a doctor if swelling in the feet, hands, or other areas of the body occurs regularly.

They should also seek medical advice if other symptoms accompany the swelling, such as high blood pressure or blurry vision.

A doctor can determine the cause of the swelling and recommend a suitable treatment plan.

A person can take steps to help prevent or lessen the effects of edema in the legs and ankles.

These steps include:

• limiting sodium in the diet
• raising the feet on a stool
• avoiding tight-fitting clothing
• exercising regularly, if a doctor advises this
• taking medications according to the label or prescription

When socks leave an indentation, it is typically the result of peripheral edema. Several benign causes are possible, such as standing for long periods.

However, edema can sometimes result from an underlying health condition, such as renal or heart failure.

Anyone who experiences frequent or persistent swelling in their legs, hands, or face should speak with a doctor.

The treatment options will depend on the cause, but they may include diuretics and compression therapies. A person can take steps to reduce the risk of swelling, such as reducing sodium in their diet, keeping their feet up, and adhering to treatments for other conditions.

Swollen feet: the doctor explained how to distinguish harmless edema from dangerous

• Health

If it is difficult to get into your favorite shoes in the morning or there are marks from socks on your feet in the evening, this indicates swelling of the legs. In most cases, this is not dangerous, but swelling of the legs can be a sign of illness.

August 8, 2022

Source:

iStockphoto

Edema is the exit of part of the fluid from the vessels with its accumulation in the intercellular space. Most often, this problem occurs in hot weather or against the background of poor nutrition, excessive consumption of salt or water, inactivity, prolonged sitting or standing. In women, due to hormonal influences, swelling in the legs occurs more often. Often, swelling occurs before menstruation, during menopause or in the presence of varicose veins.

Often, apart from external manifestations, there are no special complaints. But if the swelling is severe enough, the legs literally swell, there may be aches and pains, discomfort when wearing shoes, fatigue and other serious symptoms. “Doctor Peter” asked Olga Poltoratskaya, a therapist at the CMD Center for Molecular Diagnostics of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, how to remove swelling in the legs.

What types of edema can be removed on your own?

You can independently remove physiological edema that appeared as a result of exposure to adverse factors:

• Hot weather.

• Excessive consumption of salty foods, especially at night.

• Drinking alcohol.

• Prolonged sitting (especially with crossed legs) or standing, blood stagnation occurs in the veins, this leads to edema.

• Uncomfortable shoes, there is a violation of blood circulation in the foot.

• Premenstrual syndrome in women due to hormonal imbalance, an increase in estrogen – hormones that retain fluid in the body.

When these factors are eliminated, the blood flow will be restored and the swelling will go away on its own.

And if you sit for a long time?

Yes, as a result of sedentary work, stagnation of blood in the veins occurs, circulation is disturbed, as a result of which edema may appear. For prevention, you need to do gymnastics for the legs during the day, for example, rise on the toes 50 times twice a day, if possible, give the limb an elevated position for 5-10 minutes.

Read also

If the legs are swollen and do not fit into shoes

If the legs are swollen so that they do not fit into shoes, is this a reason to worry and take serious measures? The expert believes that this is certainly a reason to go to the doctor to find out the cause of edema. If this is a physiological edema, it is not very pronounced and does not disturb the usual life. If the legs swell very much, it is worth discussing the problem with a doctor.

When do you need to urgently go to the doctor?

If there is severe pain in the leg, it is swollen, has acquired a purple-bluish tint, there is a clear asymmetry compared to a healthy limb, this is a signal for urgent medical attention, since all this may be a manifestation of acute thrombosis.

Read also

Why legs swell – the most common causes

The most common cause of swelling of the lower extremities is chronic venous insufficiency. Legs can also swell in chronic heart failure, which is a consequence of any heart disease, for example, coronary heart disease with a previous myocardial infarction, heart defects; cardiomyopathy.

One of the mechanisms of pathogenesis (development of the disease) in heart failure is considered to be the activation of the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone, which increases the ability of body tissues to retain water, and it enters the tissues from the vascular bed. The appearance of edema of the lower extremities indicates a serious violation of cardiac activity. In this case, treatment and examination by a cardiologist is required. In more severe cases, in the later stages, hospitalization is necessary.

Read also

How to understand that edema is due to diseased kidneys

The appearance of edema is possible in the presence of chronic kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome. Nephrotic (renal) edema is loose, easily moved and leaves a hole when pressed with a finger. Most often localized on the face, less often on the arms, legs, torso. There may be moderate to severe anasarcas with dropsy cavities: ascites – fluid in the abdominal cavity, hydrothorax – fluid in the pleural cavity.

The cause of such edema is proteinuria – protein loss as a result of impaired filtration and reabsorption processes, a decrease in oncotic (intracellular) pressure, an increase in aldosterone secretion, an increase in sodium reabsorption, fluid retention and the appearance of edema.

See also

Maybe it’s varicose veins?

It depends on a person’s attitude to their health, compliance – the degree of implementation of medical recommendations. In case of varicose veins of the lower extremities diagnosed by a phlebologist or a vascular surgeon, observation by a specialist and the implementation of his recommendations are required – wearing compression underwear, course taking angioprotectors; blood coagulation study. If you follow the doctor’s recommendations, you can significantly reduce the risk of developing thrombosis.

Which doctor to go to with edema

If edema occurs, you should contact a general practitioner. The doctor will determine the exact cause of their occurrence and prescribe the necessary examination, refer to a narrow specialist – a phlebologist, cardiologist or nephrologist.

Text author: Alena Paretskaya

5 problems with feet that socks can tell about

06/14/2021

bracatuS
(2812 articles)

If you often wear socks, you may have noticed the characteristic prints left by the rubber bands on your feet. It happens that sock marks itch, and we think that we chose the wrong size or that the socks were of poor quality. It happens that the prints of the rubber bands of socks suggest: we have problems with our legs!

Too much salt

If sock marks appear regularly, no matter what kind of socks you wear, at any time of the year and in any weather, think about your diet! Perhaps you abuse salt? Salt is important and even necessary, but its excess can provoke swelling.

Too little water

Sock prints can also appear when you and I forget to drink water. It is ordinary water, not tea, coffee or juices! You may have heard that lack of water has a negative effect on the skin, and if not a mirror, then perhaps socks trying to write SOS on your feet will remind you to remember to maintain a water-salt balance?

Drugs

A side effect of various drugs, and primarily oral contraceptives, can be swelling of the legs, in which case the socks will again serve as an indicator: a clear strip with a clear pattern should suggest that it may be worth looking again to your doctor and tell you something new?

Pressure drops

If you react to the weather in the same way as a barometer does, and if your feet swell at the slightest decrease in atmospheric pressure, and your socks seem to magically become two sizes smaller, you should at least think about to move more or do some kind of sport.

Problems with blood vessels

If the legs get tired quickly, often hurt, especially in the evening, if the very thought of uncomfortable squeezing socks irritates – perhaps these are problems with blood vessels.