1 Or Both Legs Swelling? Time To Go See A Doctor

A viewer tells us they have a leg that keeps swelling, and asks what they should do about it. Doctor Lacy Anderson says it could be an emergency.

If only one of your legs is swelling, this can be a blood clot. A DVT, or deep venous thrombosis, refers to a blood clot in one of the deeper veins in the leg. It usually causes swelling of a single leg that is often painless. 

Since it doesn’t hurt, people may delay medical care or treatment thinking it will go away with time. The problem is that sometimes, part of the blood clot can break free and travel through the heart and into the lungs causing a pulmonary embolism, or PE. Pulmonary emboli will often cause a sudden stabbing chest pain and shortness of breath. This can be life-threatening, so we always take possible blood clots in the leg very seriously. 

We would need to start blood thinners to help dissolve the clot and these medicines usually need to be taken for three to six months. 

If both legs are swollen, it’s less concerning for a blood clot, but you should still talk to your doctor about it. 

Swelling in both legs could be a sign of heart failure, so it’s worth getting checked out as well.