Pregnancy brings about a lot of changes in your body. One of the most common complaints is foot or leg pain while expecting. Why do pregnant women’s feet swell? There is a natural weight gain, which changes your center of gravity. This causes a new weight-bearing stance that adds immense pressure on the knees and feet. The good news is that you can manage any pain and swelling.
This is how to relieve foot and leg pain during pregnancy?
Elevate your Feet
Swelling occurs due to blood pooling in your lower extremities. Keeping your feet elevated will reduce foot swelling and pain during pregnancy. It helps get blood flowing to the upper body.
Raise your legs 6 –12 inches above your heart. Hold this position for at least 15 minutes to help the blood flow back to the heart and lungs.
Wear Compression Socks
The main reason you get swollen feet and legs while pregnant is because of the blood pooling in your feet. If the blood cannot find its way to the upper body and towards the heart, your feet will ache and swell.
Using copper infused compression socks will relieve you of the swelling. They promote blood circulation in the feet and reduce the inflammation. You can wear the compression socks at any time of the day or night if the swelling goes up.
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Sleep on Your Side
Sleeping on your back puts a lot of pressure on the vena cava, which is the largest vein leading to the heart. This will slow down the blood that is returning from the lower body.
Sleeping on your side will relieve some of this pressure and reduce leg pain during pregnancy.
Drink Lots of Fluids
Dehydration will worsen the puffiness of your feet. Make sure you drink lots of fluids. Drinking water will flush the salt out of your body to reduce inflammation.
However, avoid caffeine when you consume liquids. Though caffeine helps in eliminating excess fluid by causing you to use the restroom repeatedly, it also causes severe dehydration.
Watch Your Salt Intake
You need to watch your salt intake like a hawk while pregnant. Too much or too little can cause swelling problems. Make sure you read food labels to know how much sodium you are consuming. Minimize your sodium intake if you tend to normally have it on the higher side.
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Monitor your Weight
It is normal to gain weight during pregnancy–an increase of25 to 35 pounds is usual. If you don’t watch your weight, however, you can put on more than a few extra pounds, which can worsen your foot swelling and heel pain during pregnancy.
Consume a well-balanced diet and consult a doctor if you gain too much weight in a very short time.
Apply Ice
When your ankles get too swollen, apply some ice on the inside of them for 15 minutes. Repeat this every half an hour to one hour. The cold compression will reduce your ankle swelling.
Exercise the Feet
Do not stand for long periods of time. This will unnecessarily put weight on your feet and increase the pain during pregnancy. You can improve the circulation in your feet by doing some rotation exercises.
Sit down and raise one leg, rotate the ankle 10 times to the right and 10 times to the left. Switch the legs and repeat the process 10 times. Exercising the feet regularly will reduce the swelling and pain.
These tips will help in alleviating foot pain to a great extent while you’re expecting. However, it the pain is persistent or becomes unbearable, you must consult a doctor.
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Kunal is a young and passionate entrepreneur, fascinated by the workings of the human body and natural solutions for common health problems. He’s single-minded in his aim to make Copper Clothing a brand that’s recognized across the globe, by partnering with global brands to make these high-tech materials easily accessible for everyone.
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