Common causes of unilateral leg swelling and pain

Have you noticed any unusual leg swelling recently? Do you want to know what caused it? If yes, then continue reading to find out the causes of unilateral leg swelling and pain. We will try to help you figure out the reason why you might be experiencing leg pain and swelling.

What is unilateral leg swelling?

There are two types of leg swelling: unilateral and bilateral. Unilateral means that the swelling appears only on one leg, while bilateral means that both legs are swollen. Sometimes, it is actually very hard to tell one from the other. In some cases of bilateral leg swelling, one leg might appear bigger than the other one, thus looking like unilateral leg swelling.

You might also come across the term edema or oedema. This is a medical term for swelling.

Today we will be talking about all the different leg swelling and leg pain causes that will, hopefully, help you figure out the root of the problem.

What causes swollen legs?

There are many reasons why you might have swollen legs. That is why we will list the most common possible causes of leg swelling. However, do not use this as a definitive guide. Seek medical help in order to confirm the cause and get appropriate treatment.

There are two groups of leg swelling causes:

The first one is systemic causes. They usually cause bilateral leg swelling, but, as we have said before, sometimes it is hard to tell bilateral swelling from unilateral. These causes are:

• Hypoproteinaemia (malnutrition, nephrotic syndrome, liver failure, etc.);
• Fluid overload;
• Hypothyroidism;
• Obstructive sleep apnoea;
• Congestive cardiac failure;
• Chronic kidney disease or kidney injury;
• Hereditary angioneurotic oedema;
• Idiopathic conditions;
• Anaemia;
• Some anti-inflammatory medicine, calcium antgonists, etc.

One of these causes might be the reason of your leg swelling. So check your medical history and figure out whether your leg swelling is caused by systemic issues.

If none of these seem right, there are also localised causes. When it comes to unilateral leg swelling, these are the most likely causes:

• Trauma (hematoma, fracture, muscle injury);
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (as a result of trauma);
• Allergic reaction;
• Cellulitis;
• Osteomyelitis;
• Malignancy of muscle or bone;
• (Rupture of) Baker’s cyst;
• Deep vein thrombosis;
• Various venous causes (tumours, vein obstructions, thrombophlebitis, chronic vein insufficiency, etc.);
• Congenital malformations;
• Stasis (because of obesity, poor mobility or paralysis);
• Lipoedema;
• Lymphedema;
• Rheumatoid or inflammatory arthritis.

As you can see, your leg swelling and pain can be caused by a whole array of things, from a regular trauma, lack of movement or allergies, to some serious medical conditions. If you want to learn more about some of the causes listed here, continue reading.

Systemic causes of unilateral leg swelling

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As we cannot fit explanations of every cause in one article, we will focus on the most serious ones. One of such serious causes is congestive cardiac failure. When the right heart starts failing, venous pressure increases, which causes the swelling. At the same time, it also contributes to the retention of fluids in the body, which also results in swelling.

The next cause is renal failure, otherwise known as kidney failure. If you suffer from a chronic kidney disease or have recently experienced kidney-related trauma, you might suffer from leg swelling. Like the previous cause, this one also might disrupt the normal fluid excretion, thus resulting in swollen legs.

Another reason tightly tied to the previous two is hypoproteinaemia. This means that the plasma contains very low amounts of protein (and albumin in particular). It is often caused by high protein loss (e.g. from the kidney failure), decreased synthesis of protein by the liver or fluid overload. One of the results of this medical condition is leg swelling.

If you feel like one of these causes is the reason for your swollen legs, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Localised unilateral leg swelling causes

All of the localised causes that we have listed above can be grouped into four main categories: lymphatic disorders, venous disorders, inflammatory disorders and other miscellaneous causes.

Lymphatic disorders result in increased sizes of lymph nodes and increased amount of lymphatic fluid in the tissues. This, in turn, causes swelling in legs and arms. It is called lymphedema.

Venous disorders, including tumours, vein insufficiency and vein obstructions, reduce the movement of fluid in the veins and increase intravascular hydrostatic pressure. Various venous disorders can cause anything from mild unilateral oedema to gross oedema.

Inflammatory disorders, including the results of trauma, cellulitis, osteomyelitis, inflammatory arthritis and so on, are a very common cause of unilateral leg swelling. What might make the swelling even worse is the infection, that might also contribute to leg pain.

Miscellaneous causes include the rest of the conditions that do not belong to any of the previous three categories. This includes lipoedema, congenital malformations, stasis and allergic reactions.

• Lipoedema is a condition when the lower extremities gain more fat then the rest of the body. This might make it seem like the legs are swollen.
• Congenital malformations are the deformities that have been there since birth. Some of them might appear as leg swelling.
• Stasis means lack of movement (because of various reasons) that might result in abnormal swelling of limbs.
• Allergic reactions might cause leg swelling because of a contact with an allergen, be it a bite of an insect, a touch of a plant or ingestion of a food.

As you can see, leg swelling might be something passing. On the other hand, it might actually be a sign of something very serious. Therefore, do not take too long, especially if you experience sharp pain. If you can, go to a doctor as soon as possible and try to avoid self-diagnosing, or you might just stress yourself out.

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Source: Naij.com

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