Question
One of my ankles keeps swelling, and this appears to be caused by my varicose veins. What can I do to prevent it?

Answer
There are a number of causes of a swollen ankle. They may be local, e.g. inflammation, or trauma or due to a thrombosis in the vein around that area. Other causes which affect the whole body are more likely to produce swelling in both ankles, but that is not always the case. We would feel therefore that the first thing was to diagnose the cause of the swelling. This would require consideration of when the swelling occurred, whether it occurred following any event, whether there is any pain, and so forth. Some investigations may well be necessary.

If we assume that the diagnosis is due to abnormalities in your leg veins, to decide what to do next, we then need to know whether there are any associated varicose veins, or varicose ulceration or pigmentation of the leg. Management also depends on how bad the swelling is. Mild swelling may well be treated by raising the foot of your bed 9 inches, so that the fluid drains away from the foot during the night. When you sit down, raise your foot, but it must be higher than your backside. Compression hosiery needs to be put on while the leg is not swollen, that is, before you get out of bed. Often compression hosiery is extremely hot and uncomfortable, but many people manage with support socks or stockings or tights such as are worn by pregnant ladies. These can usually be bought over the counter in the chemist. We find they tend to be more popular than compression hosiery.