Swelling of the Leg Treated by Vascular Specialists at Mercy
The doctors at The Vascular Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, diagnose and treat a variety of circulatory system disorders. Our vascular specialists can help determine the cause of common conditions such as swelling in the legs and develop treatment plans to address individual patient needs.
Symptoms of leg swelling may include the following:
- Swelling of the feet, ankle, calves or thighs
- Redness
- A thumping, painful feeling in the legs
Leg swelling can be caused by several disorders. If the diagnosis is a blood clot in the leg, vascular tests may include:
Leg swelling caused by a blood clot or vascular conditions can be treated simply with anti-inflammatory medication, pain medication, leg elevation and warm compresses to reduce swelling. More severe cases may require a hospital visit with more targeted drugs, like blood thinners, to help dissolve the clot or antibiotics to cure infection. In these cases, follow-up treatment for several months will be required to monitor ongoing drug treatment.
For conditions affecting deeper veins in the legs, treatment will depend on the seriousness of the condition. It may require:
- Antibiotics to kill infection
- Surgery to remove the vein or bypass the clot and a transplant blood vessel
- A filter placement in the abdomen’s main vein to prevent clots in the legs from dislodging and traveling to the lungs which can be life threatening