Pitting Edema - Example

This is a video taken by Evan Matthews, PhD displaying pitting edema of the lower leg. Pitting edema is when swelling and fluid accumulation has become severe enough that the tissue will dent if you push and hold on it for approximately 5 seconds. Pitting edema may be a sign of cardiac issues, but can be caused by other changes in the individuals health/physiological state.

Link to Dr. Evan Matthews website.

DISCLAIMER
Last updated: (August 11, 2018)

Evan Matthews, PhD does not diagnose pathology and is not a medical professional. Dr. Matthews is a cardiovascular physiologist and researcher.

The information contained in this presentation/lecture/video (the "Service") is for general information purposes only. Dr. Evan Matthews assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents on the Service.

In no event shall Dr. Evan Matthews be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. Dr. Evan Matthews reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modification to the contents on the Service at any time without prior notice. Dr. Evan Matthews does not warrant that the presentation/lecture/video is free of viruses or other harmful components.

This presentation/lecture/video may offer health, fitness, nutritional, legal information and is designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or legal advice.

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My presentation/lecture/video may contain links to external websites that are not provided or maintained by or in any way affiliated with Dr. Evan Matthews. Please note that the Dr. Evan Matthews does not guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any information on these external websites.

[VivoPhys]

Please note that there are multiple conditions that can result in pitting edema, and these may, or may not, be serious. Diagnoses and treatment should only be performed by a qualified medical professional. Please avoid asking for or providing medical advice within the comments of this video. Dr. Matthews is a PhD scientist and not a medical professional. He will not give medical advice. Also the qualifications of those commenting below are unknown. Regardless, prudent medical professionals will not give diagnoses or treatment advice through a YouTube comment feed because a full medical evaluation is not possible.

[SA-dyif]

I had severe Edema due to a ankle injury, and now it's all gone except I have swelling around the ankle due to it being a recent injury. The best advice I can give anyone who is worried about edema is to stop eating carbs and cut out sugar and junk food, limit your dairy intake (although tbh I still ate cheese which was recommended to me, to help strengthen my bones as i broke them) & red meat, replace it with veg and fruit that's what I did and its been over a month since I made these changes. But I noticed the edema disappearing within a week, I did have a piece or two of dark chocolate here and thier and I don't think having a unhealthy snack once a week is bad. But I did not risk snacking etc and tbh right now I don't even miss snacking on crap. By reducing your carbs, junk food, sugar and fizzy pop and replacing this with water (try to aim to drink up to 6-8 glasses a day) and you will notice a difference. Steamed veg, fruit with natural water like watermelon, oranges, tangerines, apples helped me. I hope this helps anyone who's going through this right now as it can be scary, trust me I felt the same. If anyone needs help or any advice ask away I would be more than happy to help. Don't make it worse by ignoring my advice on changing your diet because it can help you a ton and its better than making it worse and having to deal with other serious health issues. Good luck and wishing a quick recovery and better days, for whoever is in this frustrating episode of their life.

[jndominica]

I experience edema after sitting for too long. A nights rest is not enough to relieve it, and sometimes I feel pain inside a foot like a muscle contraction on colder nights. I was afraid it was rotting on the inside. But the swelling is completely drained after about 40 minutes of walking and climbing stairs, which is less boring than any sort of static exercise.

[i-deegamingvideos]

My legs aren't swollen but noticed that the front is a bit dented right to the bone. It's not painful and has been like this for days

[mariahgriffin]

i sprained my ankle pretty bad and now it does this.. um is that bad

[sloppytoppypapii]

This is typically caused by fluid accumulation in the legs that is called peripheral edema. A common cause of peripheral edema is CHF (Congestive Heart Failure). If you are experiencing regular pitting edema, I would schedule an appointment with your Primary care provider or a Cardiologist since this type of edema usually has to do with the heart. Cheers and wishing good health to you!

[Crazypurplewolves]

I have this but am not able to go to the doctor because my city is not allowing non-emergency visits to doctors cuz of the Corona virus. I don’t know what to do and I’m scared :(

[siram]

My both leg are exactly same like this video..both leg are Swelling.
So what to do.. please suggest me anyone.. I'm so afraid of it..😭

[padarthisaikumarcbm]

Sameproblem ( palm swelling ) iam facing present, plz tell me what sollutiin

[tolpar]

the main reason of this is kidney failure/problem or diabetes...and the cure of this problem is walking everyday for 30min u want to keep away from this walk everyday or walk 4days in a week

[Mohsen]

In pregnant women it causes due to ..1_ fluid retention...2 _ changing in hormones that soft veins...3_ growing of fetus that cause pressure on pelvis and avoid it .... Avoid standing for a long time salt diet .... Used cold compresses on swallow area .... Wear comfortable shoes and avoid high heels and rest the feet elevated ❤️

[hamedawg]

what happens if you poke a fine whole in that swollen area? Will fluid come out?

[covidcrises]

Does it hurt in walking? Or cause joint pain ?

[GHOSTMX]

I don’t know if it’s because of my anxiety but to me my leg looks swelling but i ask my mom she said no also I just started working in construction and i do stand all day and move around digging it been 2 days I been working i also wanted to mention when I feel something odd or see I intend to get anxiety back when I was like 13 i will always check my heart rate when I felt it fast for a while I will go to my mom and tell her one day I check my heart and was going fast so I panic and my mom send me to the hospital and found nothing happen again and found nothing I’m pretty sure it’s my anxiety i have no pain and nun but sore due to the working days I’ve first started is there any way to check is I have swelling or anything I tried this and don’t get any holes like the video did

[louislondon]

Can it be diagnostic finding in pulmonary embolism?

[jasminelheannelanaria]

Hello, I am a nursing student and will have a live retdem regarding this. In assessing the edema, can I just ask the patient if she has any of it? or it is a must that I should be the one who will press on her skin to see if there's any edema on it? Thank you!

[Reckoning]

I don’t have it that extremely but when I press down, there are clear indentations for a couple seconds.
I get this when I eat lactose containing dairy and also bread.

[pickledlettuce]

currently have this after ankle sprain

[gurjeetsingh-qdre]

I would like to know what does this mean ?

Is it life threatening?

What's its treatment?

[HarryPotter-pikm]

Do we need to press hard in order to test for this pitting??