? about feet swelling during a ride

[Jerry_75_Guy]

I wasn't quite sure where this should go.

 

After much searching, we finally found boots to fit my diminutive wife's feet.

They are Alpinestars, but I don't remember the model. She likes them, and feels that they fit pretty well.

 

Prior to this she wore running shoes, which drove me crazy, and I insisted

we get her a good pair of ankle supporting/protecting riding boots.

 

Now we have a real problem, but I don't know if it is related/caused by the

new footware or not; after 1 to 2 hrs of riding her feet start to swell painfully

in her boots, which has really limited the amount of riding she is willing to do.

 

She tries flexing and stretching her legs and rotating her feet as we ride, and we've tried stopping for 15/20min each hour, but these techniques have only helped a little.

 

The first time we noticed this was on a long hot ride to Knoxville this June,

but it is not clear whether the heat contributed or was coincidental.

She also has high blood pressure, but this is well controlled by medication, so

I don't know if that is a factor or not either.

 

Can anyone (Doctors, Phys. therapists etc.) offer us some suggestions? we've

run out of ideas.

[George]

Jerry,

I have heard of this before, some people use those flight socks, they come to below the knee and are quite tight, but they keep the swelling down. The flight socks are recommended for people that are sat in one place for a good while and have their knees bent. I think it is worse in planes as you can have the seat base pushing against the back of the knee. It may be her riding pants, are they gathering a lot behind the knee? Just a thought

[Haynes]

Is your wife on a controlled diet for her blood pressure? My wife has occasional swelling and since she noticed this we have both carefully monitored the amount of salt in our diets. We read all the labels on any pre-prepared foods and avoid anything that could contain hidden salts.

Since then, the swelling has not been a problem but we are just coming out of the cooler months. The hotter days of summer will be the true test.

[bmwscoot]

Jerry,

 

I can relate a "personal" story for you, but by no means am I a doctor...OK?

 

A couple years back, while working LOOOONG days and nights on a super hot job, I noticed swelling in my ankles and feet. I mean SWELLING.

 

The conditions were HOT all week, along with 15-18 hour days on my feet mostly. The solution for my sweating all day was to drink lotsa Gatorade (SALT).

 

I also am borderline hypertensive.

 

Well when I went to the doctor, he suggested first of all that SALT was a pretty bad idea for someone "borderline hypertensive".

 

His conclusion was that I had edema of the lower legs/feet. He gave me some of those compression stockings, and put me on Lasix.

 

To this day, I use the compression stockings when on all day rides, and when I am on my feet for the majority of the day at work.

Also when on all day rides, I get up REAL early in the morning and take my pill, so I am done with my multiple trips to the water closet b4 riding for the day.

 

The condition will probably not go away entirely, I was informed by the doctor, but symptoms have eased considerably.

 

You might just want to get it checked out, but those compression stocking really seem to help....for me.

[SC_Jack]

Strongly suggest that your wife visit a doctor. Could be a lot of things. May be nothing to worry about but it also may be problems with her leg veins or even heart related.

Better to be safe than sorry with a visit to her Doctor.

[scottcon]

Get compression stockings for sure and cut down on salt in the diet. See a physician when you get a chance. You can buy compression stockings (TED hose) at alot of medical supply stores or on the internet without a prescription.

[BMWGreenRT]

I had the same experience with feet swelling while on a long ride, or even while sitting at the computer for a long period. I have High BP and was taking 10mg of Norvasc.

I went in to the Doc and he said it was a symptom of the Meds for sure and cut me back to 5mg to see if there would be improvement. He said if it did not improve we could explore the many other BP meds available to find one that would work without those side effects.

It worked for me. BP stayed the same and the swelling went away

 

He also advised me of a device to lower BP without meds and non-intrusive. It is called RespErate

http://www.resperate.com/

 

It was pricey ($290), but my life is worth it, so I bought it and have been using it for the past 2 months. It has significantly lowered my BP along with the 5mg of Norvasc. The Doc says I will probably be able to drop the meds if the pressure stays in the same ballpark for another month.

[David_S]

Just out of curiosity you mentioned it happened after purchasing the new boots. While they shouldn't cause swelling have you tried going back to her "normal" foot wear to see if the swelling occurs?

[Laney]

My medical experience is only as a patient, so like bmwscoot, all I have is my personal experience.

 

I just don't get along well with boots, no matter what, and they're always hot. My feet and ankles usually swell when the temps go up. Socks that fit under normal circumstances turn into torniquets in the heat, so I make sure my socks are either loose, or tall enough (knee high) not to add to the trouble. Beyond that, lots of water and Gatorade help a lot, along with carrying sandals to change into at any longer stops.

 

My circumstances are more hereditary than health related, so nothing that helps me may apply.

[Jerry_75_Guy]

Just out of curiosity you mentioned it happened after purchasing the new boots. While they shouldn't cause swelling have you tried going back to her "normal" foot wear to see if the swelling occurs?

 

Yes, we've tried that, and results are variable; sometimes there's edema,

sometimes not, but length of ride, and to a lesser extent, heat seem

to be the most freguently associated external, and exascerbating conditions.