Elevating your legs, staying active, wearing compression stockings, and reducing salt intake are the most effective ways to get fluid out of your legs. The right approach depends on what’s causing the swelling in the first place, since fluid buildup (called edema) can stem from something as simple as sitting too long or as serious as a blood clot or organ problem.
Elevate Your Legs Above Your Heart
The simplest and most immediate thing you can do is lie down and prop your legs up so they’re above the level of your heart. Gravity has been pulling fluid down into your legs all day, and elevation reverses that flow. Aim for about 15 minutes per session, three to four times a day. A stack of pillows on the couch works fine, or you can lie on the floor with your legs resting up against a wall.
Consistency matters more than marathon sessions. Short, repeated elevations throughout the day keep fluid from re-accumulating between sessions. If you work at a desk, even propping your feet on a stool (below heart level, but better than the floor) can reduce how much fluid pools by the end of the day.
Use Your Calf Muscles as a Pump
Your calf muscles act as a built-in pump for pushing blood and lymph fluid back up toward your heart. When you walk, flex your feet, or do simple exercises, those muscles squeeze the veins and lymph vessels in your lower legs, propelling fluid upward against gravity. Sitting or standing still for hours shuts that pump off, and fluid starts to collect.
If you’re stuck sitting, ankle pumps are the easiest fix: pull your toes up toward your shins, then point them toward the floor. Repeat 5 to 10 times, several times a day. Walking is even more effective since it engages the full calf muscle with every step. Any movement that bends your ankles or contracts your calves counts: calf raises, cycling, swimming, or simply pacing around your house for a few minutes each hour.
Compression Stockings
Compression stockings apply graduated pressure to your legs, tightest at the ankle and looser as they go up. This squeezes fluid upward and prevents it from settling back down. They come in different pressure levels measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and the right level depends on how severe your swelling is.
- 15 to 20 mmHg (mild): Good for very early or minor swelling, prevention during air travel, or building tolerance if you’ve never worn compression before.
- 20 to 30 mmHg (moderate): The most commonly recommended level for daily wear. Balances effectiveness with comfort and works well for post-surgical swelling and early-stage fluid retention.
- 30 to 40 mmHg (firm): Used for more stubborn lower-leg swelling, especially when moderate compression isn’t enough. Often recommended for chronic venous problems or lymphedema with thickened tissue.
- 40 to 50 mmHg and above: Reserved for severe cases after clinical assessment. Not something to self-prescribe.
Put compression stockings on first thing in the morning before swelling has a chance to build up. If your legs are already swollen, elevate them for 15 minutes first, then slide the stockings on. You can find mild and moderate stockings over the counter at pharmacies. Higher levels typically require a prescription and a fitting.
Cut Back on Salt
Sodium makes your body hold onto water. The more salt you eat, the more fluid your kidneys retain, and that extra fluid often ends up pooling in your legs. Most people with edema benefit from reducing sodium intake to somewhere between 1,375 and 1,800 milligrams per day, which is significantly less than the average American diet of over 3,400 milligrams.
The biggest culprits aren’t the salt shaker on your table. Processed foods, canned soups, deli meats, frozen meals, sauces, and restaurant food account for the majority of sodium intake. Reading nutrition labels and cooking more meals at home gives you far more control. Potassium-rich foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens can also help your kidneys excrete excess sodium.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Manual lymphatic drainage is a specialized massage technique performed by trained therapists. Unlike regular massage, which uses deep pressure, this technique involves very light, slow, repetitive movements that stretch the skin without sliding over it. The goal is to create subtle changes in pressure beneath the skin that stimulate the tiny lymph vessels to contract more frequently, improving the transport of trapped fluid.
Each stroke includes a brief resting phase where the skin returns to its starting position before the next movement. This stretch-and-rest cycle is what makes the technique effective. It’s particularly useful for lymphedema, which is swelling caused by a damaged or blocked lymphatic system (often after surgery or radiation). For this type of swelling, manual drainage is typically combined with compression and exercise as part of a broader treatment plan.
Prescription Diuretics
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, doctors may prescribe diuretics, commonly called water pills. These medications work by making your kidneys excrete more sodium and water through urine. There are two main types used for leg swelling. One type acts on a deep part of the kidney’s filtration system and is more powerful, producing noticeable increases in urine output fairly quickly. The other type works further along in the kidney’s plumbing and has a milder, more sustained effect.
Diuretics are effective, but they’re treating the symptom rather than the cause. They also shift your body’s balance of electrolytes like potassium, which is why they require monitoring through blood tests. Your doctor will choose the type and dose based on what’s driving your fluid retention, whether that’s heart failure, kidney problems, liver disease, or medication side effects.
Why Your Legs Are Swelling Matters
Getting the fluid out is only half the problem. If swelling keeps coming back, the underlying cause needs attention. The two most common chronic causes are venous insufficiency and lymphedema, and they look different.
Venous insufficiency happens when the valves in your leg veins weaken, allowing blood to pool instead of flowing back to the heart. It typically develops in middle age or later and favors the inner ankle and calf area. The skin often takes on a reddish or brownish hue from iron deposits leaking out of sluggish veins. Over time, the skin can become thickened and hardened, and ulcers may develop near the inner ankle bone.
Lymphedema, on the other hand, results from a damaged lymphatic system, often after surgery, radiation, or injury. It tends to start gradually and can affect one or both legs. Early on, the swelling feels doughy and you can press a dent into it. Over time, the tissue becomes thickened and fibrotic. A classic sign is the inability to pinch the skin on top of your second toe (called a positive Stemmer sign). Lymphedema usually doesn’t hurt, while venous problems and blood clots often do.
Swelling That Needs Urgent Attention
Most leg swelling develops slowly and isn’t dangerous, but certain patterns signal something serious. Swelling in only one leg, especially when accompanied by calf pain or cramping, skin that’s warm to the touch, or a change in skin color to red or purple, could indicate a deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in a deep leg vein). This needs prompt medical evaluation because the clot can break loose and travel to the lungs.
Symptoms of a clot reaching the lungs include sudden shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with deep breathing or coughing, dizziness or fainting, a rapid pulse, and coughing up blood. That’s a medical emergency.
During pregnancy, some leg swelling is normal. But sudden swelling, particularly in the face and hands, combined with high blood pressure, can signal preeclampsia. This condition involves damage to organs like the kidneys and requires immediate medical management to protect both the mother and baby.