Elevating your legs, wearing compression stockings, and cutting back on sodium are the most effective ways to bring down swelling in your legs and feet. Most mild to moderate swelling responds well to these simple measures within hours to days, depending on the cause. Here’s how to use each strategy effectively.
Elevate Your Legs at the Right Angle
Elevation works by letting gravity pull trapped fluid back toward your heart. The higher you raise your legs, the more fluid drains. A study testing five different angles found a strong linear relationship between leg elevation and edema reduction, with greater angles producing greater results. The key is getting your legs above heart level, not just propping them on an ottoman.
Lie on your back and rest your legs against a wall or on a stack of pillows at roughly a 30-degree angle. Hold that position for 15 to 30 minutes. This angle strikes the best balance between effectiveness and comfort. You can go higher (45 or 60 degrees), but most people find those positions hard to sustain. Repeat this two to three times a day, especially after long periods of sitting or standing.
Use Compression Stockings
Compression stockings apply steady pressure to your lower legs, preventing fluid from pooling in the tissue. They’re the first-line treatment recommended in the 2025 clinical guidelines for chronic venous disease, and they work for everyday swelling too.
For general swelling from sitting or standing all day, stockings in the 15 to 20 mmHg range are a good starting point and available without a prescription. Research shows that even light compression (10 to 15 mmHg) can reduce or completely prevent occupational edema, though 20 to 30 mmHg stockings are more effective, particularly if you sit for long stretches. Put them on first thing in the morning before swelling starts. If you wait until your legs are already puffy, they’ll be harder to get on and less effective.
Knee-high stockings work well for most people. If your swelling extends above the knee, thigh-high versions are available. The fit matters: too loose and they won’t help, too tight and they can cut off circulation at the top edge.
Get Your Calf Muscles Working
Your calf muscles act as a pump for your veins. Every time they contract, they squeeze blood and fluid upward toward your heart. When you sit or stand without moving, that pump shuts off and fluid collects in your feet and ankles.
The simplest exercise is ankle pumps: sit or lie with your legs extended, then point your toes away from you as far as you can, then pull them back toward your knees. Alternate back and forth for two to three minutes, and repeat two to three times per hour when you’re sedentary. Walking, calf raises, and cycling also activate this pump. Even a short walk every 30 to 60 minutes during a long workday can make a noticeable difference.
Cut Your Sodium Intake
Sodium makes your body hold onto water. If you’re dealing with persistent swelling, reducing your salt intake is one of the most impactful dietary changes you can make. For people with edema, clinical recommendations suggest limiting sodium to 1,375 to 1,800 mg per day, which is significantly less than the 3,400 mg the average American consumes.
Most excess sodium comes from processed and restaurant foods, not the salt shaker. Canned soups, deli meats, frozen meals, bread, cheese, and sauces are common culprits. Reading labels helps: anything over 600 mg per serving will eat through your daily budget fast. Cooking at home with fresh ingredients gives you the most control.
Eat More Potassium-Rich Foods
Potassium directly counteracts sodium’s fluid-retaining effects. When potassium is low, your kidneys hold onto more sodium and water, even when salt intake is high. The reverse is also true: eating enough potassium helps your body release excess sodium through urine.
The DASH diet, which is rich in potassium-heavy foods, lowers blood pressure and fluid retention regardless of salt intake, and researchers attribute much of that benefit to its potassium content. Good sources include bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, avocados, beans, yogurt, and salmon. Focusing on whole foods rather than supplements is the safer approach, since too much potassium can cause its own problems, especially if you have kidney issues.
Take Care of Swollen Skin
Stretched, swollen skin develops tiny cracks you can’t always see, and bacteria can enter through those cracks. Cellulitis, a skin infection, is one of the most common complications of chronic leg swelling, and lymphedema is the single biggest risk factor for recurring cellulitis.
Wash your legs daily with gentle soap. Apply moisturizer within three minutes of showering or bathing, while the skin is still slightly damp. This seals in moisture and helps prevent the cracking that invites infection. Avoid scratching swollen skin, and treat any cuts, scrapes, or insect bites promptly with antiseptic.
When Swelling Signals Something Serious
Swelling that affects both legs roughly equally usually points to a systemic cause: too much salt, prolonged sitting, medication side effects, or in more serious cases, heart failure, kidney disease, or liver problems. Heart failure causes fluid to back up in the legs because the heart can’t pump efficiently. Kidney disease prevents the body from clearing excess fluid and salt. Liver damage from cirrhosis can cause fluid buildup in the legs and abdomen.
One key test you can do at home: press your thumb firmly into the swollen area for about five seconds, then release. If a visible dent remains for several seconds, that’s pitting edema, which can indicate fluid overload from one of these organ-related causes. Gradual, persistent pitting edema in both legs deserves medical evaluation.
Swelling in only one leg is a different situation. A blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) typically causes sudden swelling in a single leg, along with calf pain or tenderness, increased warmth in the skin, and sometimes a bluish discoloration. The risk is higher if you’ve recently been immobilized for more than three days, had surgery in the past 12 weeks, or have active cancer. If one leg swells suddenly and is painful or warm to the touch, that needs urgent medical attention, because a clot can break loose and travel to the lungs.
Prescription Options for Persistent Swelling
If home measures aren’t enough, prescription diuretics (water pills) help your kidneys flush out excess sodium and water. They’re effective, and most people tolerate them well, but they require monitoring. Your provider will want to check your kidney function and potassium levels periodically, since diuretics can deplete potassium and shift your electrolyte balance. Side effects can include muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, and increased blood sugar in people with diabetes.
For swelling caused by chronic venous insufficiency, where damaged valves in leg veins allow blood to pool, treatment may go beyond compression. The 2025 guidelines recommend considering vein procedures like ablation therapy alongside conservative management for people with symptomatic vein reflux. These procedures close off malfunctioning veins so blood reroutes through healthier ones, and they’re typically done as outpatient procedures with minimal downtime.