Swollen ankles are medically known as peripheral edema. Edema is the accumulation of fluids that cause swelling in the lower limbs of the body. The lower limbs that get affected by peripheral edema are legs, ankles, and feet.
The condition is usually not painful unless of course, it is injury-related. Swollen ankles are associated with aging, which is why the condition is most prominent in older people than in children or younger adults. There are various conditions that cause swelling of ankles. The obvious ones are pregnancy, heart diseases, obesity, and arthritis.
Some medications may cause or aggravate the condition. Other than this, it can merely be due to wearing undersized pumps, sitting, standing, or walking for a long time. If your ankles suddenly start feeling puffy without being injured, consult your physician immediately as there may be a serious underlying cause.
In the meantime browse through these 13 unusual causes of swollen ankles.
1. Wearing Tight Pants
Did you know that wearing tight clothes can be hazardous to your health? Yes, in particular, those cute, tight, in-style jeans that you always squeeze into when going out. Even though they may be fashionable, tight clothing causes many health problems. They block or restrict the flow of blood to all parts of the body, including ankles.
Tight jeans can inhibit the blood from flowing freely and stimulate the swelling of ankles and other lower limbs. In this case, there won’t be any sufficient blood reaching the lower body, hence the swelling of ankles. Tight jeans cause the appearance of varicose veins on ankles. In the US, 31% of women have varicose veins, and wearing tight pants is amongst the major causes. Clothes with elastic ankle seams are responsible for swollen ankles. They basically tighten the body and not allow for sufficient blood flow to the ankles.
