Swollen legs syndrome: four tips to relieve pain

Europe 1 / Photo credit: LEYLA VIDAL / BELGA MAG / BELGA VIA AFP 17:36 pm, 30 May 2023

"Heavy legs" or "swollen legs", you will be much to fear the arrival of summer for your gambettes. This syndrome, which affects nearly one in two women and one in four men, is caused by a weakening of the wall of the veins with heat. The blood, instead of going directly to the heart, will tend to stay lower in the body, causing swelling and therefore aesthetic discomfort and can cause pain. Fortunately, small home remedies exist.

>> READ ALSO - Suncapsules, ineffective to prepare your skin for the sun? What a study says

Revive blood circulation

Before taking medication, first have the reflex to massage your legs to restart blood circulation. The best is to do this with essential oils, especially those of lemon or cypress, which have a tonic effect. "It stimulates at the level of the vein, the rise of blood. That is to say, we have species of small spoons in the veins that will store the blood and evacuate it. So it will increase the elasticity of these parts at the level of the vein to make the blood go up to the heart, "says Françoise Couic Marinier, specialist in aromatherapy.

Benjamin Lévêque, beauty columnist for Bienfait pour vous, also cites pistachio mastic oil, extracted from a small Corsican shrub, which helps deflate the legs. Be careful, however, never apply these pure oils to the skin. Two or three drops are enough, diluting them in a vegetable oil, any one, and then massaging the legs from bottom to top. According to the specialist, it is necessary to make small circular movements to stimulate circulation, and this for about fifteen minutes.

Sleeping with your legs a little elevated and passing a small jet of cold water can also quickly alleviate an attack of heavy legs. As a second resort, gels and creams present in pharmacies can provide a draining effect, with ingredients such as horse chestnut or caffeine inside. To add a cool effect, it is best to store these products in the refrigerator, anything cold is beneficial.

>> READ ALSO - Moisturize the skin, relieve migraines... Monoi, a heavenly product with a thousand virtues

Sweet fruits and sports

Eating red fruits like strawberries and cherries, like essential oils, also serves as a tonic. Better yet, citrus fruits and especially ziste, this white substance around the pulp, is very rich in quercetin and acts on the wall of blood vessels to reduce pain.

Sport stimulates blood circulation, but some are to be avoided because they can aggravate the problem. This is the observation of Dr. Ariel Toledano, who wrote the book Take care of your legs, published by Cerf. "It will be necessary to favor sports with ample movements, for example swimming, cycling in the pool. Avoid anything with heavy loads like weight training in the gym because it traumatizes the venous spine. So the more you risk, by carrying heavy loads, to traumatize this venous spine, the more likely you are to aggravate venous insufficiency if it is already there," he says. And if despite all these homemade solutions the pain persists, it is obviously better to consult a doctor.