Everyone gets more or less edema during waking hours, the longer they stand and sit. In technical jargon, this is known as leg edema or edema for short.

Swollen legs

are then a result of the earth's gravitational pull, where the body water is pulled towards the center of the earth by its own weight. If the legs are swollen at the same side, this is an indication of such a cause and is also found in the most frequent cases. Young people sometimes complain of swollen legs (on the same side!) and think they have venous insufficiency, but in most cases it is a congenital condition that the outflow of body water from the interstitial space into the venous circulation or lymphatic drainage system is somewhat slower due to the force of gravity.

If the legs are unevenly swollen

it is important to take a closer look at the history and investigate another cause for the one-sided swelling. In this case, the cause may actually be in the venous circulation or in the lymphatic system of the affected leg. However, injuries such as bruises, strains, muscle overuse, signs of wear and tear and inflammation of joints (arthrosis, arthritis) can also cause one-sided accumulations of oedema. People who have had deep vein thrombosis of the leg can also show a visible difference in circumference of the lower legs and feet, and even of the thigh in the case of high thrombosis (thigh, pelvis).

In old age, swollen legs on the same side can

may also indicate an incipient weakness of the heart's pumping capacity or kidney dysfunction.

Finally, it should be noted that obesity, especially constitutionally predisposed, fat-induced thickened legs, significantly increases the tendency to swollen legs!