Swollen Ankles

[Alicia]

Hello,

I have a question. Can MS cause ankles to be swollen and painful? Both of my ankles have been swollen for a long time. My right ankle feels like I have a mild sprain that will not go away. I don't have that great of circulation, but the ankle in question belongs to the leg in which I have had varicose veins removed. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Alicia

[ssmme]

I've never heard of this however have you been wearing compression socks/stockings?

[jimmylegs]

hi alicia, what meds are you on, if any? any particular dietary measures taken? could be informative.

[Alicia]

I do wear compression stockings and they still swell. I am not on any medications that would make my ankles swell. They have been swollen for quite a while. The pain is a new thing though.

Alicia

[jimmylegs]

do any of these listed causes sound like a possibility?

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/edema/article_em.htm

for example, we know that membrane integrity is compromised in ms patients (intestinal permeability, blood brain barrier, chronic venous insufficiency, etc) ...

not to mention the idea of a compromised liver. i recall back when i was getting ready to start a CRAB rx, before i changed my mind, the docs were doing baseline liver enzyme testing to make sure the meds weren't causing liver damage. and there was that case study wherein liver transplant spontaneously resolved ms signs and symptoms.

one common denominator among these various issues could be zinc. have you ever had your zinc status measured?

that said, i've seen an article re zinc-induced copper deficiency associated with edema too (http://yanktonmedicalclinic.com/copper/publication.pdf) but ms patients more likely to have high copper low zinc than vice versa (eg http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22372359)

[KNRMCO]

I AM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS THIS SAMME SYMPTOM. I HAD SODOMEDROL 2 TIMES, & EACH TIME RESULTED IN SWOLLEN ANKLES. THE 1ST TIME ONLY MY LEFT ANKLE (3/2009) THE 2ND TIME (11/20110) MY RIGHT ANKLE. i AM COMPLETELY IMMOBILE, THAT COULD BE PART OF THE PROBLEM, BUT I WAS STILL ABLE TO MOVE AROUND SOMEWHAT BEFORE THIS LAST INCIDENT OF SWELLING. NO HIGH BLOODPRESSURE NOR AM I OVERWEIGHT. ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA'S/SUGGESTIONS?

[tzootsi]

My wife has a mild case of ms, she is able to bike 9 miles a day. However, one of her ankles sprains very easily, and the other one feels as if it's been sprained even though it hasn't. It's been tender and swollen for several months.

[lyndacarol]

I AM SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS THIS SAMME SYMPTOM. I HAD SODOMEDROL 2 TIMES, & EACH TIME RESULTED IN SWOLLEN ANKLES. THE 1ST TIME ONLY MY LEFT ANKLE (3/2009) THE 2ND TIME (11/20110) MY RIGHT ANKLE. i AM COMPLETELY IMMOBILE, THAT COULD BE PART OF THE PROBLEM, BUT I WAS STILL ABLE TO MOVE AROUND SOMEWHAT BEFORE THIS LAST INCIDENT OF SWELLING. NO HIGH BLOODPRESSURE NOR AM I OVERWEIGHT. ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEA'S/SUGGESTIONS?

Here is MY idea: Your body has LOTS of insulin circulating through the blood vessels. Insulin is very caustic and is damaging the inside of the blood vessels. (By the way, Solu-Medrol increases blood sugar and, therefore, your insulin level.) Your body has responded with inflammation in an attempt to heal the damage. Swelling is one of the signs of inflammation.

I suggest diet – a low-carb diet to reduce blood sugar and the resulting insulin production; foods that reduce inflammation, such as green tea. Some doctors recommend a low-salt diet, I am not convinced that salt is so bad. Jimmylegs has a list of low-inflammatory foods, even anti--inflammatory.

[jimmylegs]

there are great anti-inflammatory foods out there, so much awesome information!
here's a nice red meat example - roast beef, anti-inflammatory, high in zinc. yum.

Clinical, immunological, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant roles of zinc
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 6507002458
"Zinc is also an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory actions. We have reported decreased plasma zinc, increased plasma oxidative stress markers and increased generation of inflammatory cytokines in the elderly subjects which were corrected by zinc supplementation."

Zinc and insulin sensitivity.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1375070
"Zinc supplementation seems to have beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis."

Effect of zinc supplementation on serum leptin levels and insulin resistance...
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k810m42630285157/
"Insulin did not change in the placebo group, whereas there was a significant decrease of this hormone in the supplemented group"

[blossom]

my feet did not swell much until my last ankle break about three yrs. ago and i became more wheelchair dependent. they swell like balloons and turn purple red whatever. in the morning they would be normal but soon pooof. i tried different things nothing helped. --i got a machine that i pull the wheelchair up to "need help getting the straps on the feet" and it will peddle with or without your own power. it also will do the arms. i got good results right away. i can now go a couple days and they're not to bad. it helps the glandular systems and any movement is better than none for glands, circulation whatever. when i am faithful my whole body seems to loose the puffy water weight thing. the bottoms of my feet still hurt but i wear mainly socks at home and even though i have modified the foot platform on the wheelchair i haven't cured that. the sucker that designed this wheelchair sure never had to be in one long.

[Alicia]

I would like to thank everyone for their responses to my question.

Alicia

[offaduxback]

Take ms out of the equation and a misaligned Atlas might

[playlifeoutloud]

Oh I feel your pain as well! It's pretty much just my right ankle/leg from the knee down. I am still very active, but have days where it quite literally feels as though it weighs 100 lbs, especially when it is hot out. I also find it incredibly uncomfortable to wear shoes or even socks and sitting down can be unbearable at times. My heart goes out to the reponse from the person who has been confined to a wheel chair. That must be tough. I have modified my work station to allow for standing at all times to get around some of the pain. I'm still hangin on the hope that one day there will be relief for us all...