Improve Leg Circulation & Reduce Ankle Swelling Fast
- chelsie462
- Sep 4
- 9 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/mmWnJaYtKCY
Brad: All right, we're talking about improving leg circulation, decreasing swelling. We're going to use three separate factors, and we're going to talk about that in detail and then show you how to do it so you get maximum success, Mike.
Mike: This is geared towards people 55 and older, and you can do all these things in your home. They're relatively simple to do and low-level, so anyone can do them.
Brad: But if you're under 55, it will work for you as well. Let's go to work, Mike.
Mike: So the first major factor to help with maximum circulation is using gravity to assist with venous return. Your veins bring the blood back up your leg, which can help with swelling and edema.
Brad: That's right, and the next is actually a specific massage that you do if you do have lymph or that swelling from lymph, and how to get it back up to where it needs to go. It's very simple, but it's very critical.
Mike: And the third thing is actually using your muscle contraction to work as a pump, which can help return blood flow up to your heart.
Brad: That's right. It all fits together, and it does not take much time. Let's set it up, Mike. Okay, now the first step you're going to do is actually position yourself so you can get maximum benefits using gravity. And actually, you're going to stay in that position for steps two and three. So all these fit together, making it very efficient. So what you'll do is get your bed up close to the wall. Now I'm going to show you a different option if this doesn't work for you. And you're going to put your feet on the wall. So now we have gravity. If you have lymphedema, that's going to go down; that's superficial. Just under the skin as well as venous return. The gravity is going to help that as well. Now you can keep your legs straight or simply put a little bend in your knees, whatever's more comfortable.
Brad: Obviously, you're going to want to wear socks, and you'll see why in just a little bit. So socks probably would be better than barefoot, no shoes for sure. Now, if this is not possible for you because of moving the bed or because it's uncomfortable, or we know that some people's legs just aren't going to tolerate this, or are not strong enough, we'll show another option right now. Okay, now you can get the elevation of the legs and use pillows. I have three of them here, actually, I could put more into there. The higher you get, the better. Although with pillows, they get a little wobbly. So you'll do the best you can, depending on how many pillows you have.
Brad: Now, there is another option that does work well, and it's called a leg wedge. They're not that expensive and they're very comfortable. They also work great for relieving back pain. They've had great experiences. If you're going to get one of these online, make sure you look at the dimensions because they do come in different dimensions. If you're taller or if you want a higher one. And then you actually add the pillows along with the leg wedge to increase that gravity assist.
Brad: And then we go to step number two. Okay, so the second step is the massage that I talked about. If you do have swelling from lymphedema below the knees, it's very critical that we do some massage, but it's not what you might think. You might think you want to get really aggressive and massage and push that fluid at the ankle up, and then work it down. That is not the correct way. You actually want to start at the stomach or the waist level. And we're going to do a light massage. It's not aggressive. Lymph is just under the skin. And we need to clear the lymphatic system at the belly because it actually comes up through there before it goes central, and your body actually digests it or actually works with it. So I'm going to start here, and you just do a simple massage. Sometimes you can just do a light circular area. Now, if you do go to a lymph specialist, they'll go into a little more detail with this. I've actually observed it; it works very well, but by yourself, this will definitely help. And then you work at the knees, and you kind of work towards the medial or the inside of the thigh. And then we bring the lymph fluid down from the legs. Now, the third step, if your arms are long enough, you can go from the toes to the knee. This gets a little difficult. If you want to work on it here, then you can and work in this direction. The idea is, the way it weas explained to me that made sense is think of, the fluid has to go through the legs up into the trunk and we clear it in the belly first and then we clear it in the thighs so that the fluid at the feet can actually have a free flow all the way up to the trunk, and that's how that's done.
Brad: So you're going to spend probably about two or three minutes starting at the belly for a minute or two, and then the thighs. And you know if you can reach the toes, then do an extra massage below the knee for a minute or so. And then we're going to go onto the exercises from this position, which works out very well.
Mike: Now for the exercise portion, we are first going to show it on the wall, then we'll show it using a leg wedge option as well. So to begin, we're going to start distal to proximal. We're going to do some ankle pumps so you can rock back and forth like this just on the wall. Should we do roughly 15 repetitions, Brad?
Brad: Yep. That would be good. You do it for 30 seconds, whatever works well. And we're working the muscles distally or at the ankle first to help push that fluid in the venous return. And then we're going to work on the next muscle group, hamstrings and quadriceps.
Mike: So we're going to do some wall slides here. Obviously, the closer you are, the easier this one might be for some people.
Brad: Yep.
Mike: But you're just going to slide back and forth. You could do them together if you want, but that seems kind of odd because you don't walk like that or bike like that.
Brad: Well, some people would like it; it's something different.
Mike: I guess it's an option.
Brad: And this is why you want to have socks so that they'll slide on the wall. You know, if you've got one of those rough walls in, you have a problem.
Mike: Yeah. You might have some issues. And the last one, you're going to hold beneath your knee here. You could try both if you can at the same time. But I'll just do one at a time. And you're just going to kick up, kind of do some longer quads, let your knee bend all the way down, and then go up. We're working again, more proximal with this one. Again, 30 seconds or 15 repetitions, whichever comes first. And then switch sides. If you're limited on your motion, just do what you can.
Brad: Yeah, a nice side benefit of this is actually that you get a little bit of a hamstring stretch, which is very good for most people. And you can tell Mike has got tight hamstrings.
Mike: You don't have to rub it in.
Brad: Yeah, some people will get straight, you're really tight. You have to work on those hamstrings.
Mike: I try.
Brad: And then you go right from that directly, and we're going to show you how to do it. If you're using the leg wedge or pillows or a combination, it's the same thing. Mike, go ahead and show them now. Also, remember, really relax and just enjoy these. Don't get all tense. The more relaxed you are, the more things flow, the better off you are.
Mike: So the first one is ankle pumps. Again, you're probably going to have to get your feet off the edge of the pillows there. If they're in the pillows, they're going to have a limited range of motion. So let your feet hang off just slightly while you're doing this one. And again, 30 seconds or 15 repetitions, whichever is easier for you. You could certainly go longer if it feels good.
Brad: And these, I really want you to emphasize the pulling up, because that's going to stretch your calf muscles a little bit, which is particularly great for older people, because those muscles get tight and that can cause tripping and possibly a fall. So pull it up, stretch it good.
Mike: You can make fun of my tight calves, too.
Brad: Well, no, they're looking pretty good, Mike. Go on to the next exercise, please. Alright, now, as far as the heels or the foot sides going up and down on the wall, it's very difficult. You can just slide your feet on the bed back and forth like that. Sometimes your feet will catch on the sheets, and it doesn't work so well. There is a device that actually works very well for this, it's called the FitGlide. I'm going to put that there, and it simply slides back and forth. Now, if you have some fragile skin, you may want to put a towel there under both of them, and it's a little more comfortable. But you can see this works really well, and this works in bed. And you can use this in the seated position as well. So it's not just restricted to this exercise. How are you doing, Mike?
Mike: I'm good. Now you think I have fragile skin, too, I guess, huh?
Brad: No, no, Mike, you're kind of sensitive today.
Mike: I am.
Brad: Anyways, let's go on to the next one. And you can work that, hold underneath the knee if you have some weakness in those legs. Relax and the same thing, and loosen up the hamstrings. Work those quads. Good job.
Mike: Get straighter.
Brad: All right, very good. Let's go to the next part. Now, once you do these once or twice, you'll find out it works very efficiently. You can get through it in just a few minutes. And if you want to really have improved circulation throughout the day, you might want to investigate either some Tubigrip compression garment or?
Mike: Some type of compression socks. Now you want to check with your doctor if you have lymphedema or severe swelling in your legs. If you just have muscle soreness and you're trying to improve them, you don't necessarily need a doctor's order for some compression socks.
Brad: That's right. Again, check it out with your doctor, and they'll help you get the right fit, or they'll send you to someplace that'll get you the right fit and the right way to use them.
Mike: Now, if you tolerated all those exercises and activities well, you can certainly do them numerous times throughout the day if you have the time. You can do morning, afternoon, or evening. If you only have time for one time a day, that's certainly acceptable as well. Do what fits your schedule, and obviously, they should help and make you feel better.
Brad: We've got another video that relates to the set you may want to watch as well.
Mike: Watch "You Can Instantly Improve Leg Circulation & Blood Flow" for more on improving circulation and blood flow.
Brad: There you go. Enjoy the day.
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