7 Tips For Managing Leg Leaking Water

Leaking legs, a condition also known as lymphorrhoea, causes fluid to leak from the legs. It might seem like water is leaking from your legs, but your skin is leaking lymphatic fluid, fluid in your tissues that has a crucial role in eliminating waste, helping you absorb nutrients, and fighting infections.

A leg leaking water often results from edema, but this condition can appear due to liver disease, blood clots, or chronic venous insufficiency. Read on to learn more about managing leaking legs.

Find the Root Cause Behind Your Leg Leaking Water

A leaking leg is a serious health concern. If you haven’t sought medical care, you should schedule an appointment with your physician.

Your physician might diagnose you with edema or perform additional testing to rule out conditions such as liver and kidney disease. Swelling and fluid leakage can become recurring issues and get worse over time if you don’t address the underlying cause.

In some cases, edemas will go away on their own with some rest and gentle exercise. However, your doctor might prescribe a diuretic medication to help your body eliminate the excess fluid. You can also ask for recommendations regarding supplements that can help eliminate fluid.

Get Some Gentle Exercise

Being active can help the swelling go down. Moving will also help your body drain the fluid that is pooling in your legs.

The key is to exercise at your own pace. Listen to your body and get some rest if exercising becomes painful or uncomfortable.

You can go for short daily walks or do a few exercises at home:

• Sit down and kick your leg forward. Hold this position for a few seconds before lowering your leg slowly.
• Lay down and raise your legs at a 90° angle. Point your toes towards your head to extend your legs. Hold this position for a few seconds before relaxing your feet.
• Lay down on one side and raise your leg. Hold this position for a few seconds before lowering your leg slowly.

Make Some Changes to Your Diet

A diet rich in sodium can cause edema and lead to fluid pooling in your legs and other body parts. You can limit fluid retention by lowering your sodium intake.

As a rule of thumb, processed foods have more sodium. Foods like bread, pizza, cold cuts, soups, chips, cheese, and even eggs make up most of your sodium intake.

Stay away from processed foods and snacks as much as possible. Try eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.

Foods like watermelon, grapes, cucumber, onions, and bell peppers can have a mild diuretic effect that will help eliminate fluids. While tea and coffee can have a diuretic effect, drinking these beverages can lead to your body retaining fluids to prevent dehydration. It’s best to introduce gentle diuretics into your diet instead of increasing your caffeine intake.

Think about scheduling an appointment with a nutritionist to adopt a diet low in sodium. If you have kidney issues, it’s especially important to lower your sodium intake since your kidneys can struggle with processing foods rich in sodium.

Keep the Area Clean and Dry

If you have a leg leaking water, the fluid will likely come out of blisters or wounds. Keep these areas clean to manage the leakage and prevent infections.

Fluid leakage can also affect the surrounding skin. If the area stays wet throughout the day, your skin can become irritated, and conditions like eczema can appear.

You can use the dressing to absorb the leaking fluid. Change the bandages and clean the area as often as possible. You can also use a barrier cream to protect the skin around the blisters or wounds.

Manage Swelling and Leakage With Compression

You can use a compression sleeve or compression stockings to manage your symptoms. However, it's best to wait until the swelling starts going down before using compression. Compression can prevent swelling from returning to the area, but it can do more harm than good if you use compression too early in the edema cycle.

It’s also crucial to apply the right amount of compression. A compression sleeve that is too tight can be painful and limit circulation in the area, leading to complications.

It’s best to talk to your doctor about compression to find out if you can use this method safely.

Use Massages and Elevation

You can use small circular massage movements to help move fluids out of the affected area. Start at the bottom of your leg and move slowly toward your heart. Massages can also help with pain and discomfort but be careful not to apply too much pressure.

Elevation can have a similar effect. Try sleeping or sitting with your leg elevated to help drain some of the fluid. You will also find that elevation can help with the pain and discomfort.

If you can, avoid standing up for long periods. Blood and other fluids can pool in your legs and may worsen the swelling.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking more water can seem counterintuitive, but hydration can be crucial in treating a fluid buildup in your system. If you’re not getting enough water, your body will respond by retaining fluids to prevent dehydration. Drinking plenty of water will reduce retention and help your body eliminate the fluids pooling in your legs.

Not drinking enough water is a common issue. On average, an adult drinks 44 ounces of water a day. Experts recommend drinking 125 ounces a day for men and 91 ounces for women. You can increase your daily water intake thanks to a water bottle with time markers.

Wrap Up

Seeking medical care should be a priority if you have severe swelling in your legs or are leaking fluids. Once you get a diagnosis, you can focus on managing this condition at home.

Focus on keeping the area dry and clean to prevent complications. You should also take steps to drain fluids, including elevation, massages, diet changes, and gentle exercise. Talk to your healthcare provider to discuss strategies you can use to prevent the issue from recurring.