How to relieve swollen feet and ankles at home

Last updated on June 19th, 2025 at 06:01 pm

Key Takeaways: Swollen Feet Treatment

✔️ Cold water reduces recent swelling (vasoconstriction)
✔️ Heat therapy helps chronic fluid retention (vasodilation)
✔️ Contrast baths (alternating hot/cold) are most effective for stubborn edema
✔️ Elevate legs above heart level for 20 mins, 3x daily
✔️ Compression socks prevent fluid buildup during long sitting/standing
✔️ Massage upwards toward the heart to improve lymphatic drainage
✔️ See a doctor if swelling is sudden, one-sided, or painful

(Scroll down for detailed home remedies & step-by-step guides!)

Swelling in the feet is easy to develop but very difficult to get rid of, and misinformation further complicates the treatment of swollen feet. It may not create that much pain, but it can considerably affect the movements of fingers and feet. More so, swollen feet don’t look good.

In this article, we will learn some of the most effective home tips to get rid of those stubborn swollen feet.

How to Relieve Swollen Feet and Ankle Pain

The most common cause of leg swelling is oedema, but all or part of a limb may expand due to an increase in any tissue component (muscle, fat, blood, etc) ¹.

Oedema occurs when fluid builds up in the tissues, and it may happen suddenly or develop slowly and last for months or years.

Most frequently, oedema is a result of harmless conditions, but occasionally it is caused by more serious underlying health problems².

What Causes Swollen Feet? Common Reasons Explained

Swelling of the leg may involve both legs or a single leg. Oedema of both legs is commonly due to dependent oedema. This type of swelling develops when a patient sits or stands for prolonged periods².

Oedema in one leg may be commonly due to DVT (Deep Venous Thrombosis). However, it can also be due to internal injuries like a hairline fracture or ligament injury around the ankle.

There are many other reasons for feet swelling. Being a physiotherapist, let me share a few causes we usually treat at our physiotherapy centre, but the list is not limited to this.

1. Old internal fracture.
2. Very old injury around the feet and ankle.
3. Immediately after plaster opening (in a bone fracture case).
4. Swelling due to hereditary angioedema,
5. Rheumatoid hand or other disease processes.  

Doctors usually recommend a hot bath or a cold bath for swollen feet treatment, depending on the condition. But, which condition will be better for a hot bath and which condition will best respond to a cold bath?

Hot or Cold Water for Swollen Feet: Which Works Better?

Using hot or cold water for swollen feet has been practised since ancient days. But, unfortunately, there’s a lot of confusion on whether to use hot or cold or both hot and cold, and what is the proper way of its application?

Here I am going to share my 12 years of experience in dealing with it using hot or cold water with a scientific explanation. For this, we first need to understand the effect of heat and cold on our bodies.

How Heat and Cold Affect Swelling

Different temperature has different effects on our body. When our body is exposed to a lower temperature, the blood vessel gets contracted to limit the blood flow, which is called vasoconstriction.

The opposite happens when exposed to hot temperatures; the blood vessels dilate. It’s called vasodilatation, and it increases the flow of blood. 

When to Use Ice vs. Heat for Swollen Feet

This explains why, if you have a recent injury, we recommend ice /cold therapy for two to three days after injury (injury to any body part). This not only helps in the reduction of swelling it also gives immense relief from pain.

In chronic pain like neck muscle spasm, shoulder stiffness, and low backache, we advise hot treatment.

But, in this article, we are concerned about swollen feet, and we have already discussed its causes. For this condition, we suggest a contrast bath that alternates between hot and cold.

Contrast Bath Therapy for Swelling: Step-by-Step Guide

Why Alternating Hot and Cold Reduces Swelling

We also call a hot and cold bath a contrast bath. It is a therapeutic technique of giving hot treatment and cold treatment in an alternating fashion so as to reduce swelling and thereby reduce the pain.

First, immerse the treating part in cold water and then in hot water for a particular time duration. It is done in an alternate manner till the temperature of both the waters becomes normal.

For a more detailed procedure, please follow this article How to Contrast Bath Therapy for Hand & Foot Swelling.

Referring to vasoconstriction and vasodilatation, when our body is exposed to both in an alternate manner, then there alternately occurs vasoconstriction and vasodilatation.

This alternate vasoconstriction and vasodilatation gives and massage effect, thereby pumping away lymphatic fluid. Accumulation of lymphatic fluid is the actual cause of the swelling.

How to Do a Contrast Bath at Home

The technique of contrast bath for swollen feet treatment is very simple.  Let’s discuss it in the step-by-step method.

• Step 1: Take two bowls, they should be large enough so that you can dip your palm or foot.  
• Step 2: In one bowl, fill it the normal water and put some ice cubes in it. Allow the water to get chilled.  
• Step 3: In another bowl, take warm water. The temperature of the water should be around 45- 50 degrees Celsius.  
• Step 4: Start with cold water. Dip your body part in cold water. Keep it for 1 minute.  
• Step 5: After 1 minute, take out the body part and dip it in warm water. Again, keep it for 1 minute.  
• Step 6: Repeat this process till the water in both the bowls comes to normal temperature.  
• Step 7: End it in cold water.  

Note: Please make a note that you have to start in cold water and also end in cold water.

5 Proven Home Remedies for Swollen Feet

Elevate Your Feet: Best Sleeping & Sitting Positions

In swollen feet treatment, you must take care of your sitting and sleeping position. If you need to sit for a long hour then you must take care that your legs do not remain in a hanging position.

The Hanging position of the legs increases fluid retention around the feet and increases the swelling.

So the question is how to set if you have swollen feet?

The answer is very simple: you have to avoid hanging the leg, and this can be achieved by keeping the leg elevated. So what you have to do is to take another chair or stool in front of where you are sitting and place your leg over this stool.

Likewise, during sleeping, you have to keep your legs elevated, which can be done by placing two pillows, one over the other, below your legs and elevating them. For more effectiveness, you may simply get an orthopaedic bed wedge and use it while sleeping.

Use of pressure socks or stockings

The use of pressure socks and or compression garments is also very helpful. If you need to travel or if you are an overly occupied person who is unable to take care get these pressure socks or stockings and wear them inside your shoes or inside your clothing.

Pressure stockings create equal pressure around the feet, thereby preventing any accumulation of fluid in the feet. Regular use can reduce swelling of the feet by 50%.

Foot Massage Techniques to Reduce Fluid Retention

Massage of the feet is one of the very old and very effective methods. If you have someone else to massage your feet, the best position would be to keep your leg elevated over the pillows in a sleeping position.

For self-massage, sit on a comfortable chair or a bed and place your feet over the opposite leg and massage it using oil. Massage thoroughly and repeat the process on the opposite leg.

We also recommend the use of an air-compression calf foot massager, which is equally effective. It’s a portable unit that you can carry with you anywhere, and it is very easy to use.

It’s better if you watch this video on how to use an air-compression calf foot massager at home.

Final word

Use the technique I have mentioned. I have applied it to many of my patients and found tremendous improvement in both the pain and swelling. But, it may not work in all swelling cases.

Have you tried hot or cold therapy for swelling? Share your experience below!

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FAQ: Hot or Cold for Swollen Feet?