Suggest treatment for swelling in feet in a paraplegic patient
Patient: My father has been a paraplegic since the early 80 s. His feet always swell during the summer but it is worse this summer. They get very swollen and look almost purple. I know that there are many causes (diet, his condition, etc) but what can he do to keep the swelling down to a min? Would compression socks help? Doctor: Hello,  First of all sorry to hear about your father's medical condition. Let's get to point. As he is paraplegic and there is a presence of swelling in his feet I would definitely appreciate your idea of using the stocking.   Stocking provides great help to avoid the swelling. It should be used on a regular basis.   Now to stretch a little more, as your father will be ageing by now, his cardiac condition might have become weak and this swelling is a cause of loss of venous return, which is common in most paraplegic cases.   I will advise to look for a cardiac physician and also a nephrologist to rule out some basic parameters.   Also coming to the therapy part, doing exercises in the mat, like rolling in bed should help the body move and avoid allowing it to become weak.   Next is to focus on the upper limbs on both sides as it is important to have a proper blood circulation to happen.   for the lower limbs, one needs to be assisted by passive Range of motion exercises which will help him about a lot of swelling.   Also, the upper limb strengthening exercises will make his heart stronger and improve the venous return.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.  Take care  Regards, Jay Indravadan Patel, Physical Therapist or Physiotherapist