Many people have a poor gait when they hurt their back or hip. When they get worse, they may use a cane. This point is critical because it can cause the advancement to a walker, and then a wheelchair. Although this seems innocent, it is not. Have you heard of someone who has taken an international flight and died of an embolism afterward? You may also know people who have poor mobility are more likely to have illnesses of the lungs, such as pneumonia. There are physiological reasons for these scenarios.
Heart health is important, as it needs to deliver blood to the tissues of the body. However, mobility is just as important in moving blood through the body. Many people don’t realize that veins have valves in them to prevent backflow. When you walk and contract your leg muscles, fluid is pushed back up to the heart and the valves prevent blood from falling back to the feet. If this doesn’t happen, the risk of clotting can occur in the lower limbs, like the example of the pulmonary embolism after an international flight.
When poor mobility sets in, more fluid will pool in the lower legs because it is not being pushed back up to the heart. Swelling in the ankles and feet are an initial sign. Swelling of legs with normal color can indicate pooling of fluid between cells. Sometimes the swelling is pink. This can indicate the pooling of blood (kind of like livor mortis). There are some people who become purple in the area of swelling. This can partially be due to blood thinners in addition to the swelling
Swelling of the lower legs can also be due to poor heart function and increased body weight. Both cause resistance to the flow of fluids in and out of tissue. How can you prevent this?
Diet and exercise go hand in hand with this situation. Increased body weight prevents mobility. Decreased mobility will increase body weight. If you are in poor health, you may need a more aggressive diet and light weight training initially. This is a delicate balance at the start, as dieting can cause muscle loss.
If back, hip, or knee pain is part of the reason you are not mobile, please give us a call. We would love to sit down with you and discuss options that may improve your mobility. We can also guide you in diet and exercise. This change usually needs to be addressed from different angles.
Some people need to make this decision: Do you want the pain and risks of poor mobility, or do you want the pain and risks of hard, healthy change? We are here to help make this change! Call us at 316-729-2528!
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