What to know when your ankles look swollen

Check whether both ankles are affected, whether pressing leaves a temporary dent, and whether the swelling improves after resting with your legs raised.

Fluid can collect around the ankles after prolonged standing or sitting, hot weather, or reduced movement. Vein problems may also allow fluid to pool, sometimes with aching, heaviness, skin colour changes, or visible enlarged veins.

Persistent swelling on both sides can occur when the heart or kidneys are not managing fluid normally. Heart failure can present with ankle swelling alongside breathlessness or difficulty lying flat, while chronic kidney disease can present with swelling elsewhere or changes in urination. The appearance alone cannot identify the cause.

Remove tight footwear, rest with your feet supported above hip level, and gently move your ankles. Avoid staying still for long periods. Note when the swelling began, whether it changes through the day, and any recent injury, travel, illness, or medicine change.

Do not stop prescribed medicines or start water tablets on your own. Arrange a routine medical assessment if swelling keeps returning, lasts despite rest, or is getting worse; a clinician may review your circulation, medicines, heart, kidneys, and liver.

Seek urgent medical help for swelling with chest pain, new or severe breathlessness, fainting, or coughing blood. Prompt assessment is also needed when one leg suddenly becomes swollen, painful, warm, or red, particularly after immobility or travel.

Contact a clinician soon if the skin is broken, leaking fluid, hot, or increasingly red; if you have fever; or if swelling is accompanied by reduced urination, rapid abdominal swelling, or breathlessness during ordinary activity.

Ask whether the distribution suggests a vein, medicine, or fluid-balance problem; whether your current medicines can contribute; and whether you need checks of circulation, heart function, kidney function, or urine. Mention skin changes and exactly what makes the swelling better or worse.