I get the same damn thing. Some days my calves appear to be twice the size they usually are. I never can quite figure it out.

It sucks trying to train with "bloated" legs. I figured it may be from either a) sitting all day like you or b) overtraining???

Never brought it up to any docs, pt, or trainers since I figured it was all in my head. I actually thought of measuring the difference to see if it was real or not.

training a lot (which is VERY often...I usually consider 25hrs like a small week in terms of volume) doesn't make my legs swell at all...
but for instance, a long flight and it will be pretty bad (usually sleep with my feet up on the window to avoid that).

I don't need to measure it, I see it. I am pretty lean and can pinch the skin off the muscles pretty much anywhere, yet after sitting for a while, I can, I have the impression everything is glued altogether

I get the same thing and I think using an inversion chair for about 10 minutes every 2-3 hours would do the trick. I believe it would help drain the lymph fluid that may be accumulating down there and it would help to stretch out the back a bit if you find yourself slowly hunching over time.

I think it generally gets worse the better fitness you attain because your body gets used to having an assist from muscle contractions in moving lymphatic fluid back uphill and gets lazy.

I had a terrible problem with it before my kidney transplant since I had an extra 20 pounds of extracellular fluid floating around and when I sat for any length of time it all went downhill and I could make a dent in my shin an inch deep at times..

Sitting at a desk support socks do a pretty good job of keeping it from falling all the way to the floor and not being able to get back up. If you are man enough pantyhose work even better.

to pump blood back to the heart, veins require the muscles around them to contract, and constrict the vein (which, due to the valves, pumps it up to the heart). When you are sitting for a long time, or standing for a long time, neither of which uses your leg muscles very much, the blood can pool, which might cause the swelling. get up and walk every once and a while, see if that helps.

thanks for the explanations.

Yep. That's the same reason I pass out if I stand for too long without moving.

actually, what you have is orthostatic hypotension...
very strong vagal tone...get the same thing...after training, you sit, mildly dehydrated, and get a head rush standing up...

Whoa there! The cardiovascular system is pressurized, and i'm not contracting anything when I'm asleep, yet I'm still alive. It's the lymphatic system you are thinking of and describing here.

it is pressurized, but once the blood goes through the capillary beds, it loses a lot of its pressure. the heart does have the ability to provide enough pressure to pump blood through the veins, but not enough to pump it 5 feet uphill for sustained periods of time. when youre sleeping, youre lying down, and when youre lying down, the pressure of your heart can pump it back. you are correct about the lymphatics though.

"When blood has to fight gravity and flow upstream back to the heart, as it does through the deep veins in the legs, the leg muscles contract to pump blood back toward the heart." - http://www.debakeydepartmentofsurgery.org/...y&content_id=272

apolack, I've taken anatomy and physiology classes and I was just a bit dumbfounded to have such a misunderstanding of the cardiovascular system. Well, I checked out your link and what you are describing is a specifc medical condition that generally affects the elderly that havn't had a lifetime of physical activity. Francois, if I remember correctly, is a mid-20's triathlete with a tremendous cardiovascular system. I just don't think it's the right diagnosis, unless Francois has varicose veins.

mid 30s actually.
the cardiovascular system is pretty good indeed.
no varicose veins either

that the specific paragraph i was citing was talking about the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, if you didnt like that link, heres another: http://www.veins.co.uk/...new_the_leg_pump.htm

Im not trying to diagnose anything, im just informing, i was just talking about how veins work, and i am 100% sure they work this way. Hes complaining about pooling of fluids in the legs, i explained one way it could happen. Youve taken anatomy and physiology classes? Im in med school, and a prof and me just talked about this about a week ago. Remember, this only applies to the deep veins of the leg (you might have studied veins in general), which was the specific area of complaint. This is important in these veins because of the distance the blood must travel vertically to return to the heart.

I apparently have none of the symptoms (but the swelling) and none of the possible causes...not to mention I am not an inactive 50yo overweight woman :-)

hunching is something I do ALL the time...I am in the aero position at the desk, in the car, on the couch...
it's a lifestyle :-)
(working to correct it though...wouldn't look great at 60, if I go on!)

you talk about symptoms, im pretty sure its not a problem, just a consequence of the fact youre sitting for long periods of time. its just the normal functioning of your veins and lymphatics.

ok get it.

so, from now on, I will teach my classes running, and I will get a small VAIO and write grant proposals and papers on the bike! :-)

if anyone knows at what school I can do that, let me know! I go there right now! :-)

Dude, you're legs can't swell to a bigger size than they already are. I can't even imagine what that'd be like. It's all in your head =P

what do you mean? this is pre-swelling

Go get blood work (CBC, blood chem) just to be sure.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003104.htm

Foot, leg, and ankle swelling is common with the following situations:

* Prolonged standing
* Long airplane flights or automobile rides

Swollen legs may be a sign of heart failure, kidney failure, or liver failure. In these conditions, there is too much fluid in your body.

that happened to me during exam week and when i got stuck at the desk writing a 50 p. thesis. First run was painful, stiff, and my shins were tied in knots. Went to the pool and kicked the crap outta my bloated useless ass legs. After walking around for a day it was fine. figured it was the lymph fluid.

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talk softly and ride a fast bike

Francois, two suggestions for your calf issue, both of which have helped me with similar symptoms.

1. Compression Socks; you can buy these at a good pharmacy. I recommend the knee-high versus the full leg. I use these for long trips and they are very helpful for circulation and prevent swelling.

2. Stretching of the piriformis and hip flexor; when either of these get tight on me, my right calf can swell considerably.

m2

This is the first time I have ever commented on another chap's legs, but here goes.

HOLY SHIT Francois, that is some impressive pin action you got there my friend!

Nice work.

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kiwipat

per ardua ad astra

Once again I have not read the rest of the posts but Like the last health question you asked I have to ask the question...

Are you sure you are not pregnant. The Gravid uterus can sit on the IVC increasing the venous pressure in the lower extremities leading to significant swelling.