What are Cankles and what Causes Cankles?

In going about our business working in a job or at home, some of us may notice that by end of the day our ankles have turned into cankles and our legs and feet are more reminiscent of an oversized sausage or a blow fish.

I may have exaggerated just a little bit here but if swollen feet, ankles or legs are a frequent occurrence in your life you may want to continue reading.

Cankles can be defined as ankles that have been transmuted into a burlier version of your calves that are directly attached to your foot with the absence of any shapely ankles and attractive appearance. Such swelling of the feet, ankles and legs is frequently caused by the pooling of blood in the veins and fluid retention.

Other reasons for this less than desirable look of the ankles and lower limb region can be an abnormal accumulation of fat or simply a genetic predisposition.  Unfortunately, swollen ankles can be associated with a variety of health related issues that may require a thorough evaluation by your physician and/or specialists to isolate the root cause.

You should probably not wait until your physician tells you that you have “Fred Flintstone” feet before you decide to do something about it.  What we are talking about here are not simply short or wide looking feet but a very real condition that causes swelling of the foot, leg and ankle area to a point where the ankles are virtually no longer visible.

Who can be Affected by Cankles (Swelling in the Feet, Ankles and Legs)?

• People working in jobs requiring long periods of standing or walking throughout the workday (e.g. teachers, nurses, doctors, waiters/waitresses and retail workers)
• Long distance travelers in confined quarters (e.g. plane, train, bus or car rides)
• Individuals who are overweight
• Women who are pregnant
• People with circulation problems
• Individuals suffering with diabetes
• Patients who have to take certain medications

What Can Be Done About Cankles?

The good news is that in most cases cankles are not caused by any disease (e.g. of the heart, kidneys), but we are simply born that way.  Possible remedies range from targeted exercise regimens and weight loss to plunking down thousands of dollars for a potentially very risky “ankle liposuction” procedure if you can absolutely not cope with those puffy looking ankles.

Wearing compression stockings can be another much more economic and safer alternative to help with coaxing cankles back into the shape of well-formed ankles.

Compression stockings are specifically designed to put the squeeze on the leg and ankle area (where the compression is the highest). This graduated compression can help force blood and fluids back up the legs, thereby removing and preventing any swelling resulting in cankles.

Compression stockings are available in wide variety of knee high, thigh high or waist high compression pantyhose styles that come in various strengths of compression.

For additional information we would like to refer you to our post titled…

How to Pick the Right Compression Stockings

Before you make any changes that could affect your health such as wearing compression hosiery you should consult with your physician and get his or her recommendations on what type and which compression strength would best fit your needs.

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