My Foot Is Swollen… But Why Can’t I Feel It

caulocare
Jun 14
4 min read

"Why is my foot swollen... yet I barely feel anything?" — **My Foot Is Swollen… But Why Can’t I Feel It**

By Dr. Phumlarp Caulo, Caulo Care, June 14, 2025, New York

You look down, and your foot is swollen.

But you feel… almost nothing.

No sharp pain. No burning. Just a heavy silence. A part of your body seems to swell out of existence, visible, yet strangely absent from your awareness. This quiet swelling isn’t just about fluid. It’s about something deeper: a signal from within, waiting to be heard.

Let’s take a deeper look from history to biology, from modern science to traditional wisdom, to understand what’s happening when your foot swells… but you barely feel it.

🧠 Where It All Began: A Historical Insight

In the 1850s, Rudolf Virchow, the father of cellular pathology, described edema as the result of impaired blood and fluid circulation through tissues. He recognized that changes in blood vessel pressure and permeability were key contributors to fluid leaking into surrounding spaces.

Later, in 1896, Ernest Starling introduced a foundational concept known as Starling’s Forces—the balance between hydrostatic pressure (which pushes fluid out of vessels) and oncotic pressure (which pulls fluid back in). This remains the cornerstone of how we understand edema today.

🔬 What Modern Medicine Tells Us

When swelling appears in the feet, particularly in the morning, several physiological causes are considered:

General Edema: Fluid accumulates in soft tissues, often worsened by prolonged lying down or inactivity.
Right-Sided Heart Failure: Causes blood to back up in the venous system, leading to swelling in the lower extremities.
Kidney Dysfunction: Conditions like nephrotic syndrome cause the body to retain sodium and water, leading to peripheral swelling.
Liver Cirrhosis: Low albumin production reduces oncotic pressure, causing fluid leakage into tissues.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency: Damaged valves in leg veins result in poor return circulation and localized swelling.

🧬 Biochemical & Hormonal Factors

Swelling is also influenced by chemical and hormonal processes:

Osmolality: Imbalances in sodium can alter water movement across vessels.
Low Plasma Protein (Albumin): Weakens oncotic pull, allowing fluid to escape into tissues.
RAAS (Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System): Overactivity leads to sodium and water retention.
ADH (Antidiuretic Hormone): Promotes water reabsorption, contributing to edema when dysregulated.

🧠 Anatomical Contributors to Swelling

Lymphatic System: When lymphatic drainage is impaired, fluid builds up in peripheral tissues.
Veins: Poor venous return or valve insufficiency causes blood pooling and swelling.
Kidneys, Heart, and Liver: All play crucial roles in fluid regulation throughout the body.

🌿 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Perspective

TCM views edema through a lens of energy (Qi), organ systems, and fluid metabolism:

Spleen Deficiency (脾虚): The spleen fails to transform and transport fluids, leading to damp accumulation.
Kidney Yang Deficiency (肾阳虚): Impaired warming and fluid regulation functions result in edema.
Lung Qi Weakness: Affects fluid dispersion and may contribute to stagnation in the lower body.
Phlegm-Damp Accumulation (痰湿): Often due to dietary factors like excessive cold, sweet, or greasy foods.

🩺 When All Systems Collide

In many cases, morning foot swelling involves multiple overlapping systems:

Physically, prolonged lying down leads to gravitational pooling of fluid.
Chemically, Albumin may be low, and sodium may be high.
Anatomically, the Circulatory and lymphatic flow is impaired.
Energetically (TCM): Dampness stagnates due to weakened spleen and kidney Qi.

🧪 Suggested Medical Workup

Blood tests: BUN, Creatinine, Electrolytes, Albumin, BNP
Urinalysis: Proteinuria
Heart: Echocardiogram
Liver: Liver Function Tests (LFTs)
Circulation: Doppler ultrasound of the legs

✅ Lifestyle & Prevention Tips

💧 Daily Habits

Elevate your feet while sleeping
Avoid prolonged sitting or lying still
Gently stretch or rotate ankles before rising
Drink warm water in the morning
Avoid salty, processed foods—especially before bed

🧂 Nutritional Balance

Lower sodium intake (avoid chips, instant noodles)
Increase potassium-rich foods to balance fluid retention:
- Banana, spinach, avocado, pumpkin, tomato, sweet potato

🍵 Herbal Teas to Reduce Edema (TCM-Inspired)

Ginger + Pandan Tea
- Warms the body and activates fluid metabolism
Cat’s Whiskers + Lemongrass
- Natural diuretic, reduces water retention
Watermelon Rind + Jujube Root Decoction
- Dispels damp-heat in the lower body (good for sweet/cold food lovers)

🥗 Foods That Help Prevent Morning Swelling

1. High Potassium Foods (help eliminate sodium)

Banana, avocado, spinach, pumpkin, tomato

2. Spleen-Supporting Foods (according to TCM)

Brown rice, red beans, pumpkin, ginger, carrot

3. Kidney-Warming Foods

Black beans, black sesame, pork bone soup, glutinous rice, ginger tea

4. Natural Diuretics

Cucumber, watermelon, asparagus, celery, onion

💊 Herbal Formula (Prescribed Only by TCM Practitioner)

Zhen Wu Tang (真武汤)Used for Kidney Yang Deficiency with damp retention. Must be taken under TCM supervision. Contains:

Fu Zi (Aconite)
Bai Zhu (Atractylodes)
Sheng Jiang (Ginger)
Fu Ling (Poria)
Bai Shao (Peony Root)

🧘‍♀️ Acupressure Points to Reduce Swelling

SP9 (Yinlingquan) – Spleen, water metabolism
KI3 (Taixi) – Strengthens kidneys
ST36 (Zusanli) – Tonifies Qi and dispels damp
LV3 (Taichong) – Moves stagnant energy→ Apply gentle pressure for 30 seconds, morning and night

🌱 Final Reflection

Swelling without pain is not the absence of illness—it's the body's quiet cry for help. It may be the kidneys. The heart. The energy that no longer flows. So don’t wait for pain. Listen to the silence. Support your body with warmth, circulation, rest, and awareness. Because sometimes, true healing begins not when you feel pain, but when you finally notice the absence of it.

Dr. Phumlarp Caulo LAc,MsAc,OM,DAHM,Pre-RN

Integrative Medicine Practitioner, bridging Eastern and Western Wisdom.

“Rooted in ancient wisdom, guided by modern science

On this page, we look back at history so you can move forward with health.

I believe in Mother of the Earth, the timeless healer of body and soul.”

This information is only educational and should not be construed as medical advice.

Everything must be balanced, and the suggestions may not apply to you.

A specialist doctor should be consulted for any medical advice or diagnosis.

BOOK AN APPOINTMENT NOW!

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Dr. Phumlarp Caulo LA,c, MAc. OM, DAHM