Q By afternoon my legs swell and my shoes feel tight. Why do the legs swell first?
A The legs are furthest from the heart and must move fluid upward against gravity. The longer you stand or sit, the more easily fluid pools below. That is why worsening through the afternoon and evening is the typical pattern of leg swelling.
Detailed Answer
What pushes fluid up from the legs is not the heart but the calf muscles. With every step they squeeze it upward like a pump, and holding one posture all day leaves that pump idle. Deep sock marks and shoes that tighten by evening are the signs.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Korean medicine sees this as fluid that has descended and cannot rise again. Where the force driving circulation is weak, or the lower abdomen and legs run cold, that stagnation lasts longer. So rather than only rubbing the legs, we work on the driving force of circulation itself.
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