2021 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
The purpose of this study was to clarify the occurrence of lower leg swelling due to prolonged standing in nursing practice and related factors in nursing college students. Twelve female nursing college students participated in this study. Lower leg swelling was evaluated in the morning and afternoon on nursing practice days and non-practice days. The measurement items were the volume, circumference, impedance, and water content of the lower leg and students' subjective feedback. Related factors, including the number of steps taken during the day, water intake, and muscle mass were also assessed. The circumference of the tibial tuberosity significantly increased, and the impedance significantly decreased after activities on the practice day compared with the non-practice day. Significant relationships were observed between the number of steps taken, water intake, lower limb muscle mass, and swollen lower leg. We found that nursing students' practice, which is an activity similar to nursing work, promotes lower leg swelling both subjectively and objectively. It was suggested that the swelling of the lower limbs was related to the number of steps and muscle mass of leg.
