<s>[INST] my left leg below th knee is swollen and very painful. I have on a cast to prevent my ankle from cracking the bone. the ankle and foot is swollen and iam diabetic. I can not understand were the swelling can go if I have this cast on. I have been told that I would have to keep this cast on because I have slow blood flow to the bone in my ankle. after three months I will have to wear the Arizona brace for the rest of my life.is there any other treatment possible. [/INST] Cannot say in your particular case, but generally, a cast or other occlusion prevents blood from coming back up and localized swelling occurs below the occlusion. This is somewhat helped by elevating the limb. Circulation improves with the edema being down. There can be several easily reversible things that can limit circulation. Cigarettes are the main one. The swelling itself can hurt circulation and this is helped by diuretics OR keeping the area elevated. </s>