This will prevent further trauma. I would like to confirm this by actual blood albumin level measurements, every runner appears to loose moderate to significant amounts of plasmaproteins by capillary trauma over 100M. A decrease of plasmaprotein concentration in the cardivascular system lowers the onkotic pressure of the blood, in consequence the balance of fluid leak out of the capillaries and reabsorption back from the tissue into the distal capillaries is offset. Offsetting the balance causes that not all the fluid leak can be reabsorbed into the vascular system. Fluid, or edema is left behind. The hydrostatic pressure is responsible for edema showing up in the lower parts of our body, only.
Hydrostatic pressure is a function of gravity.
So edema of every cause will show up in the lower legs if we are sitting or standing. The liver needs to syntesize new plasmaproteins, which, depending on synthetic liver function and the amount of proteins lost, takes 2-14 days. So, avoiding liver damage by e.g. alcohol, and boosting protein food intake makes sense early during recovery. Antioxidants like Vit. E and C help coping with the free radicals.