Do blood clots require bed rest?

For years, if you had a DVT, your doctor would order bed rest. This was thought to lower the risk of a clot traveling through your bloodstream to your lungs. But recent research suggests that bed rest doesn't help people with DVT and that it may be fine for you to get up and move around.

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Does laying down make blood clot worse?

Sitting or lying down for long periods—due to prolonged bed rest after illness or a long airplane flight, for example—can cause blood to pool in the legs, leading to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and, worst-case scenario, pulmonary embolism if the clot travels to the lungs.

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Should you be on bed rest with a DVT?

Background: Traditionally, many patients with acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are treated not only by anticoagulation therapy but additionally by strict bed rest, which is aimed at reducing the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) events.

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How long should you be on bedrest after DVT?

The main characteristics of included studies are shown in Table 1. Patients in bed rest group were kept in bed for at least 3 days, and early ambulation group started exercising within 3 days after diagnosis of DVT. None of the studies found an increased incidence of PE or progression of DVT in the ambulation group.

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Should you rest or exercise with a blood clot?

Studies show that exercise also can improve symptoms of DVT, including swelling, discomfort, and redness. Physical activity can also make you feel more energized. If you have DVT, being active is especially important for your legs.

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Bedrest: Why I do NOT recommend! OB-GYN explains risks of bedrest

28 related questions found

What should I avoid doing if I have a blood clot?

DON'T stand or sit in one spot for a long time. DON'T wear clothing that restricts blood flow in your legs. DON'T smoke. DON'T participate in contact sports when taking blood thinners because you're at risk of bleeding from trauma.

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Should I walk if I have a blood clot?

Conclusions: Early walking exercise is safe in patients with acute DVT and may help to reduce acute symptoms. Exercise training does not increase leg symptoms acutely in patients with a previous DVT and may help to prevent or improve the postthrombotic syndrome.

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Should you rest after a blood clot?

Don't: Sit Too Long. Try not to stay seated for more than 2 hours at a time -- get up and walk around regularly. If you had a DVT in one of your legs, don't cross your legs when you sit down. That position can affect your circulation.

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Do you need time off work for DVT?

There is no reason why someone who has experienced DVT cannot work, although they are likely to need time off for hospital treatment and recovery.

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Can you walk after a blood clot?

Following a DVT, your leg may be swollen, tender, red, or hot to the touch. These symptoms should improve over time, and exercise often helps. Walking and exercise are safe to do, but be sure to listen to your body to avoid overexertion.

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How long does it take to dissolve a blood clot in the leg?

Living with DVT

It takes about 3 to 6 months for a blood clot to go away. During this time, there are things you can do to relieve symptoms. Elevate your leg to reduce swelling. Talk to your doctor about using compression stockings.

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How should you sleep with a blood clot in leg?

Elevate your legs when you sit or lie down, as often as you can. This will help decrease swelling and pain.

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How can you tell if a DVT is moving?

Chest pain or discomfort that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough. Coughing up blood. Feeling lightheaded or faint. Feeling anxious or sweating.

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How do you calm a blood clot?

Your doctor might recommend: Medication: Anticoagulants, also called blood thinners, help prevent blood clots from forming. For life-threatening blood clots, drugs called thrombolytics can dissolve clots that are already formed.

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Do blood clots make you tired?

It's also worth mentioning that the most common symptom after a blood clot is exhaustion and fatigue. So, be kind to yourself and rest when you need to. For the first couple of months, you might not feel like yourself; you might feel like resting is all you can do, and that's okay because that's part of this disease.

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How do you relax a blood clot?

Thrombolytics are drugs that dissolve blood clots. A doctor may give a thrombolytic intravenously, or they may use a catheter in the vein, which will allow them to deliver the drug directly to the site of the clot. Thrombolytics can increase the risk of bleeding, however.

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Is a leg blood clot an emergency?

A blood clot in leg veins is an emergency because it can lead to life-threatening complications. The most dangerous of these problems is pulmonary embolism (PE). PE happens when the blood clot partially or totally breaks away and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs.

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How fast do blood thinners work on clots?

Full blood thinning effect is achieved within 2–3 h. Therefore, there is no need for the initial injections with an additional blood thinner.

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How much should you walk after a DVT?

Your goal is to walk for 30 to 45 minutes, 5 to 7 days per week. A resource for patients developed by the North American Thrombosis Forum. were prescribed medication to treat your DVT, such as an anticoagulant, please be sure to take your medication as directed. There are many reasons why someone might develop a DVT.

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How long should you rest after a blood clot?

According to the Society for Vascular Surgery, after a blood clot forms, the risk of further problems or complications is highest during the first 7 days. If people need to travel after experiencing a blood clot, they may need to wait a few weeks. A doctor can help decide when it is safe to travel again.

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Does blood clot pain ease with rest?

With a blood clot, your leg may also feel warm as the clot worsens. You may even notice a slight reddish or bluish hue to your skin. This may appear darker brown or discolored on darker skin. You shouldn't worry about a clot if the leg pain is made worse with exercise but relieved by rest.

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How long does it take for a blood clot to recover?

It usually takes about 3 months to treat a DVT. If you aren't likely to have another one, you may be able to stop taking blood thinners at that point. People whose chances are higher may need to stay on them for years. Talk with your doctor about what's best for you.

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Does a leg blood clot hurt all the time?

Does blood clot pain come and go? Unlike the pain from a charley horse that usually goes away after stretching or with rest, the pain from a blood clot does not go away and usually gets worse with time.

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How can a doctor tell if you have a blood clot?

Duplex ultrasonography is an imaging test that uses sound waves to look at the flow of blood in the veins. It can detect blockages or blood clots in the deep veins. It is the standard imaging test to diagnose DVT. A D-dimer blood test measures a substance in the blood that is released when a clot breaks up.

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Can you get another blood clot while on blood thinners?

Yes. Medications that are commonly called blood thinners — such as aspirin, warfarin (Jantoven), dabigatran (Pradaxa), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), apixaban (Eliquis), edoxaban (Savaysa) and heparin — greatly decrease your risk of blood clotting. But they don't prevent blood clots completely.

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