Your goal is to walk for 30 to 45 minutes, 5 to 7 days per week. Strength training is also an important part of maintaining your overall health. It is safe to return to your routine if you already have a strength training program.
Take steps to prevent blood clots. Stand up or walk occasionally. Select an aisle seat when possible so you can walk around every 2-3 hours.
The Importance of Exercise if You Have DVT
Aerobic activity -- things like walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, and jogging -- can also help your lungs work better after a pulmonary embolism. Studies show that exercise also can improve symptoms of DVT, including swelling, discomfort, and redness.
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.
Sitting still for 4 or more hours slows down the blood flow in your legs. This makes your blood more likely to clot. And for the next few weeks, your blood clot risk stays higher than normal.
While there is a very low overall risk of developing a DVT due to long periods of sitting, periodic movement may help prevent another DVT. For any trip longer than 4 hours, if you are safely able to do so, get up from the seat and walk for five minutes every hour or two.
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.
Being overweight or obese. Being overweight increases the pressure in the veins in the pelvis and legs. Smoking. Smoking affects how blood flows and clots, which can increase the risk of DVT .
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.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration contributes to the development of sluggish blood flow and blood clots. NYU Langone doctors advise drinking 8 to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day for optimal blood flow. It's especially important to do this when your mobility is limited for long periods, such as while traveling.
Drink plenty of water. Let all your doctors know you've had a DVT or are taking blood thinners, including your dentist. Ask your doctor if compression stockings might help. They're designed to keep blood from collecting in your lower legs.
Elevate your legs above the level of your heart.
Elevate your legs when you sit or lie down, as often as you can. This will help decrease swelling and pain. Prop your legs on pillows or blankets to keep them elevated comfortably.
While a pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening, most patients survive DVT and need to learn how to live with the risk of recurrence. Your healthcare provider will probably prescribe anticoagulants, or blood thinners, which may be needed for as little as three months but can be lifelong treatment.
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.
The skin around painful areas or in the arm or leg with the DVT may feel warmer than other skin. Trouble breathing. If this happens, it could mean that the clot has moved from your arm or leg to your lungs. You may also get a bad cough, and might even cough up blood.
Approximately 60% of patients will recover from a leg DVT without any residual symptoms, 40% will have some degree of post-thrombotic syndrome, and 4% will have severe symptoms. The symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome usually occur within the first 6 months, but can occur up 2 years after the clot.
Because you are taking a blood thinner, you should try not to hurt yourself and cause bleeding. You need to be careful when you use knives, scissors, razors, or any sharp object that can make you bleed. You also need to avoid activities and sports that could cause injury. Swimming and walking are safe activities.
You can get deep-vein clots at any age, but it usually affects people who are older than 40. After 40, the risk for DVT and PE may double with each passing decade.
Effect of Stress on Blood Vessels
Combined these forces can lead to serious blood clots that can cause blockages in the heart and lungs. When you take steps to reduce your daily stress, you also reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and other clotting events.
If DVT isn't treated, it can cause complications, including inflammation of the vein (phlebitis), leg ulcers and pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism is the most serious complication of DVT. It happens when the clot leaves the leg vein and travels through the blood vessel system to the lungs.
Avoid Long Hours of Sitting or Standing
Sitting or standing for extended periods of time is a major cause of deep vein thrombosis. Move or flex your ankles and knees every 30 minutes to increase the blood flow.
The pain associated with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can vary from person to person, and may not always be constant. The pain may come and go, or it may persist and worsen over time. However, other symptoms such as swelling, warmth, and redness in the affected area may be present.
Stay active in the air – get up for a brief walk every hour or so, change your sitting position often, and avoid crossing your legs to keep the blood flowing in a healthy way. When you talk to your doctor about DVT, he or she may recommend compression stockings, a special tool to help prevent clots.