Preventing Blood Clots Raise your legs 6 inches above your heart from time to time. Wear special stockings (called compression stockings) if your doctor prescribes them. Do exercises your doctor gives you. Change your position often, especially during a long trip.
“The added weight of the uterus further compresses the vein.” She suggests sleeping on your left side to improve circulation, and avoid sleeping on your back. “Elevate legs at the end of the day and get a good pair of compression stockings if you get any swelling or varicose veins,” she says.
Raise your feet, especially when sleeping
It doesn't take much, raising your feet by a few inches by placing a pillow under your legs will help.
Raising (elevating) your legs above heart level helps. keep blood from pooling. This makes clots less likely to form. Elevating your legs works best if your lie flat on your back.
Prolonged Immobility
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.
Sitting for a long time without getting up and walking around can cause blood to pool in the veins of your legs. This can lead to blood clots.
Thrombolytics. 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.
Simple exercises while you are resting in bed or sitting in a chair can help prevent blood clots. Move your feet in a circle or up and down. Do this 10 times an hour to improve circulation. Getting out of bed and walking (ambulation).
Exercise can help improve blood flow in the body, and this can be particularly helpful in preventing blood clots from forming. Regular exercise can also help in breaking down existing blood clots. Low-impact exercises such as walking, cycling, and swimming are recommended as they are less strenuous on the body.
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.
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.
UTILIZING HEAT OR ICE FOR BLOOD CLOT IN LEG
Ice can aid during prevention, but when it comes to blood clots, heat can help dissolve. A Medline Plus study suggests keeping an area that is affected by a blood clot raised while applying moist heat.
Do not sit so that you put steady pressure on the back of your knee. Prop up your legs on a stool or chair if your legs swell when you sit.
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.
While many blood clots dissolve with the help of blood thinners, some dangerous clots require fast-acting clot-busting medications called thrombolytics. Because thrombolytics can cause severe bleeding, doctors usually give them only to people with large, severe clots that increase risk of pulmonary embolism.
Moderate amounts of red wine or purple grape juice daily helps keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots, thanks to powerful antioxidants called polyphenols in purple grapes, according to a review of previous studies published in the Journal of Nutrition.
Emergency treatment to prevent these problems often involves medicines called thrombolytics or "clot busters," that can quickly break up clots. These medicines can cause sudden bleeding so they're only used to break up large blood clots in life-threatening situations.
In such cases, getting up to walk around and get the blood flowing every hour or so is extremely beneficial. For someone who has experienced a DVT, traditional treatments have focused on anticoagulation or medication therapy to thin the blood, combined with bed rest.
Citrus Fruit
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for staying healthy and citrus fruits are an excellent way to include it in your diet. Citrus fruit such as oranges, grapefruit, and lemons contain many antioxidants that can lower inflammation, prevent blood clots, and improve blood circulation.
Clotting is a necessary process that can prevent you from losing too much blood in certain instances, such as when you're injured or cut. Blood clots usually dissolve on their own.
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.
But when experts analyze the handfuls of studies examining the effects of prolonged sitting, the data shows that sitting for more than eight hours a day can have a serious impact on a person's health.
Common approaches to treating blood clots are treatment with anticoagulant medications coupled with bed rest. Some medical research encourages gentle movement or ambulation in an effort to keep blood moving and prevent pooling.