At Alliance Physical Therapy, we treat patients after a variety of conditions that may affect their ability to move.  One of the risk factors secondary to this sometimes unavoidable temporary immobility is developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT).  This is a condition in which a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in a leg.  This can lead to a serious condition called a pulmonary embolism (PE), which occurs when a clot breaks free from the vein wall and travels to the lungs.

The following conditions may increase your risk for developing DVT:  Sitting still for long periods in the same position as often occurs when traveling; smoking; being immobilized after surgery; injury to your leg; or obesity.

The frustrating and dangerous thing about DVT is that the symptoms aren't always obvious to the patient or the healthcare provider.  In some cases, symptoms include redness, swelling, tenderness or pain in one leg, or an increase in skin temperature.

Since not everyone with DVT experiences symptoms when they develop the condition, you should also be aware of the signs and symptoms of a pulmonary embolism, which can occur as a result of a blood clot.  Because pulmonary embolisms are blood clots in the lungs, the signs will be related to your breathing.  These include shortness of breath, sharp pain in the chest and an increase in breathing and heart rate.

If you think you have, or are developing deep vein thrombosis, call your doctor right away.  There is no safe home treatment for DVT although I would suggest that you avoid strenuous activity until after a DVT has been ruled out.

Yours in health,

Val