Oh no, my leg is swollen!
Submitted by Kelly Galler on Tue, 2009-03-24 09:31
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PrintOne swollen leg. Painful or tender to touch. Warm and red in a specific area. What could this be from? It could be a blood clot, also known as a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). DVT is common, but can be a very serious condition of the veins.
See this great video of what a DVT looks like on the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute website: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Dvt/DVT_WhatIs.html
Did you know?
- More people suffer from DVT annually than from heart attack or stroke
- Each year up to one million Americans are affected by DVT and up to 600,000 are hospitalized
- Approximately one-half of those with a DVT never have recognized symptoms
- DVT affects men and women, all ethnic groups and all social levels
- It is seen most often in adults over the age of 40, and more frequently in elderly patients, but can occur at any age
Tips to avoid DVT:
- Do not sit for long periods of time
- Elevate legs if you are sitting for moderate periods of time
- If you are on an airplane for more than four hours-get up and walk in the aisles, pump your feet up and down
- If you are flying, drink plenty of non-alcoholic beverages
- Keep hydrated-drink six glasses of water a day
- Talk to your doctor about the need for medications or graduated elastic compression stockings for long airplane flights
- If you have varicose veins, wear support hose (especially if pregnant)
- Do not wear constricting garments around the legs or waist (elastic bands or garters)
Reference: The Vascular Disease Foundation: www.vdf.org
Additional resources:
The Venous Disease Coalition: www.VenousDiseaseCoalition.org
The Coalition to Prevent DVT: www.preventdvt.org
