You want your blood to clot when you get a cut so it hardens and stops the bleeding. But you don’t want it happening inside of your body. As you know, blood clots are frightening and it can happen out of nowhere as the blood can thicken and form a clot inside of your veins. And there are different types of blood clots that can happen within the body as well.
If a blood clots in your lung, it is known as a pulmonary embolism and it can impair blood flow to the lungs which makes it deadly. A blood clot that forms in a deep vein in your leg is known as deep vein thrombosis which is known as a DVT. If the blood stops flowing your legs due to a DVT, there is a risk for the leg becoming gangrenous and there will be a need for amputation. What can you do to prevent DVT from happening? Let’s look at 9 things that you can do.
Check Your Heart
Don’t skip your checkups because you could learn that you have an irregular heartbeat. And the sooner you learn that the quicker you can have it monitored and treated. An irregular heartbeat can also increase the chances of clots happening within your body which includes a DVT. That is because the blood won’t be flowing as it should which can be quite dangerous.
Stay Mobile After Surgery On Lower Part Of Body
If you have a surgical procedure on your legs, your hips, or your lower abdomen, you can increase the chances of developing a clot in your legs because you will be immobile for some time. Your surgeon will tell you ways to stay mobile as much as you can by doing leg exercises even in bed for example.
Get Medical Care After An Injury
If the lower part of your body suffered from a serious injury such as a car accident or a construction site accident at work, then it is possible your blood vessels on your legs suffered from damage. If you don’t have it looked at and managed, you are increasing the chances of a DVT from that.
Take Good Care Of Yourself Regardless Of Your Age
The fact of the matter is that the older you are the more you are at risk for developing blood clots and that includes DVT. If you are over 60 years of age, the odds do increase. However, if you eat well, get exercise, and monitor your weight, you are decreasing your chances of facing that type of complication
Don’t Be Sedentary
Do you have an office job where you are sitting for 8 hours a day? Are you on a long flight or taking a long car ride somewhere? You will be sitting for long periods of time. It is important to get your circulation going by getting up and moving around which will lower the odds of a blood clot happening. That means to get up and walk around every hour for about 15 minutes. Take a break at your desk and do that, and walk around the plane if you must. If you are on a long road trip, go for some stops to do that.
Keep Your Weight To An Acceptable Level
If you are short and overweight, you are at risk for developing a DVT. The best thing to do is to focus on healthy ways to remove extra weight so you can lower your risk for a clot. If you are at an acceptable weight, be cautious not to gain and work hard at maintaining it.
Evaluate The Birth Control Pills You Take
If you take a birth control contraceptive that contains both estrogen and progestin, then the extra hormones can also increase your chances of a DVT. Especially if you smoke. If you really want to keep taking the pill, talk to your OBGYN about switching to a safer option.
Quit Smoking
Whether you take birth control pills or not, if you smoke, then you are increasing your chances of developing a DVT as the toxins will interfere with the blood flow and will cause damage to the vessels. Talk to your doctor about going on a program to help you quit.
Learn About Your Family History
Is there a family history of heart disease and blood clot problems? Then if that is the case, your odds of developing a DVT or other clotting problems increases. Does that mean you are doomed to develop a DVT? Not at all if you take good care of yourself.
Conclusion
A DVT is scary but you can help prevent it from happening by taking extra care of yourself and by taking good care of your health. You do not have to be doomed to it even if your parents or grandparents had it.
