What is a blood clot in the leg or foot? [Deep Vein Thrombosis Treatment]
Do you have a blood clot in the leg or do you have a blood clot in the foot? This might be a deep vein thrombosis that can cause a serious lung problem!
Table of Contents
Blood clot in the leg & blood clot in the foot treatment video:
Blood Clot in Leg or Foot [Symptoms, Signs, Causes & BEST Treatment]
🦶What are the signs of a blood clot in the leg or the symptoms of a blood clot in the leg? We then review how to go about a blood clot in the leg treatment!🦶
Do you have a blood clot in the leg or a blood clot in the foot? We go over the best early stage blood clot in the foot treatment and the best early stage of a blood clot in the leg treatment as well!
0:00 Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg?
0:22 What does a blood clot in the leg feel like? & What causes blood clots in legs?
0:55 Signs of a blood clot in the leg and the dangers
1:17 Blood clot in the leg pain and danger
1:53 Arteriosclerosis and poor blood flow to the leg
2:29 How to check for a blood clot in your leg
3:05 Can you feel a blood clot in your leg or narrowing of the vessel?
3:40 Symptoms of a blood clot in your leg
3:53 Early signs of a calf blood clot & blood clot warning signs
4:35 Bruise blood clot in leg diagnosis and tests
4:58 The heart and blood flow
5:25 blood clot in the leg treatment and blood clot in the foot treatment
5:45 how to dissolve blood clots in legs
6:30 how to prevent blood clots in legs
7:05 Family history of blood clots
7:18 Deep vein thrombosis in the leg and calf
7:40 Deep vein thrombosis causes
7:55 What does a deep vein thrombosis feel like?
8:25 warning signs & early signs of a deep vein thrombosis or DVT
9:15 Deep vein thrombosis treatment
9:30 deep vein thrombosis calf treatment and how to dissolve it
10:00 Exercises for a blood clot
10:25 deep vein thrombosis compression stockings
10:50 deep vein thrombosis leg pumps
11:42 Exercises for deep vein thrombosis
12:15 podiatrist for a blood clot in leg, foot, or calf
What is a blood clot in the leg or foot?
A blood clot in the leg is a clump of blood that has changed from a liquid to a gel-like or semisolid state, and it is a collection of cells called platelets. Clotting is a necessary process in the body to plug holes or leaks in the blood vessels. Blood clots in the leg or foot can prevent you from losing too much blood in certain instances, such as when you’re injured or cut. Unfortunately, these happen inappropriately in some circumstances and can plug the blood vessels in the leg, causing problems.
How does a blood clot form in the leg or foot?
When a clot forms inside one of your veins or arteries, it won’t always dissolve on its own. These blood clots can be called deep venous thrombosis or arterial blockages, and this can be a very dangerous and even life-threatening situation.
Is a blood clot in the leg dangerous?
An immobile blood clot generally won’t harm you. Unfortunately, some deep vein thrombosis formations could move and become dangerous, and these can lead to a blood clot of the leg shifting up the body into the lungs. If a blood clot breaks free and travels through your veins to your heart and lungs, it can get stuck and prevent blood flow. This can cause a pulmonary embolism and cause a severe problem with up to a 50% chance of causing blockage of your breathing and even death.
Can a blood clot in the leg cause death?
If you have a pulmonary embolism or a blood clot in your leg, this can be a very serious problem. You should call your doctor immediately if you think you might have a blood clot in your foot, calf, or leg. A healthcare professional such as a podiatrist will look at your symptoms and medical history and determine if further follow-up like a venous duplex doppler may be necessary for your foot and ankle.
Types of blood clots in the leg or foot?
Your circulatory system comprises vessels called veins and arteries. Arteries carry blood to the foot, and veins carry blood from the foot back to the heart. These vessels transport blood throughout your body. Blood clots can form in veins or arteries. A blood clot in the vein is called a deep vein thrombosis, and a blood clot in the artery is called arteriosclerosis and can cause gangrene.
Blood clot in the leg of an artery:
When a blood clot occurs in an artery, it’s called an arterial clot and can cause a condition called claudication. This type of clot causes symptoms immediately and requires emergency treatment; if untreated, these can cause gangrene to the toes. The symptoms of an arterial clot include severe pain, paralysis of parts of the body, or, and it. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
The danger of a deep vein thrombosis:
A blood clot that occurs in a vein is called a venous clot or deep vein thrombosis. These deep vein thromboses may build up more slowly over time, but they can still be life-threatening if they dislodge and move to the heart or lungs.
What is deep vein thrombosis?
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT in the leg or foot) is the name for when a clot forms in one of the major veins deep inside your body. It’s most common for this to happen in one of your legs, calf, or foot. A deep vein thrombosis can also happen in your arms, pelvis, lungs, or even your brain.
Is deep vein thrombosis dangerous?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source estimates that DVT (Which unfortunately can lead to a pulmonary embolism -a type of venous clot affecting the lungs) DVT can affect up to 900,000 people in the USA each year. These types of blood clots or DVTs can kill approximately 100,000 Americans every single year.
Should I get tested for a blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot?
There’s no way to know whether you have a blood clot without medical guidance. Deep vein thromboses and blood clots in the leg, calf, or foot can be more common than the eventual pulmonary embolism. Unfortunately, ignoring a blood clot in your leg can be very risky, and I hope it doesn’t travel up to your lungs or heart. If you know the most common symptoms and risk factors of deep vein thrombosis, you can give yourself the best chance at knowing when to seek an expert option.
How do you test for a blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot?
It’s possible to have a blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot with no obvious symptoms. When symptoms appear (such as a Homan’s sign in the calf muscle), some of them are the same symptoms of other diseases such as a simple calf strain.
Early warning signs of a deep vein thrombosis:
Here are the early warning signs and symptoms of a blood clot in the leg or arm, heart, abdomen, brain, and lungs.
Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot:
A blood clot in your leg or arm can have various symptoms, including:
- Your symptoms will depend on the size of the clot.
- That’s why you might not have any symptoms or only have minor calf swelling without a lot of pain.
- If the clot is large, your entire leg could become swollen with extensive pain.
- Swelling.
- Pain in just one leg or calf, not the other.
- Tenderness in just one calf or leg, not both.
- A warm sensation.
- Red discoloration.
- Swelling and pain of one leg.
It’s not common to have blood clots in both legs or arms simultaneously; if both legs or both feet are swollen, this might be a systemic condition such as a heart, lung, or kidney problem.
A deep vein thrombosis or blood clot is most common in just one leg, calf, or foot at a time.
What is a pulmonary embolism?
Blood clot in the lungs, or pulmonary embolism
A blood clot that travels to your lungs is called a pulmonary embolism (PE). Symptoms that could be a sign of a PE are:
- sudden shortness of breath that isn’t caused by exercise
- chest pain
- palpitations, or rapid heart rate
- breathing problems
- coughing up blood
- What are the risk factors?
Certain risk factors increase your chances of having a blood clot. A recent hospital stay, especially one that’s lengthy or related to major surgery, increases your risk of a blood clot.
Common factors that can put you at moderate risk for a blood clot include:
- Age, especially if you’re over 65 years old
- Lengthy travel, such as any trips that caused you to sit for more than four hours at a time
- Bed rest or being sedentary for long periods of time
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- A family history of blood clots
- Smoking
- Cancer
- Certain birth control pills
- When to call a doctor
- Diagnosing a blood clot by symptoms alone is very difficult.
- According to the CDC, almost 50 percent of people with DVT have no symptoms.
- T’s best to call your doctor if you think that you might have one.
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism:
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include chest pain that comes out of nowhere, which is very concerning.
Call your local emergency department or podiatrist immediately if you experience any of the following:
- Sudden shortness of breath.
- Chest pressure.
- Difficulty breathing, seeing, or speaking.
- Difficulty breathing or significant chest pain.
When to go to the ER or your podiatrist:
If you experience any of the above symptoms in your chest or lungs, go straight to theperiods emergency room and don’t wait!
Blood clot in the leg prevention:
Prevention options to prevent calf or leg deep vein thrombosis:
Avoid sitting still:
- If you have had surgery or have been on bed rest for other reasons, try to get moving as soon as possible.
- If you’re sitting for a while, don’t cross your legs, which can block blood flow, keep your legs vertical and push against the ground occasionally, pushing against the ground can make a big difference in blood flow.
- If you’re traveling a long distance by car, stop every hour or so and walk around.
- Generally, we recommend 2 minutes per 1 hour to get the blood flowing.
If you’re on a plane or a long car ride:
- Stand or walk occasionally, which means stretching or calf pumps for at least 2 minutes per hour.
- Exercise your lower legs, such as sitting squats or calf lifts, if you can’t do that.
- Try raising and lowering your heels while keeping your toes on the floor. Simply pushing against the ground can make a big difference to your blood flow. Raising your toes with your heels on the floor can get the blood flow mobilized.
Don’t smoke:
- Smoking increases your risk of getting DVT.
- Sitting for over 3 hours is the equivalent of smoking 1.5 packs per day, per some reports. Don’t smoke, and don’t sit for long periods if this can at all be avoided.
Exercise and manage your weight.
- Obesity is a risk factor for DVT, and regular exercise lowers your risk of blood clots in the leg or foot.
- This is especially for people who sit a lot or travel frequently.
Blood clot in the leg risk factors:
- Many things can increase your risk of developing DVT.
The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk of DVT. Risk factors for DVT include:
Age.
- Being older than 60 increases your risk of DVT, though it can occur at any age.
You are sitting for long periods:
- Such as when driving or flying.
- When your legs remain still for hours, your calf muscles don’t contract, and muscle contractions normally help blood circulate.
- Sitting for three or more hours can be as dangerous as having smoking over one pack per day.
- Try to get up for at least 2 minutes every single hour to avoid blood clots in the leg and foot.
Prolonged bed rest:
- These situations can include situations such as during a long hospital stay or paralysis.
- Blood clots can form in the calves of your legs if your calf muscles don’t move for long periods.
- Injury or surgery.
- Injury to your veins or surgery can increase the risk of blood clots.
Pregnancy.
- Pregnancy increases the pressure in the veins in your pelvis and legs.
- Women with an inherited clotting disorder are especially at risk.
- The risk of blood clots from pregnancy can continue for up to six weeks after you have your baby.
Birth control pills (oral contraceptives) or hormone replacement therapy.
- Both can increase your blood’s ability to clot.
It is overweight or obese.
- Being overweight increases the pressure in the veins in your pelvis and legs.
Smoking:
- Smoking affects blood clotting and circulation, which can increase your risk of DVT.
Cancer:
- Some forms of cancer increase substances in your blood that cause your blood to clot.
- Some forms of cancer treatment also increase the risk of blood clots.
Heart failure:
- Heart failure increases your risk of DVT and pulmonary embolism.
- Because people with heart failure have limited heart and lung function, and the symptoms caused by even a small pulmonary embolism are more noticeable.
Inflammatory bowel disease:
- Bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, increase the risk of DVT.
- A personal or family history of DVT or PE.
- If you or someone in your family has had one or both, you might be at greater risk of developing DVT.
Genetics:
- Some people inherit genetic risk factors or disorders, such as factor V Leiden.
- These conditions can make the blood clot much more easily.
- An inherited disorder on its own might not cause blood clots unless combined with one or more other risk factors.
No known risk factor:
- Sometimes, a blood clot in a vein can occur with no apparent underlying risk factor.
- These unknown blood clots in the leg or calf are called unprovoked VTE.
Blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot diagnosis:
Your podiatrist will ask you about your symptoms to diagnose deep vein thrombosis in the leg, foot, or calf.
A physical exam test called a Homan’s test can be a fairly predictive test to see if further examination or diagnostic testing may be necessary to rule out a blood clot through this area.
Diagnostic tests for a blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot include:
D-dimer blood test:
- A D dimer is a type of protein produced by blood clots.
- This is considered a very sensitive test that can, in some cases, over-diagnose a blood clot, and it is not as accurate as a duplex Doppler ultrasound test for a blood clot in the leg, calf, or afoot.
- Almost all people with severe DVT have increased blood levels of D dimer.
- A normal result on a D-dimer test often can help rule out PE.
Duplex doppler ultrasound:
- This noninvasive test uses sound waves to create pictures of how blood flows through your veins.
- This test can diagnose a blood clot in the calf, leg, or foot in real-time.
- This is the most common and reliable test performed in the emergency room to rule out a blood clot.
- A vascular technician gently moves a small hand-held device (transducer) on your skin over the body area being studied for the test.
Magnetic resonance imaging :
- An MRI is considered to be the highest level and most reliable test to rule out a blood clot,
- If you are in a hospital or ER, and there is increased concern for a blood clot, it may be worth pursuing an MRI to rule out a blood clot in the area.
- This test may be done to diagnose DVT in veins of the abdomen.
Blood clot in the leg, calf, or foot treatment:
Compression stockings:
Compression stockings open the pop-up dialog box
There are three main goals for DVT treatment.
Prevent the clot from getting bigger:
Prevent the clot from breaking loose and traveling to the lungs.
Reduce your chances of another DVT.
DVT treatment options include:
Blood thinners:
DVT is most commonly treated with anticoagulants, also called blood thinners. These drugs don’t break up existing blood clots, but they can prevent clots from getting bigger and reduce your risk of developing more clots.
Blood thinners may be taken by mouth or given by IV or an injection under the skin, and Heparin is typically given by IV. The most commonly used injectable blood thinners for DVT are enoxaparin (Lovenox) and fondaparinux (Arixtra).
After taking an injectable blood thinner for a few days, your doctor may switch you to a pill. Examples of blood thinners that you swallow include warfarin (Jantoven) and dabigatran (Pradaxa).
Certain blood thinners do not need to be given first with IV or injection. These drugs are rivaroxaban (Xarelto), apixaban (Eliquis) or edoxaban (Savaysa). They can be started immediately after diagnosis.
You might need to take blood thinner pills for three months or longer. It’s important to take them exactly as prescribed to prevent serious side effects.
If you take warfarin, you’ll need regular blood tests to check how long it takes your blood to clot. Pregnant women shouldn’t take certain blood-thinning medications.
Clot busters:
Also called thrombolytics, these drugs might be prescribed if you have a more serious type of DVT or PE or if other medications aren’t working.
These drugs are given either by IV or through a tube (catheter) placed directly into the clot. Clot busters can cause serious bleeding, so they’re usually only used for people with severe blood clots.
Blood clot filters or greenfield filters:
If you can’t take medicines to thin your blood, you might have a filter inserted into a large vein — the vena cava — in your abdomen. A vena cava filter prevents clots that break loose from lodging in your lungs.
Compression stockings or Lymphedema pumps:
These special knee socks reduce the chances that your blood will pool and clot. To help prevent swelling associated with deep vein thrombosis, wear them on your legs from your feet to about the level of your knees. You should wear these stockings during the day for at least two years, if possible.