Everyone knows calf pain and heavy legs. A strenuous day in the office can be exhausting ( these exercises will keep you fit in everyday office life ). But should legs hurt at all if you sit in front of the computer all day? After all, you don’t use them, do you? The reason for the suffering can also be an emerging thrombosis. The disease is often quite inconspicuous at first. Should you go straight to the doctor if you have aching legs? Not at all, but it is advisable to look at the symptoms of a thrombosis . If you noticeably often suffer from a feeling of tension in your legs or swollen ankles, a consultation with your family doctor is not the worst idea.
One thing is certain: once a thrombus forms, the consequences are often devastating. In the worst case , there is a risk of pulmonary embolism, heart attack and stroke .
Table of Contents
Fact sheet thrombosis
Symptoms: calf pain, increased temperature of the leg skin, feeling of tightness or heaviness in the legs, discolouration of the legs, feeling of sore muscles
Treatment: Treatment with blood-thinning medication is often sufficient. In severe cases, an operation must resolve the thrombosis.
Prevention: Sport, a healthy diet and enough fluids can prevent thrombosis. Thrombosis stockings prevent blood congestion during longer phases with a bent leg.
What happens with a thrombosis?
If we injure and bleed our finger while chopping onions, so-called clotting factors ensure that our blood clots as quickly as possible. That’s a good thing, otherwise we would bleed to death from even the smallest open wound (about 10,000 people in Germany suffer from what is known as hemophilia – a disordered blood clotting). However, what is good for open injuries can have fatal consequences in a closed system. And that is exactly what happens with a thrombosis.
A thrombus is a clump of clotted blood, varying in size. Normally, this blood clot can be broken down by the body. But it can also happen that a thrombus travels through the body and then clogs arteries and veins. If this happens in front of the heart, there is a risk of a heart attack, it triggers a pulmonary embolism in the lungs ( our guide explains pulmonary embolism in more detail ) and a stroke occurs in the brain.
How does blood coagulate?
Broadly speaking, thrombosis can occur due to three overriding circumstances:
1. There is a change in blood composition
Reasons for this can be a poor diet, the intake of toxins or the use of medication such as birth control pills. The composition of the blood can also change during pregnancy. The same applies to long-term dehydration.
2. Blood flow velocity is reduced
This can happen when limbs are pinched by external pressure or immobilized at an angle (especially legs) for long periods of time (such as on long bus rides or flights). Being bedridden after surgery or while in a cast can also reduce blood flow velocity.
3. Damage to the inner vessel walls
Probably the most common reason for thrombosis in our society. Reasons for this can be smoking, injuries, age-related wear and tear, diabetes or inflammation.
There are also various risk factors that favor or reinforce the above points. These include overweight (obesity), lack of exercise, unusually strong physical exertion and drug use.
In which part of the body does a thrombus form?
A thrombus can generally occur in any part of the body. However, a distinction must be made between arterial thrombosis and venous thrombosis.
While arterial thrombosis is very rare, since it only occurs when blood flow velocity is reduced, venous thrombosis is much more commonly diagnosed. Although thrombosis can also develop in the arm, in the majority of cases a thrombus occurs in the leg veins. For this reason, many doctors speak of a thrombosis, although what is actually meant is a leg vein thrombosis or a phlebothrombosis (a thrombosis in the deep leg vein).
Pelvic vein thrombosis is less common, but all the more dangerous. It occurs more frequently in pregnant women and is a serious threat due to the size of the vessels. A thrombus can travel unnoticed from the pelvic vein up to the heart or lungs, where it then causes devastating damage. The right sport during pregnancy can prevent the danger.
You should be alert if individual symptoms accumulate or if several symptoms occur at the same time:
- Wadenschmerzen
- Feeling of tension or heaviness in the legs
- The skin feels warmer than the other leg
- A reddish or bluish discoloration of the affected leg
- The feeling of sore muscles
A recurring problem
However, there are a number of ways to prevent thrombosis from happening again. On the one hand, sport is always a good help. You should prefer sports that can be performed horizontally – for example swimming or cycling with a recumbent bike. Thrombosis stockings also offer excellent protection against further thrombosis. Before longer trips, it is also advisable to use a thrombosis syringe, as it dilutes the blood for a short time and thus prevents possible blood congestion. Thrombosis injections are only available from pharmacies with a special prescription. Stockings are much easier to get. Every major drugstore stocks them these days.
By the way: A risk of thrombosis can also be detected in the blood. Even the smallest blood clots are broken down by the body and leave behind what are known as D-dimers. If these are present in the blood count, a suspicion of thrombosis should be expressed.
