Blood clots can be dangerous. Blood clots that form in the veins in your legs, arms, and groin can break loose and move to other parts of your body, including your lungs.
Typically, your body will naturally dissolve the blood clot after the injury has healed. Sometimes, however, clots form on the inside of vessels without an obvious injury or do not dissolve naturally. These situations can be dangerous and require accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
It takes about 3 to 6 months for a blood clot to go away. During this time, there are things you can do to relieve symptoms. Elevate your leg to reduce swelling. Talk to your doctor about using compression stockings.
Blood clots can also cause heart attack or stroke. Blood clots do go away on their own, as the body naturally breaks down and absorbs the clot over weeks to months. Depending on the location of the blood clot, it can be dangerous and you may need treatment.
An embolism can get stuck in the blood vessels in the brain, lungs, heart, or another area, leading to severe damage. Blood clots may form when something slows or changes the flow of blood in the veins. Risk factors include: A pacemaker catheter that has been passed through the vein in the groin.
You may be able to feel the clot as a firm lump under the skin. The skin over the clot can become red, tender, and warm to the touch. Blood clots in veins close to the skin's surface usually are not serious and often can be treated at home.
Blood clot symptoms
If the blood clot is in your abdomen, you may experience severe stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. Blood clots that travel to your heart cause a heavy feeling or pain in your chest, pain in your upper body, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and light-headedness.
If left untreated, about 1 in 10 people with a DVT will develop a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism is a very serious condition which causes: breathlessness – which may come on gradually or suddenly. chest pain – which may become worse when you breathe in.
New leg pain — such as a calf cramp or charley horse — could signal a blood clot in the leg. But if the pain only lasts for a few seconds and doesn't come back, it's probably not a blood clot. “Blood clot symptoms don't come and go quickly,” says Dr. Tran.
Exercise does not speed up clot dissolution. You can immediately resume exercise once pain and swelling improve. Mild to moderate activity after a DVT in the leg will not increase your risk of dislodging the clot to the lungs.
Stay Hydrated
Dehydration contributes to the development of sluggish blood flow and blood clots. NYU Langone doctors advise drinking 8 to 10 8-ounce glasses of water each day for optimal blood flow. It's especially important to do this when your mobility is limited for long periods, such as while traveling.
A thrombectomy is a surgery to remove a blood clot from an artery or vein. The procedure can restore blood flow to vital organs, like your legs, arms, intestines, kidneys, brain or other vital organs. A thrombectomy can greatly reduce the risk of death or permanent disability if performed promptly.
Systemic thrombolysis uses thrombolytic drugs and medications that circulate throughout your body to dissolve clots and prevent future blockages. Penn physicians most often use systemic thrombolysis after an emergency such as a heart attack, pulmonary embolism or stroke.
As many as half of those who get a DVT in their legs develop symptoms of intermittent leg pain and swelling that may last months to years. These symptoms are called post-thrombotic syndrome and can happen because of damage to the valves and inner lining of your veins leading to blood “pooling” more than it should.
A person should avoid flying if they have a newly diagnosed DVT due to the risk of related complications during travel, such as part of it breaking free. Healthcare professionals recommend waiting up to 4 weeks from the start of treatment for DVT before traveling.
Sometimes a clot is small or only partially obstructs a blood vessel, and there are no symptoms. The classic symptoms, however, are pain, swelling, tenderness to the touch along the course of the vein, redness, or, in some cases, even bluish discoloration of the affected arm or leg.
A blood clot in the legs may be completely asymptomatic or “silent” within the affected vein, with no symptoms and minimal signs. Sometimes there are visible signs or feelings in the leg, including: Sudden or unexpected leg swelling. Pain, aching, fullness or pressure in the leg.
Clots can cause symptoms like swelling, discomfort, cramps, and redness or discoloration on the leg. But many cases—up to 50 percent— may go unnoticed. In fact, some people may not realize they have a clot or symptoms of a clot until it develops into something more serious.
If you have been diagnosed with a blood clot, or clotting disorder, you may be wondering, “Now what?” While recovery from blood clots can be difficult, overwhelming, and even life-changing, most people do recover completely from blood clots and go on to resume their normal lives and activities.
While many blood clots dissolve with the help of blood thinners, some dangerous clots require fast-acting clot-busting medications called thrombolytics. Because thrombolytics can cause severe bleeding, doctors usually give them only to people with large, severe clots that increase risk of pulmonary embolism.
“But about 30–40% of cases go unnoticed, since they don't have typical symptoms.” In fact, some people don't realize they have a deep vein clot until it causes a more serious condition.
Proteins called clotting factors help stabilize and strengthen the clot by producing a tough fibrous compound known as fibrin . In order to pass larger clots, the cervix has to dilate, causing pain that can sometimes be intense. This partially explains why, if you have a heavy flow, you're more likely to have cramping.
In the case of a clot, the cramp doesn't go away when you stretch your legs. The intensity of the cramp and the swelling will increase if a clot has formed and continues to grow.