Blood clots. Just the words can make many people nervous. We have all been so well educated about the dangers of blood clots in the leg veins that our minds often times go straight to this conclusion with any little ache or pain that we experience from the waist down.
Don't get me wrong here, some blood clots that form in the leg are a serious matter, even life threatening.But this is not always the case. In fact there are many types of clots that pose little or no threat to life and limb. In this article I will break down the differences in these leg vein clot types and help you understand when you should be more concerned.
To understand the differences in leg clots we need to first understand the 2 different vein systems that exist in the legs. You see we have a deep vein system (the large veins located near the bones of the legs) and a superficial system (located near the skin of the leg). The deep vein system is a large set of veins that perform most of the work of moving blood up and out of the leg. These veins are relatively straight with few curves or branches and blood flow up the leg is relatively fast. The superficial vein system is much smaller and has numerous turns, branches, valves, and moves blood relatively slower up the leg. The deep veins are also completely surrounded by strong muscles where as the superficial veins are only supported by skin and soft tissues on one side.Make sense?
OK, now let's look at what happens when a clot forms in each of these two vein systems.
Blood clots that form in the superficial system are the easiest for you to identify. They are usually abruptly painful, may turn very red or pink, and are firm or hard to touch. The redness can be so bad that people will think they have developed an infection. This usually will last anywhere from 3-7 days before cooling down and slowly getting better over the course of a couple of weeks. These types of blood clots, while painful, are not the kind that can "break loose" and float up to your lungs causing a life threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism. They do hurt and swell, but this is the worst of it. However, if you suspect that you have this particular type of clot you should see your medical provider as soon as possible to find out for sure and start early treatment (which usually consists of heat to the area and ibuprofen) in order to shorten the length of recovery.
Clots in the deep vein system are a whole other story. These clots have very few barriers (such as junctions or turns) that keep parts of the clot from flying up the vein and landing in the lungs. The risk of the life threatening pulmonary embolism is actually fairly high in this scenario. The symptoms are different too.With a deep vein clot you might experience calf or thigh pain that feels "deep inside". More like an ache.Also we usually see quite a bit of swelling in the ankle and foot on that side. If you encounter this than an urgent evaluation by a medical professional is a must.Identifying the clot early and treatment with blood thinners can protect you against lung clots.
If you were unfortunate enough to have a clot travel to your lungs then symptoms of shortness of breath, chest pain, and cough may occur. If this happens in conjunction with deep leg pain, you should get to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible. They will be able to perform an ultrasound evaluation of the leg and study the lungs too. Again, early aggressive treatment can greatly improve the outcome.
Just a quick note on the prevention of blood clots. The best prevention is the regular exercise which will help to promote good blood flow and not allow the blood to clot as readily and the use of compression socks when you are more static. Graded compression socks promote good blood flow when you are not active. This is particularly important during long travel such as plane flights and car rides.
Well, I hope that this helps to clear up the 'scary leg vein blood clot' issue for you. Stay vigilant when it comes to your health and you should be able to make good decisions about when to seek professional medical advice.
Eric Davis PA-C, MPAS is an 8 year specialty trained veteran of the diagnosis and treatment of varicose and spider veins. He is actively practicing in a vein treatment center and has recently written an ebook on the subject of varicose and spider veins. He has special interest in the treatment of leg related issues ranging from cosmetic improvement to ulcers. If you are looking for the latest, most up-to-date information on varicose veins, spider veins, treatments, and more, then visit Eric at http://www.veingame.com/.
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