Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

A deep vein thrombosis, more commonly known as a DVT, is a condition that can affect the lower extremity. It involves the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein. This can present no symptoms, but in many cases the affected leg will be red, swollen, and painful. This condition could lead to a serious complication involving the clot becoming dislodged and traveling to the lungs, known as a pulmonary embolism.

Several conditions can lead to a DVT, such as trauma, cancer, infections, smoking, obesity, pregnancy, or a period of prolonged immobilization. This is where your podiatric care can come in. If you have any kind of procedure where you will be immobilized for a while during the healing process and are put into a cast or brace, it’s important to let your podiatrist know if you feel any sudden discomfort. This would be a feeling that the cast has become too tight and painful, indicating swelling of the leg. Your podiatrist will want to make sure this is not a DVT and not expected pain of the procedure performed. This can be done by a blood test for D-dimer levels or by an ultrasound.

There are a few ways to prevent a DVT caused by immobilization. Your surgeon may administer something called a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or another type of blood thinner. This lowers the chances of the blood clotting together. It’s also helpful to walk and proceed in therapy as soon as you get clearance from your physician. Also ask your doctor about alternative exercises which may help like aquatics, or knee and hip extensions. When you walk, your calf muscles help blood that pools in your leg make its way back up to the heart. This also lowers the chances of forming a clot. For these and other concerns of the lower extremity, feel free to contact Dr.Grimm and Dr. Pattison at Foot Associates of Central Texas.