Why dvt is common in left leg

Read the NICE guidance about apixaban. Wearing compression stockings helps prevent calf pain and swelling, and lowers the risk of ulcers developing after having DVT. They can also help prevent post-thrombotic syndrome. This is damage to leg tissue caused by the increase in venous pressure that occurs when a vein is blocked by a clot and blood is diverted to the outer veins. After having DVT, stockings should be worn every day for at least 2 years. This is because symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome may develop several months or even years after having a DVT.

Compression stockings should be fitted professionally and your prescription should be reviewed every 3 to 6 months. The stockings need to be worn all day but can be taken off before going to bed or in the evening while you rest with your leg raised. A spare pair of compression stockings should also be provided.

Your healthcare team will usually advise you to walk regularly once compression stockings have been prescribed. This can help prevent symptoms of DVT returning and may help to improve or prevent complications of DVT, such as post-thrombotic syndrome. As well as wearing compression stockings, you might be advised to raise your leg whenever you're resting. This helps to relieve the pressure in the veins of the calf and stops blood and fluid pooling in the calf itself.

When raising your leg, make sure your foot is higher than your hip. This will help the returning blood flow from your calf. Putting a cushion underneath your leg while you're lying down should help raise your leg above the level of your hip. You can also slightly raise the end of your bed to ensure that your foot and calf are slightly higher than your hip. Although anticoagulant medicines and compression stockings are usually the only treatments needed for DVT, inferior vena cava IVC filters may be used as an alternative.

This is usually because anticoagulant treatment needs to be stopped, isn't suitable, or isn't working. IVC filters are small mesh devices that can be placed in a vein.

They trap large fragments of a blood clot and stop it travelling to the heart and lungs. They can be used to help prevent blood clots developing in the legs of people diagnosed with:.

IVCs can be placed in the vein permanently, or newer types of filters can be placed temporarily and removed after the risk of a blood clot has decreased.

The procedure to insert an IVC filter is carried out using a local anaesthetic where you're awake but the area is numb. A small cut is made in the skin and a catheter thin, flexible tube is inserted into a vein in the neck or groin area. The catheter is guided using an ultrasound scan. The IVC filter is then inserted through the catheter and into the vein. The two main complications of deep vein thrombosis DVT are pulmonary embolism and post-thrombotic syndrome.

A pulmonary embolism is the most serious complication of DVT. It happens when a piece of blood clot DVT breaks off and travels through your bloodstream to your lungs, where it blocks one of the blood vessels. In severe cases this can be fatal. If the clot is small, it might not cause any symptoms.

If it's medium-sized, it can cause chest pain and breathing difficulties. A large clot can cause the lungs to collapse, resulting in heart failure , which can be fatal. If you've had a DVT, you may develop long-term symptoms in your calf known as post-thrombotic syndrome. If you have DVT, the blood clot in the vein of your calf can divert the flow of blood to other veins, causing an increase in pressure. This can affect the tissues of your calf and lead to symptoms, including:. When a DVT develops in your thigh vein, there's an increased risk of post-thrombotic syndrome occurring.

It's also more likely to occur if you're overweight or if you've had more than one DVT in the same leg. If you're admitted to hospital or planning to go into hospital for surgery, your risk of developing a blood clot while you're there will be assessed. Surgery and some medical treatments can increase your risk of developing DVT — see causes of DVT for more information. If you're thought to be at risk of developing DVT, your healthcare team can take a number of measures to prevent a blood clot forming.

If you're going into hospital to have an operation, and you're taking the combined contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy HRT , you'll be advised to temporarily stop taking your medication four weeks before your operation. Similarly, if you're taking medication to prevent blood clots , such as aspirin , you may be advised to stop taking it one week before your operation.

There's less risk of getting DVT when having a local anaesthetic compared with a general anaesthetic. Your doctor will discuss whether it's possible for you to have a local anaesthetic. There are a number of things your healthcare team can do to help reduce your risk of getting DVT while you're in hospital.

For example, they'll make sure you have enough to drink so you don't become dehydrated , and they'll also encourage you to move around as soon as you're able to. Depending on your risk factors and individual circumstances, a number of different medications can be used to help prevent DVT.

For example:. Compression stockings or compression devices are also commonly used to help keep the blood in your legs circulating. Compression stockings are worn around your feet, lower legs and thighs, and fit tightly to encourage your blood to flow more quickly around your body.

Compression devices are inflatable and work in the same way as compression stockings, inflating at regular intervals to squeeze your legs and encourage blood flow. Your healthcare team will usually advise you to walk regularly after you've been prescribed compression stockings. Keeping mobile can help prevent the symptoms of DVT returning and may help prevent or improve complications of DVT , such as post-thrombotic syndrome.

You may need to continue to take anticoagulant medicine and wear compression stockings when you leave hospital. Before you leave, your healthcare team should advise you about how to use your treatment, how long to continue using it for, and who to contact if you experience any problems.

If you're planning a long-distance plane, train or car journey journeys of six hours or more , make sure you:. Read more about preventing DVT when you travel.

If you're travelling abroad, it's very important to ensure you're prepared should you or a family member fall ill. Make sure you have full travel insurance to cover the cost of any healthcare you may need while abroad. This is particularly important if you have a pre-existing medical condition, such as cancer or heart disease , which may increase your risk of developing DVT.

DVT can be a very serious condition, and it's important you receive medical assistance as soon as possible. Treating DVT promptly will help minimise the risk of complications.

Home Illnesses and conditions Blood and lymph Deep vein thrombosis. Deep vein thrombosis See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. About deep vein thrombosis 2.

Deep vein thrombosis causes 3. Deep vein thrombosis treatment 4. Complications of deep vein thrombosis 5. Deep vein thrombosis prevention. About deep vein thrombosis Deep vein thrombosis DVT is a blood clot that develops within a deep vein in the body, usually in the leg. If symptoms do occur they can include: pain, swelling and tenderness in one of your legs usually your calf or thigh a heavy ache in the affected area warm skin in the area of the clot red skin, particularly at the back of your leg below the knee DVT usually although not always affects one leg.

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 sudden collapse Both DVT and pulmonary embolism need urgent investigation and treatment. As well as age, there are also some other risk factors, including: having a history of DVT or pulmonary embolism having a family history of blood clots being inactive for long periods — such as after an operation or during a long journey blood vessel damage — a damaged blood vessel wall can result in the formation of a blood clot having certain conditions or treatments that cause your blood to clot more easily than normal — such as cancer including chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment , heart and lung disease, thrombophilia and Hughes syndrome being pregnant — your blood also clots more easily during pregnancy being overweight or obese The combined contraceptive pill and hormone replacement therapy HRT both contain the female hormone oestrogen, which causes the blood to clot more easily.

D-dimer test It can be difficult to diagnose DVT from symptoms alone. PE is a potentially life-threatening complication associated with DVT. It occurs when a blood vessel in your lung becomes blocked by a blood clot thrombus that travels to your lung from another part of your body, usually your leg.

It's important to get immediate medical help if you have signs and symptoms of PE. Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain while inhaling or coughing, rapid breathing, rapid pulse, feeling faint or fainting, and coughing up blood may occur with a PE. If you're on a plane, stand or walk occasionally. If you can't do that, exercise your lower legs. Try raising and lowering your heels while keeping your toes on the floor, then raising your toes with your heels on the floor.

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This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Blood clot in leg vein Open pop-up dialog box Close. Blood clot in leg vein A blood clot in a leg vein may cause pain, warmth and tenderness in the affected area. Pulmonary embolism Open pop-up dialog box Close. Pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism PE occurs when a blood clot gets lodged in an artery in the lung, blocking blood flow to part of the lung. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Venous thromboembolism.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed Sept. Researchers said the study was limited by the individual limitations of the included studies, and by a potential underestimation of the prevalence of the condition.

They pointed out that "deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremity was assessed with compression ultrasonography in more than half of the cases. Compared with venography, compression ultrasonography is relatively insensitive for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis of the calf and isolated iliac vein thrombosis.

Therefore, we might have underestimated the prevalence of isolated calf vein or iliac vein thrombosis. In a related editorial, Risto Kaaja, MD, of Turku University in Finland, wrote that based on the findings, perhaps there is "no common natural course of deep vein thrombosis" during pregnancy.