What Does Deep Vein Thrombosis Feel Like?

When it comes to your vascular health, it’s important to be able to recognize the signs of vascular disease. Deep vein thrombosis, commonly known as DVT, can easily sneak up on you if you don’t know the difference between DVT symptoms and just a regular leg cramp.

Deep vein thrombosis is a vascular condition where a blood clot forms within a deep vein in your lower extremities, typically your legs. Although it is most common for DVT to affect the saphenous veins in your legs, DVT can occur in other deep veins in your body such as your arms or pelvis.

Although this condition is harmless at first, it can cause a vein blockage leading to swelling and pain. It could also cause other vascular conditions to form, such as varicose veins or spider veins. Without treatment, you run the risk of a life-threatening pulmonary embolism occurring, where part of the clot breaks off and travels to your lungs.

There are numerous factors that can contribute to the development of blood clots with deep vein thrombosis. Although DVT is most common in people over 60, it can occur at any age so you should know which health factors contribute to DVT as a precaution. Common causes for DVT include:

• Pregnancy
• Recent surgery
• Diet
• Family history of blood clots
• Extended sedentary periods due to bed rest or sitting
• Paralysis
• Obesity
• Long-term catheter in a blood vessel
• Blood clotting disorders
• Birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy

Other health conditions and diseases can also contribute to deep vein thrombosis, such as:

• Cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Varicose veins
• Lupus
• Heart conditions such as heart failure or prior heart attacks

These health factors can contribute to leg discoloration, swelling, leg ulcers, and the development of other vascular diseases.

For deep vein thrombosis to form, you first have to develop a blood clot. Usually your blood coagulates in order to help prevent bleeding when you’re injured, but with DVT, a clot forms abnormally when there is no external injury. Here’s the process of how DVT forms:

1. Circulation slows down or becomes stagnant due to bed rest, prolonged sitting, or other sedentary activities.
2. Vein walls are damaged from injury or inflammation or blood clotting is increased from genetics, conditions, or medications.
3. A clot forms and blocks blood flow partially or completely in a deep vein.

Since this process is different from regular blood clotting, it can create additional symptoms and warning signs.

With deep vein thrombosis, warning signs can present in different levels of severity based on how much of your vein is blocked off. DVT does come with noticeable symptoms in most cases, but there are instances where someone develops an asymptomatic case of DVT.

Symptoms from DVT most commonly occur in the legs, but the symptoms will occur in the area around where the clot forms. You may experience:

• Swelling
• Pain, cramping, or soreness
• Redness or darkening of the skin
• Swollen veins that are hard or painful to the touch
• Skin that is warm to the touch

These symptoms are not exclusive to DVT, and they may point to a different condition. Make sure to seek out an official diagnosis from a licensed healthcare professional prior to any treatment.

Asymptomatic or “silent” DVT is known to be more dangerous since there are no visible symptoms. These cases are usually found during appointments for other medical issues, such as a CT for cancer screening. Although there aren’t symptoms, silent DVT can still cause other health issues as a result of complications.

Deep vein thrombosis can lead to complications if it is not properly treated. Complications can cause other vascular issues or prove to be fatal in some cases. Potential complications include:

• Vein inflammation: Veins swell as a result from a blood clot.
• Non-healing ulcers: Poor circulation causes blood to pool and an ulcer to form.
• Varicose or Spider veins: Bulbous, twisting veins and small, damaged veins that appear under the skin.
• Chronic venous insufficiency: Veins become damaged from the blood clot becoming scar tissue, causing circulation problems and swelling.
• Post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS): PTS occurs when the blood clot causes vein valve damage. PTS is a long-term complication that causes chronic pain and extends the lifetime of DVT symptoms.
• Pulmonary embolism (PE): A portion of the blood clot breaks off and travels to the lungs and causes chest pain, shortness of breath, rapid pulse, and coughing up blood. This complication can become fatal.

The way your pain presents in your body can also help determine if you have DVT. Pain with deep vein thrombosis usually occurs in one leg, as it is rare to develop two blood clots large enough to cause DVT at the same time. The pain will feel like a cramp or soreness in your leg, and is regularly described as throbbing. As you bend your foot, the pain will worsen.

If you experience pain, like described above, along with the symptoms listed above, make sure to talk to your doctor for a diagnosis.

To diagnose DVT, your doctor will start by assessing your medical history and performing a physical exam. After taking care of the basic appointment steps, your doctor may use additional tests to determine if you have formed a blood clot. Additional tests can include:

• Lab work: As a blood clot breaks down, it releases a protein known as D dimer, which can show up in routine bloodwork.
• Duplex ultrasound: An ultrasound is a noninvasive test that uses soundwaves to create a picture of how the blood is flowing through your veins, and be used over a few days to see if a blood clot is growing or if new ones have formed.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan: MRIs are used in cases where DVT is suspected to occur in veins throughout your abdomen or pelvis.
• Contrast venography: A contrast material (dye) is injected into a large vein in your leg before getting an x-ray taken to show the deep veins throughout your leg and hip. Due to the invasive nature of this procedure, it has been mostly replaced by ultrasounds, but it is still used in special cases.

Thankfully there are many steps you can take to prevent deep vein thrombosis. If you are confined to a bed following a surgery or for other reasons, you can move your ankles and toes to help prevent clots. Your doctor may also prescribe anticoagulant medications following surgery to reduce your risk of DVT based on the surgery, recovery period, and expected mobility.

If you are traveling for a long time, you will want to take time to stretch every hour, whether it’s making a pit stop on the road or walking up and down the aisle on the flight. As you are sitting, you can rotate your ankles, wiggle your toes, and stretch your legs as space allows. You should also wear loose fitting clothing, stay hydrated, and limit your alcohol intake.

In addition to walking around and using small movements to stretch, you can also utilize compression socks to help maintain your circulation throughout your legs. You should also look at your current lifestyle and assess whether changes such as quitting smoking or losing weight can help reduce the strain on your veins.

Once you notice symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, make sure to reach out to your doctor as soon as possible for a diagnosis and to begin treatment. DVT can be managed and treated easily when it is caught early.

If you begin to experience chest pain, shortness of breath, a rapid pulse, or begin to cough up blood, call an ambulance immediately as you may be experiencing a pulmonary embolism.

If you are concerned about developing deep vein thrombosis, contact us at Vein Solutions Flint. Our doctors are dedicated to helping you manage your vascular health and preventing new symptoms from developing.

For more information about deep vein thrombosis treatment options at Vein Solutions, visit our website. While there, you can also learn more about our providers and read patient testimonies.

If you believe you are experiencing symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, schedule a vascular health screening with Vein Solutions Flint. Let our vascular experts help you get back to feeling healthy and confident with your veins!