Improve blood circulation in your legs with these simple steps
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Do you know that the shape of your hips or belly can affect the health of your legs?
One scientific study found that during extended travel apple-shaped men and pear-shaped women may have an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis or DVT. What is it? It is a dangerous clotting condition that often starts in the legs.
DVT
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a serious condition where a blood clot forms in a vein. The clot is a clump in a solid state. The clot may form in a vein located deep inside your body.
Such blood clots form in your thigh or lower leg. Sometimes they may form in other areas of your body.
DVT symptoms
We can see these symptoms in about half of the people who suffer from this condition. The most common symptoms include-
- Swelling in your foot, leg or ankle. This happens on one side.
- Cramping pain in the affected leg. The pain begins in the calf.
- severe and unexplained pain in the foot and ankle
- the affected area of skin feels warmer than the skin on the surrounding areas
- the skin of the affected area may turn pale or a reddish or blueish colour
Some people may suffer from upper extremity DVT. In case of this problem, a blood clot forms in the arm. Some of the common symptoms of this problem include-
- neck pain
- shoulder pain
- swelling in the arm or hand
- weakness in the hand
DVT treatment
There are different medical treatments available for this serious medical condition. The main treatment options focus on keeping the clot from growing. There are medicines available for this problem.
There are some other things that you can do to ensure that you do not suffer from this problem and it does not start escalating.
Make some adjustments
If you suffer from poor circulation in the legs, you can use some simple and healthy strategies whenever you are sitting in a car, train or plane for a long time. This will reduce the possibility of deep vein thrombosis.
Take a break
You can get up, walk and stretch your legs every hour if it is possible. If you need to remain seated, you can do some ankle rolls. You can also point and flex your toes a few times every half-hour.
Take a drink
Drink a non-alcoholic drink such as water, tea, or something else. Dehydration increases the possibility of deep vein thrombosis and so by hydrating yourself, you are reducing the possibility of having such a problem later.
Do not smoke
You may feel like smoking when you are bored when you're traveling long-distance but smoking is not good for you because it increases the possibility of blood clots.
Remove your belt
You can remove your belt if you're sitting for a long time. Also, avoid tight clothing and do not cross your legs. These can inhibit blood flow and result in poor circulation.
Give your legs a break
You can give your legs a break by putting them up. Putting your legs up can help improve circulation in your lower limbs.