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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staff
To prevent thrombophlebitis, quit smoking if you're a smoker because smoking increases your risk of a blood clot.
Sitting during a long flight or car ride can cause swollen ankles and calves. The inactivity also increases your risk of thrombophlebitis in the veins of your legs. To help prevent a blood clot from forming:
- Take a walk. If you're flying, walk around the airplane cabin once an hour or so. If you're driving, stop every hour and walk around.
- If you must stay seated, move your legs regularly. Flex your ankles, or carefully press your feet against the floor or foot rest in front of you at least 10 times each hour.
On flights or car rides lasting more than four hours, take additional precautions to reduce your risk of deep vein thrombosis:
- Avoid wearing tight clothing around your waist.
- Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Stretch your calves by walking at least once an hour.
If you're at increased risk of deep vein thrombosis, talk to your doctor before your flight. He or she may recommend:
- Compression stockings
- A mild blood-thinning medication given before departure
Aspirin therapy is generally not recommended and could thin your blood too much if you're also taking warfarin (Coumadin). However, if you're taking aspirin for other reasons, you should continue taking it.
- Deep vein thrombosis. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Dvt/DVT_All.html. Accessed Dec. 29, 2008.
- Torpy JM, et al. Thrombophlebitis. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2008;300:1718.
- Rodriguez-Peralto JL, et al. Superficial thrombophlebitis. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine & Surgery. 2007;26:71.
- Di Nisio M, et al. Treatment for superficial thrombophlebitis of the leg. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD004982.
- Bauer KA, et al. Overview of the causes of venous thrombosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 29, 2008.
- Landaw SA, et al. Approach to the diagnosis and therapy of deep vein thrombosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 29, 2008.
