Find out the symptoms, how to treat and whether it is worth playing sports at all if you have a disease such as thrombophlebitis. Thrombophlebitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the vessels of the venous system. The main cause of the development of the disease is blood clots that form in the veins. The initial stage of the disease, in which the inflammatory processes have not yet been activated or are insignificant, is called phlebothrombosis.
The disease can affect not only superficial veins, but also those that are deep. However, this disease is most often found in the superficial veins. Any damage to the veins can initiate the development of the disease. Since the vessels do not have their own muscles, the blood clots formed in them continue to develop, which leads to impaired blood flow in a specific area of the limb.
If thrombosis develops in deep veins, then with sudden changes in blood pressure, they can break and clog small vessels. Thus, thrombophlebitis is a serious ailment that, in a certain situation, can cause death. Everyone knows that under the influence of physical exertion, blood pressure increases. In this regard, a fair question arises, is sport possible with thrombophlebitis?
The main reasons for the development of thrombophlebitis
The main reason for the development of superficial thrombophlebitis is trauma to the walls of the vessel. This can happen if the catheter is not inserted correctly or the syringe needle is inserted during the injection. The ailment in deeply located vessels is directly associated with varicose veins. Let's note the main reasons for the development of thrombophlebitis:
- A sedentary lifestyle - if physical activity is absent for a long time, then the blood clot actively increases in size and as a result can cause serious disturbances in blood flow.
- Damage to the walls of a blood vessel.
- Genetic or acquired abnormalities of the blood coagulation system.
Among the risk factors for the development of this disease, we note:
- Forced long-term limitation of mobility.
- Obesity.
- Smoking and alcohol abuse.
- Pregnancy period.
- Various ailments of an oncological and hematological nature.
- Limb injuries.
According to the available statistical information, in 2004, when women undergo hormone replacement therapy during menopause, the risks of developing thrombophlebitis significantly decreased.
Thrombophlebitis symptoms
Thrombophlebitis of superficial veins develops slowly and the main symptoms are redness of the skin at the site of damage to the walls of the blood vessel and the appearance of seals. As the disease progresses, the redness spreads further, affecting new areas. Often, the inflammatory process resembles a cobweb and more and more small blood vessels are damaged.
Even with a severe form of the development of the disease, its symptoms may be mild. At the site of inflammatory processes, the skin becomes hard and reddens. Most often, the disease affects the lower extremities, and its symptoms are pronounced hyperemia and the appearance of a venous pattern on the skin at the site of injury.
After the appearance of edema on the skin, the patient begins to feel incessant itching, and the pain becomes pulsating and burning. If you quickly change the position of the legs, then the situation is aggravated. This is possible, for example, in the morning when getting out of bed. Among other things, the patient gradually develops a feverish state, and the body temperature is in the range from 37.5 to 38 degrees.
The symptoms of deep thrombophlebitis are very similar to superficial ones:
- Local increase in body temperature.
- The appearance of redness on the skin, and sometimes blue discoloration.
- Swelling.
- As the disease develops, pain appears.
Note that in comparison with superficial thrombophlebitis, edema with a deep one is more pronounced and immediately striking.
How is thrombophlebitis treated?
When diagnosing this ailment, first of all, the question arises before you not about whether sport is possible with thrombophlebitis, but how to be cured. Note that therapy for superficial and deep thrombophlebitis is different. If the ailment was diagnosed at the initial stage of development, then most often the patient carries out the treatment on his own, but before that, you should consult with a specialist.
In the acute form of the disease, drug therapy is carried out, which includes anti-inflammatory medications, as well as ointments. They are able to relieve swelling, improve blood flow and increase vascular tone. We also recommend carrying out the following procedures:
- Use a warm compress.
- Drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin can help suppress inflammation, relieve pain and speed up blood clotting.
- You can use non-steroidal ointments and gels.
- During clinical trials, the high efficiency of using special dressings and stockings has been proven.
It should be noted that with a low tone of blood vessels, the use of compression underwear and elastic bandages contributes to the compression of the veins and thereby prevents the separation of the blood clot from their walls. The length of the stockings depends on the height of the lesion. Using compression garments can limit the spread of edema and reduce the risk of developing deep thrombophlebitis. Most often, the blood clot dissolves over several days, and in especially difficult situations, weeks. After that, all the symptoms of the disease disappear.
It only makes sense to use antibiotics if the veins are infected. Otherwise, the use of medications of this group is not only unjustified, but can have negative effects. All of the above concerns the treatment of superficial thrombophlebitis. If deep vein disease is diagnosed, then the therapy should be different. First of all, this concerns the mandatory use of drugs of the anticoagulant group and the need to keep the legs in an elevated position. In this case, it is important to prevent the development of pulmonary embolism, and this requires hospitalization of the patient for the entire period of treatment.
Also, in some cases, in addition to anticoagulants, thrombolytic drugs should be used. They allow you to speed up the process of resorption of blood clots. Thrombolytic medications not only speed up the healing process, but also dramatically reduce the risk of a blood clot ruptured. If all the measures taken to treat the disease do not bring positive results, there is a need for surgical intervention.
We will also tell you about the most effective folk methods of dealing with the disease:
- Consume one third of a glass of nettle decoction three times a day.
- The leaves of the golden mustache are used locally.
- Hazel leaf tea is very useful for thrombophlebitis.
- Honey should be used to make a compress.
- A cabbage leaf pre-oiled with vegetable oil is used in a similar way. To increase the effectiveness of such a compress, the cabbage leaf must first be broken.
All of these treatments can only be effective in combination with drug therapy.
Prevention of thrombophlebitis
The development of many ailments can be avoided if special preventive measures are taken. Thrombophlebitis is no exception to this rule. First of all, you must lead an active lifestyle. In addition, we recommend that you do the following:
- Avoid sitting or lying down for long periods of time.
- You cannot be in a horizontal position for a long time period. If you are forced to limit your activity due to injury or illness, wear compression garments.
- On long flights or commutes, get up and walk around the cabin.
- Drink plenty of fluids. To avoid dehydration.
Sports with thrombophlebitis: is it possible to do
If you want to know if it is possible to play sports with thrombophlebitis, then get acquainted with the contraindications:
- Active running and jumping - cardio training that involves the use of bouncing or intense running should not be carried out.
- Avoid excessive stress on the leg muscles - all sports in which exercises must be performed in a standing position are banned. Exercising on a treadmill or an ellipsoid should be limited in time.
- Strength training - when diagnosing thrombophlebitis, squats, deadlifts, and lunges must be excluded from the training program.
Many women prefer jogging when choosing a sport. This is due to the fact that many specialized resources often talk about the benefits of aerobic exercise for weight loss. In turn, many representatives of the beautiful half of humanity want to get rid of excess weight. As we have already said, varicose veins can become one of the reasons for the development of thrombophlebitis. In this regard, the question of whether it is possible to play sports with thrombophlebitis is somewhat modified.
It is generally accepted that varicose veins are mainly found in elderly women. However, according to statistics, in recent years, this ailment has become significantly "younger". Scientists have proven that age does not matter here. On the planet, about 60 percent of women suffer from this disease, which can cause the development of thrombophlebitis.
Blood circulates throughout the body and it is especially difficult for it to return back to the heart muscle from the lower extremities. If you are active, frequent contractions of your leg muscles can help improve blood flow. One of the main reasons for the development of varicose veins is a passive lifestyle.
As in the case of thrombophlebitis, running with varicose veins is contraindicated. It is high loads that can provoke the process of thrombus formation and its subsequent separation from the walls of blood vessels. Answering the question, is sport possible with thrombophlebitis, if we are talking about jogging, then definitely not. Another thing with varicose veins, light running loads are allowed in order to stimulate the outflow of blood from the lower extremities.
However, there are some rules you should follow when doing this. First of all, remember that with varicose veins, jogging should not be long. We also recommend wearing compression garments for class. But swimming with varicose veins can only be beneficial. Since water has a much higher density, blood cannot stagnate in vessels, even when you are just lying on the surface of the water. That's all that I wanted to tell when answering the question, is it possible to play sports with thrombophlebitis.
