Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a potentially fatal condition caused by the build-up of a clot of blood in the veins of the leg – often due to periods of inactivity or an underlying medical condition.
Elite athletes are, at first glance, not a group at immediate risk, however, their routines do increase the danger, and the consequences can be quite dramatic (and expensive). At the Compression Advisory, our medical team has advised over 2,500 of the world’s leading athletes on the dangers of DVT and how to avoid this condition.
The factors that increase the risk for an elite athlete include;
- Training/Competition – this may cause dehydration, bruising, and muscle tears.
- Travel – elite athletes often travel thousands of miles to compete. While seated venous blood flow decreases, this increases the risk of DVT and causes lower limb swelling.
- Injuries – Injuries can cause local swelling. Also they may require rest/rehabilitation or even need surgical treatment.
All of these factors can lead to DVT – we believe education and pre-planning is key in reducing the threat, and medical grade compression is a proven strategy employed by doctors to reduce the chances.
Take the recently highly publicised case of Serena Williams. An athlete who, at top of her game, suddenly found herself with a foot injury, Serena then developed several blood clots which travelled to both lungs following treatment from her injury. Serena’s situation went on to develop a near fatal blood clot on her stomach that, in her words left her “on my death bed” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/13/serena-williams-blood-clot-wimbledon)
Recovering from such major surgery and her foot injury has meant that Serena’s rehabilitation took nearly a year and she knows she has been very lucky, reporting “a lot of people die from that”. Serena is now aware of how the stomach clot developed, she says she wasn’t “moving and not doing much as much as I normally do. I Started flying a lot….thinking I was ok. And obviously, I wasn’t” (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=6196383)
At the Compression Advisory, we know how important it is to look after your health, even when you don’t think you need to! Make sure you invest in a pair of medical grade compression socks that aid blood-flow – like our gctech socks – and prevent blood from pooling. If blood is encouraged to flow, you are much less likely to develop a DVT and maintain better health. And by the way, they’re great for improving your performance!
Call our team today 020 7326 0900 to find out more about the gctech socks technology. ‘’We have the medical expertise to help you’’.
