Blood clots can happen to anyone, but you can take practical steps to reduce your risk. This page explains clear actions you can use every day, what treatments doctors might offer, and when to get urgent help.
Know your risks. Age, recent surgery, long flights, obesity, smoking, cancer, and certain medications raise clot risk. If you have a family history of blood clotting disorders or take hormone therapy, tell your doctor. They will assess your risk and suggest the best prevention plan.
Sitting still for hours is one of the easiest ways to form a clot in your legs. Stand, stretch, and walk every hour during long trips or desk work. Simple calf exercises—point and flex your feet, or do ankle circles—help blood flow when you can’t walk.
Hydrate and avoid alcohol binges. Dry blood flows slower, and dehydration raises clot risk. Drink water regularly, especially on flights or after exercise. Heavy alcohol can dehydrate you and affect medications, so keep intake moderate and ask your doctor about interactions.
Manage chronic conditions. Controlling diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol lowers overall vascular risk. Follow prescribed treatments, check-ups, and lab tests. Losing weight if needed and keeping active also cut risk.
Wear compression stockings when advised. Graduated compression stockings apply gentle pressure to the lower leg and can prevent clots after surgery or during long travel. Use the size and type recommended by a healthcare professional.
Know when you need medicine. For some people, doctors prescribe blood thinners like warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (apixaban, rivaroxaban) after surgery, during cancer treatment, or for atrial fibrillation. These drugs lower clot risk but need monitoring and dosing guidance. Never start or stop blood thinners without medical advice.
Travel smart. On flights longer than four hours, walk the aisle every hour, do seated leg exercises, wear loose clothing, and consider compression socks. If you have other risk factors, discuss short-term preventive medicine with your doctor before travel.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) usually causes swelling, warmth, redness, or pain in one leg. A pulmonary embolism (PE) is more serious—look out for sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, lightheadedness, or coughing up blood. Call emergency services right away if you suspect a PE.
Plan around surgery. Before any major operation, tell your surgeon about previous clots, family history, or medications. Hospitals often use short-term blood thinners, compression devices, and early walking to prevent post-op clots.
Quick checklist: stay active, drink water, quit smoking, control weight, wear compression if needed, and follow your doctor’s advice on medication. If you notice leg swelling or sudden breathing trouble, seek medical help fast.
If you want deeper guidance, talk with your primary care doctor or a vascular specialist. They can tailor a prevention plan to your health and lifestyle.
Keep a record of risk factors, surgeries, and medicines to share at appointments — a small step helps doctors pick the safest prevention for you.
Many people don’t realize how closely anesthesia and blood clots are connected during long surgical procedures. This guide gets right into how vascular stasis can trigger blood clots, why your risk goes up when you’re out cold and not moving, and what doctors actually do to reduce those risks. Real tips, relatable facts, and the science behind it—so anyone can get what’s going on in their body and what that means for staying healthy after surgery.
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