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Blood clots can still form even with exercises
Blood clots can still form even with exercises
The number of people who die of blood clots is increasingly alarming but what perturbs people is why someone who exercises regularly can still die of blood clots. In a way that’s a good question. If medical experts recommend exercise as a health benefit and a preventive measure for blood clots, why would a person who exercises still suffer from blood clots?
Well, the answer is simple. To understand blood clots, you need to first understand why they form in the first place. While we consider blood clots as a menace given the number of deaths they have caused, they on the other hand are life savers.
According to medical experts, the reason why blood clots are formed in the body is to stamp the flow of blood whenever a person suffers an injury. In other words, blood clots are a body’s mechanism to stop bleeding when a blood vessel either an artery or vein is injured. If it wasn’t for blood clots, experts believe that it would have been easy for a person to bleed to death from a mere cut.
It is from this instance that a blood clot may become a deadly threat. After stopping the bleeding, a blood clot must be dissolved by the body. However, there are incidences where a blood clot will fall into the blood stream before it is dissolved. This is the time when it becomes dangerous because while it travels through the blood stream, it can get lodged, cutting off blood flow and supply to the other parts of the body. If this happens in the vessels around the heart, a person will most likely suffer a heart attack and if it gets lodged in the veins that supply oxygenated blood to the brain, then one will suffer from a stroke.
Does the above have anything to do with the exercises? The answer is no.
However, there is a time when unwanted blood clot will form. This is where exercises come in. Experts explain that whenever a person becomes immobile for a long period of time for example people who sit in their offices working long hours, those who like watching TVs, bedridden patients, people who travel long distances especially by air among others, they stand a risk of blood pooling in their legs. Whenever blood pools in one place and stays stagnant, this activates clot formation. This is the reason why medical practitioners urge people to be on the move all the time and never sit in one place for a long period of time. Moving your body allows blood circulation thus preventing blood from pooling in one place.
Besides that, pregnancy, genetics and a high intake of vitamin K in your diet can also be a reason for blood clot formation even if you exercise regularly.
So, the next time a family member, friend or relative dies from blood clots and yet they have been exercising regularly, don’t start to wonder; there are so many factors that can cause blood clot formation.
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