Blood clots in the legs are also commonly known as deep vein thromboses. Although these blood clots can cause swelling in the affected leg, the main health risk that they pose is their ability to grow and/or move to other areas of the body, a process known as embolization. As a result, most treatments for a blood clot in a leg hinge upon treating the clot but also on preventing it from embolizing, as well as preventing the formation of future clots. Getting a doctor involved is essential.
Step 1
Get a heparin injection. Heparin is a blood thinner that will not only help remove the clot but can help prevent future clots from forming. In general, your doctor will recommend that you receive a special kind of heparin, called low molecular weight heparin, for treatment of a blood clot in your leg.
Step 2
Take warfarin. Warfarin is another anticoagulant medication but, unlike heparin, it can be taken in pill form. Warfarin is also generally used as a long-term treatment of blood clots in the legs, not only helping to break up the clot but also preventing the formation of new clots in the future.
Step 3
Receive thrombolytics. Thrombolytics are medications, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which can break up a blood clot. They are usually given intravenously.
Step 4
Have a filter installed. Because one of the main risks of a leg blood clot is that it could become dislodged and go to the lungs, one treatment is the surgical placement of a filter into a very large vein (the vena cava) that will then "catch" blood clots before they can get to the lungs.
Step 5
Wear compression stockings. These are special stockings that are worn from the foot to just below the knee and help relieve some of the swelling that occurs with blood clots in the legs.
Things You'll Need
- Compression Stockings
