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Natural Health and Herbal Remedies Blog
information on herbal medicine
BODY SIGNAL ALERT CALF, SWOLLEN, PAINFUL WHEN WALKING
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Sometimes, after a hard workout, your calves will feel painful, but it’s the kind of good ache that shows your muscles have been stressed so that they can become even stronger.
However, if your calf swells up and feels painful all over when walking and when you touch it, you may have a serious condition known as deep-vein thrombosis, which occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the main veins in the leg. Though such a clot is initially harmless, if it loosens from the side of the vein and begins to travel through the vein, it can eventually migrate to the lung and form a pulmonary embolus, which can block the flow of blood returning to the heart. People who are prone to developing a pulmonary embolus include those who are overweight and who smoke, as well as women who take hormonal birth control preparations.
If your doctor thinks you have deep-vein thrombosis, she will first perform a physical exam to confirm that you do have the condition. She will also recommend that you be hospitalized so that a number of tests can be performed to determine the extent of the thrombosis. She will administer a Doppler test in addition to a test called a venogram, in which a special dye is injected into your foot before an X ray is done to check the location and size of the clot.
An anticoagulant medication such as heparin will be prescribed. This will be followed by a six-month regimen of another anticoagulant, Coumadin.
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