- Okay, Brad, we're gonna start talking
about blood clots mainly in the calves.
- Sure.
- We're first gonna talk about the causes of blood clots.
- Yep.
- Then we'll talk, show you how to prevent them.
- You bet Bob. Blood clots, you gotta be careful.
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(singing)
- Okay, Bob, we got a list of causes.
We'll go through 'em one at a time.
First one, if your bedridden for any length of time,
getting too little activity and sitting too much.
All this lack of movement can contribute
and increase your risk. Next one.
- Sitting on a plane, train or automobile
or watching the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
(laughing)
- Yeah. So again, that sedentary time where you.
- Right, absolutely.
- Obviously a five minute car ride isn't
but a longer time duration.
Oh my turn.
- Your turn.
- After an injury or surgery and us
as therapists are very aware of this,
we work with a lot of it.
- Yeah, it's very common.
- Yep.
- If you take a medication that causes blood clotting
and your doctor need to tell you
whether that's the case or not.
- Right? Yeah.
And they let us know as therapists
if we need to know something.
- Right.
- But you know, don't be afraid to ask your doctor.
- We always keep an eye on it.
- Exactly. Right.
Being overweight or obese, another risk factor.
- Right. Or one I have is being over 60
but they can occur at any age.
- Sure. Yep. Just do older you get.
I'm still under 60.
- Yeah, you're good, you're safe.
- I got 48 more days.
(laughs)
- No, it can again, happen to anybody.
- All right, some types of cancer or cancer treatment.
Again, you'll be made well aware of this.
- Right.
- What to look for.
- Smoking. I'm sorry there's nothing good about smoking.
- Exactly. Right Bob.
Heart failure, if your heart's not working well.
Again, circulation problem.
- Right.
It increases the risk.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
Or if a personal history, you've had one before.
- Sure.
- Or family history.
- Yeah. If it genetic or.
- Right.
- Yep. All right.
And if, like we said, genetic.
If you have more than one blood clot,
you should get tested.
- Right.
- So for testing, you go in, they do an ultrasound.
It's a simple test.
That's completely pain free and they'll know.
- Okay. Brad and I could chew three exercises you could do
in bed or in a chair.
- Right.
- Brad take it away.
- Let's get started. Okay.
Ankle pumps again.
You can do this either position.
- You could do it on plane.
- Yep.
- On train (laughs) or car.
- Yep. Do 10 to 20 of 'em at a time.
You don't do 'em consistently forever.
Take a break every half hour or so.
Make sure you do your ankle pumps.
Just like we're doing here.
Not too fast, not too slow.
Just do 'em
- Smooth.
- Number two, the infamous butt squeezers.
So again, lying down.
Boy, a therapist does this a lot of times with patients.
You squeeze your buttocks together and relax.
- And you could do it seated too.
- Yep, exactly.
- Right.
You could do it with your knees up, knees down.
If you're lying down and just squeeze and relax.
Just about at that cadence and relax.
Do 10 of those is good, every half hour is good.
- I can do 'em in secret.
- Yeah. Are you you squeezing it Bob?
(laughs)
Next.
The next one, simply knee to the chest.
One leg at a time.
Bring it up.
You can grab here and give a gentle stretch.
You don't have to get real aggressive.
Do alternate, would probably be better,
but you can just do one leg at a time
and do it like this.
10 of them on a side would be fine.
Again, every half hour, as long as it's not painful.
If you have any problems, then that's uncomfortable.
Do the best you can.
We don't want to irritate things.
- So Brad, we have just a few more things to go over.
One, you will stay hydrated.
- Right, get plenty of fluid.
We're talking about water. Right?
- Right. I know you don't want drink
on a plane as far as walking.
(laughing)
- Yeah, that's trips to the bathroom.
- Yeah. Right, exactly.
But it's really important that you do.
- Right.
- So number two, I want you to get aisle seat,
so if you have to go to the bathroom.
- Yeah.
- You can walk along the aisle too.
- I had that. I was in the middle seat
and the guy next to me was a large person.
And you just don't want to have to get close enough
- Right.
to get over the top of them.
And you know, it's like one of those scenes from Seinfeld.
(laughs)
- Yeah. All right.
And number three is compression socks.
- Right? So here I have compression socks.
You know, they compress.
They should be tighter here and looser here.
And they'll be like 15 millimeters of compression.
- or 30.
- Yep.
- Millimeters.
- Yep. They'll give you the numbers,
but it should be tighter around the foot
and little looser here.
They should go at this level.
And you know, they're comfortable.
They should be comfortable.
Anyways. I've worn these and they're nice.
They gotta make sure they're at the right level.
- Tough on.
- Yeah. They're not the funnest to put on,
but if they do the job, it's well worth it.
And with little practice, you'll get used to it.
- There we go.
This stops us to blood clots right?
- Oh yeah. No more blood clots.
All right.
- They're gone.
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