Why The Pain In Your Legs Might Be More Serious Than You First Thought
If you have been on any prolonged journey and have found that you have aches and pains in your legs, you might just shrug it off as stiffness from being still for so long. What many people don't know is that you can actually develop very serious problems in your body and, if you aren't careful, they can lead to death. However, there is no need to press the panic button just yet, and there are many treatment options available. The first step to understanding if you do just have stiffness or if it could be something more serious is to visit your primary care doctor.
Initial Diagnosis
Before you go to your doctor, try and remember the exact time you first noticed the problem and any other symptoms or side effects you have noticed in the time since the pain first appeared. Establishing a timeline is very important for your general practitioner, and the more accurate this is, the better. They will examine your legs and any other problem areas and tell you whether they think you have a small blood clot or deep vein thrombosis (a more serious form of a blood clotting) or if your muscles are indeed just sore from the journey and there is nothing to worry about.
Confirming Suspicions
Because there is no way to confirm 100% whether you have a blood clot just with a visual inspection, your doctor will likely send you off for a vascular ultrasound. A vascular ultrasound is similar in nature to an ultrasound used during pregnancies in the sense that it examines soft tissue and maps it out on a screen. This allows the medical professionals a chance to confirm whether you have deep vein thrombosis or a smaller, less serious clot. Getting a vascular ultrasound is a key step and will provide definitive proof one way or the other as to what you need to do next. You can learn more about vascular ultrasounds by contacting a doctor.
What If I Do Have Deep Vein Thrombosis?
When your doctor sends you off for a vascular ultrasound, they will also very likely give you medication to start treatment just in case. These drugs are called anticoagulants, and they help dissolve blood clots. They are harmless if you don't end up having a positive reading for deep vein thrombosis, but if you do, then the sooner you start on them the better. If it is particularly serious, you can also get specific medication aimed at particular clots called clot busters. As long as you get an initial diagnosis when you feel a suspicious pain in your legs, you will almost certainly be totally fine with minimal treatment.