Shake Your Groove Thing, Everyday
March 15th, 2007 by Therese Walsh
I’m putting on my health-writer cap to ask you an important question today: Sit much?
As a writer, I’ll bet you do. It’s important to chat about, because anyone who sits for long periods of time can be at risk for a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Large blood clots can form in the deep veins of inactive legs. Though some clots never become dangerous, others break off and can lead to a stroke, heart attack or most commonly a “lung attack” (pulmonary embolism).
If you’ve heard of DVT, and 60% of Americans haven’t, you may remember that it’s associated with long plane rides; but it’s not just an economy class problem. Research out of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand shows that a full third of people admitted to the hospital for DVT are office workers who spend a lot of time with butt-in-chair.
Oh, no.
Does this mean you’ve got to shelve your latest work? No, but you should be aware of the risk and know what you can do to decrease yours. The key is simple:
Move. Don’t let yourself go for 3 and 4 hours without getting up and stretching; in fact, you should stand and walk around for at least a few minutes every hour. If you must be in your seat, move your legs anyway. Come on now, everyone, knees together, apart, together, apart; toes up and flex your ankles, relax, flex, relax.
Really, though, DVT is no laughing matter; in fact pulmonary embolism steals more lives annually than the combined devastation of breast cancer and AIDS. If you smoke, stop (smoking can increase your risk for clots). The Mayo Clinic suggests drinking plenty of water throughout the day, since dehydration can encourage clotting, and avoiding tight-waisted clothing. If you think you’re at risk, talk to your doctor. S/he may prescribe meds to help thin your blood or advise you to wear special stockings to help keep your blood on the move.
Want to learn more about DVT? Check out the The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis HERE and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute HERE.
Love a fellow writer? March is DVT Awareness Month, so go on and forward this post. After you stand up and shake out those legs, of course.
Write on, all!
OK, I got my fat butt out of the chair. I also did the exercises. Good tips, Therese!
This is just one more reason, the first being that sitters become chunky, to get a gym membership and use it. I should use mine more. It seems to clear the mind and shrink the behind. And now maybe it might prevent DVT.
DVT is what took NBC journalist David Bloom down. And he was in Iraq.
Thank you for blogging on this subject. I have experienced DVT and pulmonary embolism on more than one occasion; the first almost killing me. The day I almost died the doctors kept trying to give me breathing treatments thinking I was having “asthma attacks”. However, they finally realized …. hey, we better check her for pulmonary embolism. Finally they found I had multiple blood clots break apart and were found in both lungs, what the doctors called “peripheral pulmonary embolism”. I was sent to ICU, placed on oxygen, and began a 10 day hospital stay of recuperating while being given shots to dissolve the blood clots, and get my INR to the correct level. After leaving the hospital, I was on blood thinner medication (Coumadin) for six months. I then experienced pulmonary embolism on two different occasions; once after knee repair surgery; and a third time after emergency surgery for intestinal obstruction. The doctors then decided after three blood clot episodes, I should have a Greenfield Vena Cava Filter which can be seen on the Boston Scientific site. It looks like a tiny little umbrella without the fabric attached. Its job is to ‘catch’ the blood clots before they reach my heart. It is truly saving my life!
Thanks for urging everyone to keep moving! I urge everyone to also be careful during airline flights, long car, bus, or train rides, and after surgery or long periods of illness.
I blogged this subject on March 4, 2007… and hope you can drop by to visit and leave a comment.
I appreciate you!
Bonnie/Grandma
of Grandparents Cyber Corner
Thanks for sharing your story, Bonnie. Stay well!
I’ve got my email at work set to remind me every hour to stretch. I also only drink a small cup of water so that I have to get up repeatedly through the day to go refill it.
I didn’t know about the statistics of DVT - thanks for sharing!
That’s a great tactic, Melissa!