A few thoughts as a DVT / PE survivior, and one who has studied this a fair amount:
By sheer coincidence, I am at our company's factory this week, working on something that I hope to be able to market to address this issue in the future. Whether I am given the resources to develop it remains to be seen. My company pretty much sucks at product development unfortunately and suffers mightily from NIH Syndrome (Not Invented Here). Our corporate office is in Taipei and they have a history of ignoring new product ideas that don't originate there. We'll see......
ETA: Saw this quote in the article:
And that, in a nutshell, is why I had to stop bike racing and now compete in tri's. Crashing and having internal injuries is a major concern 9especially an internal brain injury). Sure, it can happen in a tri or when training, but not having to go through corners elbow-to-elbow at 30+mph with other guys definitely alleviates my risks!!
Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!
"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams
- Awareness is absolutely very low on this issue, especially among athletes. We are a ticking time bomb of the right conditions at times.
- My understanding is that baby aspirin will do nothing to alleviate the risk. Aspirin works on the proteins in your blood that cause clots in your arteries, hence the reason it may be prescribed for people with A-Fib. It will not do much (if anything) to prevent clots in your veins (DVT). When I was diagnosed, I tried to get my doc to let me try aspirin, etc. to prevent future occurrences. His response "Aspirin won't do anything", although he never explained it. It wasn't until more research by myself that I found out why. *edit* - as noted below, aspirin regimen carries other health risks, as well. Consult your doc before starting one and know why you are doing it.
- Jordan, of the tools at your disposal, I would say that your Normatec boots would be a much better prevention tool that your Compex. I am not aware of any indications for e-stim to help prevent blood clots (it may well exist, however). But compression therapy is routinely used in hospitals to prevent clots in bed-bound patients. That said, unless you are in business class, good luck using your Normatecs on a plane
- Hydration and movement are still the best bets for preventing DVT's on long flights / car rides. Drink plenty of water and get up regularly. I suppose the one advantage of drinking enough is that it should force the second option on you, whether you wanna get up or not!!
By sheer coincidence, I am at our company's factory this week, working on something that I hope to be able to market to address this issue in the future. Whether I am given the resources to develop it remains to be seen. My company pretty much sucks at product development unfortunately and suffers mightily from NIH Syndrome (Not Invented Here). Our corporate office is in Taipei and they have a history of ignoring new product ideas that don't originate there. We'll see......
ETA: Saw this quote in the article:
Quote:
On blood thinners, it can take more than 15 minutes to stop bleeding from a simple paper cut. So the trauma inherent in contact sports like hockey—not just bleeding on the surface but also, of more concern, bleeding internally—makes playing on blood thinners an absolute non-starter.And that, in a nutshell, is why I had to stop bike racing and now compete in tri's. Crashing and having internal injuries is a major concern 9especially an internal brain injury). Sure, it can happen in a tri or when training, but not having to go through corners elbow-to-elbow at 30+mph with other guys definitely alleviates my risks!!
Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!
"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams