| Perhaps you have heard about it on television, this | | | | are confined to desks and chairs to take advantage |
| recent phenomenon of people suffering serious illness, | | | | of quick breaks to get the blood flowing again. Even in |
| and even death, as a result of blood circulatory | | | | an airplane, it is possible to stand up and move slightly |
| problems. In this modern age of travel and jobs that | | | | around the cabin, if only to stimulate blood flow in the |
| require less physical labor, we are fast becoming a | | | | lower half of the body and prevent numbness. |
| sedentary race, and unfortunately this is causing | | | | Alternating Pressure and DVT |
| various health issues like deep vein thrombosis. | | | | Ergonomic devices at work and home are always a |
| Fortunately, this is an easily preventable condition that | | | | plus. An alternating pressure cushion, for one, can |
| doesn't take much work. | | | | improve circulation during times of inactivity. |
| What is Deep Vein Thrombosis? | | | | Alternating pressure refers to a device that inflates |
| Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) is a condition defined | | | | and deflates in sections. Think of an air mattress or air |
| by a blood clot, or thrombus, forming in a deep vein. | | | | seat cushion. As one pocket, the air is stagnant and |
| Commonly affecting the leg veins, such as the femoral, | | | | does not move. When you sit on one, it may feel like |
| popliteal, or the deep veins of the pelvic region, DVT | | | | sitting on an elevated version of the chair. Circulation |
| can prove fatal if the clot makes it way into the blood. | | | | remains the same. |
| Clots may become caught in the veins and block | | | | Alternating pressure, however, works in a cushion |
| circulation, or enter the heart and cause death. | | | | devised of two or more air bladders interconnected to |
| Therefore, it is always important to maintain good | | | | alternate inflating and deflating. Some bladders rise |
| circulation and keep the blood clear. Consulting a | | | | while others fall, and vice versa. This constant |
| physician or licensed therapist can help determine the | | | | movement in a cushion lifts and shifts the body in |
| best methods for staying healthy. | | | | place, so even though one is sitting there is opportunity |
| What causes Deep Vein Thrombosis? | | | | for better circulation. |
| While recent research shows that various factors | | | | Where there is better blood flow, naturally, there is less |
| prove to put a person at risk for DVT, a more | | | | discomfort. Alternating pressure keeps the blood |
| common cause for deep vein thrombosis is inactivity. | | | | moving and the skin healthy, allowing it to breathe. |
| The less you move, the slower your blood circulates, | | | | When skin breathes, it maintains a healthy color and |
| thereby increasing the chances for clots to form. | | | | elasticity. The blood flows and has less opportunity to |
| Business travelers, people who spend long hours in | | | | clot, thereby decreasing risk of DVT. |
| cramped airplane seats or in cars, and people confined | | | | For the constant traveler and the cubicle worker, an |
| to wheelchairs are especially at risk if they are unable | | | | alternating pressure device can be handy in eliminating |
| to regularly circulate the blood in their legs. | | | | the risk of blood clots in the legs, and in turn preventing |
| Therefore, it is always recommended for people who | | | | serious conditions. |