Question from Andreas B.: After several thromboses in my leg and pelvis and a pulmonary embolism, I take blood thinners and ACE inhibitors. I also wear class three support stockings up to below the knee. I am medically well adjusted. A test has now shown that the veins do not pump the blood up well under pressure. Does this have a major impact on performance during sport, which is highly recommended, and what about during the recovery phase? Here I am wearing my support stockings.
Answer from Dr Robert Eifler: There are superficial - rather harmless - and deep vein thromboses. The former occur in the usually visible, highly tortuous varicose veins because the venous valves are defective and leaky. The valves act like a valve to ensure the upward flow of blood to the heart and prevent backflow. However, the main blood flow returns to the heart via the large, deep leg veins. They also have valves. If the return flow is disrupted here, the blood can clot spontaneously, resulting in deep vein thrombosis. If the clot breaks free, it can travel to the lungs - now called an embolus - and block an artery there: this is how a pulmonary embolism occurs, as in your case.
On the other hand, the outflow obstruction in the legs can lead to blood congestion. This results in fluid accumulation in the tissue, oedema. This impairs the oxygen supply to the muscles and therefore performance. Under dynamic stress, however, the muscle pump improves the return flow of blood, but only insufficiently in the case of extensive deep thrombosis, which in turn reduces performance. You can only prevent this if you wear your compression stockings not only during regeneration, but also when cycling.
