What Does a Blood Clot in the Leg Feel Like?
A blood clot in the leg, known as deep vein thrombosis or DVT, makes the leg tender, painful and swollen. It can be hard to walk around on the leg if the blood clot has damaged the vessel’s valves, according to WebMD. The leg may be warm to the touch or discolored. DVT can also have no symptoms at all, according to the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center.
When there is an area of slow blood flow through a vein, a mixture of red blood cells, platelets and fibrin clump together to form a clot, according to the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center. This mixture is called mixed platelet fibrin thrombi and is what leads to DVT.
A blood clot in the leg can cause a pulmonary embolism, which is when the blood clot breaks off and travels to the lungs. When DVT has no symptoms, this can happen without warning. Pulmonary embolisms are a life-threatening medical emergency, with proximal vein clots being the most deadly type, according to the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Treatment Center. Symptoms include sudden and unexplained shortness of breath, a rapid heartbeat, chest pain and a cough that may or may not produce blood-tinged mucous.
