What exercise precautions are needed for someone who is not on blood thinners?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am an accredited exercise physiologist currently working with a client who is taking blood thinners. Recently, the client will be going for oral surgery and has to stop taking the blood thinners five days in advance. The client will be completing one last exercise session with me on Friday. I would like to know if there are any precautions and concerns for exercise whilst my client is not on blood thinners.

Please advice.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

1. I would like to know the age of your patient and whether he is hypertensive.

2. I would advise you to ask your patient to avoid any exercise that would result in an impact, e.g., jumping, boxing, or exercises involving the use of weights or resistance bands. These forms of exercise could result in an injury. Even a lower force of impact, which would otherwise not be of any concern in a normal individual, might lead to a hematoma formation.

3. Also, a low-impact injury in such cases can lead to the development of a thrombus, i.e., a clot in the blood vessels in the area of the injury, which, when it embolizes, might have disastrous consequences.

4. Running and other exercises that increase the heart rate considerably can increase the shear force of the blood in the arteries and also lead to thrombus formation in such patients.

5. Also, look out for any signs of dizziness, shortness of breath, or pain in the lower limbs. These are emergency situations, and the patient should receive prompt medical attention in such cases.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.

Thank you.