We’ve often been told not to spend long hours lying on our backs or seated while doomscrolling. But oftentimes, that advice goes unheeded.
A teenager in China learnt his lesson the hard and painful way after he spent his school break scrolling through his phone without making an effort to walk occasionally.
Spent over 5 hours on phone
According to Sin Chew Daily, the student had completed his gaokao (China’s national college entrance examination) and spent more than five hours using his phone and playing video games daily.
All throughout, he was either slouched on the sofa or lying in bed and rarely made an effort to move around.
Swollen leg
Two weeks later, the student began experiencing swelling, enlargement, and persistent aching in his right calf, where walking soon became a painful task.
At first, his family assumed he was experiencing muscle soreness caused by prolonged sitting. But when his condition deteriorated, they quickly rushed him to the hospital.
Examinations later confirmed that the student was suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a severe condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower leg, thigh, or pelvis.
Doctors explained that although the student may have had a clotting predisposition that increased his risk, the primary cause behind his condition was prolonged physical inactivity.
They also warned that the most common warning sign of DVT is abnormal swelling in one leg, accompanied by aching, heaviness, tenderness when pressed, or redness and warmth over the affected area.
Doctors also added that if one experience chest tightness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, or coughing up blood occur simultaneously, it could indicate that the clot has dispersed and caused a pulmonary embolism (blockage in lung artery).
Should any of these symptoms appear, medical attention must be sought immediately as it can be life-threatening.
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