The news rattled baseball fans and non-fans alike: Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler has a blood clot in his throwing arm. He underwent a successful procedure called thrombolysis to remove it, but the Phils aren’t sure when he’ll be back on the mound.
According to Penn Medicine, thrombolysis is a treatment that uses medication to dissolve dangerous blood clots and restore normal blood flow quickly. It's often used in emergencies to prevent serious damage to the heart, lungs, brain, or limbs.
This made headlines, and for good reason. No matter where they form, blood clots are serious and sometimes life-threatening. Wheeler’s case is a powerful reminder that vein problems can happen suddenly, in different parts of the body, and often without much warning.
👉 Trust your legs to the nation’s largest physician-led vein center. Schedule your appointment with Center for Vein Restoration today and protect your vein health before problems progress.
Center for Vein Restoration (CVR), the nation’s largest physician-led vein clinic, offers a deep vein thrombosis rule-out service that provides high-priority, noninvasive DVT testing as an alternative to hospital ERs. This one-stop management approach includes a scan and treatment with anticoagulation, education, and follow-up care if needed. Call the DVT hotline at 877-SCAN-DVT (877-722-6388).
The Cleveland Clinic defines a blood clot as a gel-like chunk of blood that forms when your body tries to stop bleeding. That’s helpful and normal, unless clots form inside a vein for no good reason. Then they can be dangerous and cause deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or a heart attack.
In Zack Wheeler’s case, a clot formed in a deeper vein in his upper arm or shoulder. That’s called an upper‑extremity blood clot. It’s serious, but not as common as clots in the legs.
Upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) sometimes occurs in individuals with Paget-Schroetter syndrome, a condition most often seen in young athletes. While not directly implicated in Zack Wheeler’s situation, per Healthline, the condition tends to affect the dominant arm used in repetitive sports movements, such as pitching, weightlifting, swimming, wrestling, or serving in tennis, where frequent overhead activity compresses the veins near the shoulder and collarbone, increasing the risk of clot formation.
As we’ve established, Zack Wheeler’s clot is an upper extremity DVT. While this can happen, especially in athletes or people with medical devices like catheters, it’s much less common than clots in the lower body. Most deep vein thromboses occur in the legs, where slower blood flow and vein problems make clots more likely. And just like Wheeler’s clot in the shoulder, a clot in the leg can be serious—even life-threatening—if it isn’t diagnosed and treated quickly.
While the location may be different, the underlying danger is the same, which is why every high-profile blood clot case is a good opportunity to talk about blood clots in the legs.
👉 Book your consultation with a CVR vein specialist today and discover how good peace of mind can feel
At Center for Vein Restoration (CVR), we specialize in diagnosing and treating leg vein problems like varicose veins, spider veins, and chronic venous insufficiency—conditions that, if left untreated, can lead to complications like deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in the leg) and leg ulcers.
We help patients understand and manage the underlying conditions that can increase the risk of blood clots and other serious health problems. Peace of mind starts with expert vein care. Schedule a consultation at CVR to learn more about your vein health.
📞 Call Center for Vein Restoration at 240-965-3915
📅 Or book online HERE
Clots in the legs most often happen because of a mix of three things: slow blood flow, a clot-friendly blood state, or damage to the blood vessel lining. That’s called Virchow’s triad.
Risk factors include:
Signs of a leg blood clot often include:
But some people don’t feel any symptoms at all. That’s why DVT can go unnoticed and still be dangerous.
Don’t ignore the signs. Schedule a consultation with a CVR physician today and take proactive steps to protect your health.
A leg clot can break free, travel through the bloodstream, and get stuck in the lungs. That’s called a pulmonary embolism (PE), and it can be life-threatening.
You can lower your DVT risk with everyday actions:
If someone has vein problems, including varicose veins, spider veins, or venous insufficiency, talk to a vein treatment specialist. Treating those issues not only eases leg pain and swelling but may also reduce clot risk.
Zack Wheeler’s clot and treatment remind us that clots can appear anywhere. His case sparked national attention, raising awareness that blood clots are serious and no one is immune, even elite athletes.
If you’re worried about a possible deep vein thrombosis (DVT), you don’t have to spend hours waiting in a hospital emergency room. Center for Vein Restoration (CVR) offers a fast, convenient outpatient service designed to give you answers and care right away. Through this program, patients can:
For rapid access to expert DVT evaluation and care, call CVR’s dedicated DVT hotline at 877-SCAN-DVT (877-722-6388).
Vein Disease: Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs
Varicose veins and chronic venous insufficiency aren’t just cosmetic concerns; they can be early warning signs of more serious problems, including blood clots. When blood pools in weak or damaged veins, the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) increases.
At Center for Vein Restoration, our board-certified vein specialists can diagnose and treat these underlying conditions before they progress, protecting both your comfort and your long-term health.
Call Center for Vein Restoration at 240-965-3915 or book online today⬇️ to take a proactive step toward safer, healthier veins.
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