CrossFit and blood clots. The ultimate functional fitness sport is a powerful ally to prevent the most recent “bad guy” in the medicine world. BOXROX talked to a cardiologist who said that CrossFit can help a lot in preventing blood clots.
Source: Photos courtesy of CrossFit Inc
Dangers of Blood Clots
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average, one American dies of a blood clot every six minutes. A blood clot in one of the large veins, a leg or an arm, can partly or completely block the flow of blood through that vein.
A blood clot in the lungs can cause death and requires immediate medical attention. The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, recommends people to stay active and to lose weight, if overweight, to prevent blood clots formation.
Source: Photos of CrossFit Games
Read More: 20 Fat Burning Conditioning CrossFit Workouts to Transform your Body
CrossFit and Blood Clots
Since CrossFit focuses on functional fitness and often pushes your body to the limit, could it also be the ultimate sport to prevent blood clots?
Although there are no studies that have compared CrossFit with different forms of fitness activities and the formation of blood clots, “if we use the logic of the good conditioning that CrossFit promotes, surely it helps a lot,” affirms doctor Rodrigo Jasbick. He is a cardiologist and CrossFit level 1 trainer who has participated in the CrossFit Open in the past four years.
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There are numerous different motives for a blood clot to occur in one’s body: hematological diseases, thrombophilias, cancer and paraneoplastic syndromes, smoking, oral contraceptives, orthopedic surgeries, cardiac arrhythmias, to name a few.
“None of the conditions cited above prevent someone from doing CrossFit. There are no counter-indication,” Dr. Jasbick says, but a sick person at the height of his/her illness should get healthy and a subsequent approval from a doctor before committing to any physical activity.
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Read More: Top 10 Hardest CrossFit Bodyweight Workouts
Image Sources
- Conditioning-crossfit-workouts: Photos courtesy of CrossFit Inc
- Kettlebell-workouts: Photos of CrossFit Games
- Untitled-design-7: Unsplashed