Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in office workers

A New Zealand study has warned that that office workers are at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT)from sitting immobile at their desks.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper says sitting immobile at a desk for hours at a time will be revealed as a serious risk factor for so-called "economy class syndrome".

It says a study to be presented at the annual conference of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand later this month has found prolonged immobility at work is the most common factor shared by DVT patients.

Researchers found one in three people attending an outpatient clinic reported sitting for eight hours or longer before suffering a venous thromboembolism.

The worst-affected were managers, IT workers and taxi drivers, according to the research from the Medical Research Institute in Wellington.
(Click on the title for the whole news report).
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Gary Moller comments:
This research by Professor Richard Beasley has been long overdue. It illustrates the dangers of sitting for long periods without moving regardless of the location.

I recognised this risk several years ago and developed a seminar for athletes, coaches and team managers on the dangers of sub-clinical DVT and its detrimental effects on athlete performance. I learned many years ago from experienced world class runners like Rod Dixon, Dick Quax and Dick Tayler that one could never produce a personal best if the journey to the race venue was any longer than a few hours within a day of the event. The usual action, by these athletes, upon arrival at their venue was to put on their running kit and do a quick blow out to get the blood circulating.

I have dug out my old handout notes and turned them into a downloadable file. The advice applies equally to desk jockeys as it does to atheltes.

Here is the link - have a read and let me know what you think.