What Is a Superficial Blood Clot? Why Jalen Hurts Won’t Face Off Against the Panthers

The news is raising questions about superficial blood clots, along with how they’re typically diagnosed and treated. Doctors who treat this condition explain.

Doctors Can Sometimes Feel a Superficial Blood Clot Under the Skin

The medical term for a superficial blood clot is superficial thrombophlebitis (throm-boe-fluh-BYE-tis) or superficial vein thrombosis. “‘Superficial blood clot’ is lay-language,” says William Shutze, MD, the vice president of the Society for Vascular Surgery and a vascular surgeon at Texas Vascular Associates in Dallas. “But it describes a real thing.”

A clot is called superficial when it occurs in the superficial veins, which are located close to the surface of the skin. “You can see some superficial veins,” Dr. Shutze says. These are different from deep veins, which are the “workhorse veins” located within the muscle, he says.

“These clots often develop in the legs and can cause inflammation of the surrounding vein,” says Christopher Yi, MD, a vascular surgeon at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling
• Skin that’s warm to the touch

“This is different from deep vein clots, which can be silent,” says Shutze.

Risk factors for developing a superficial blood clot include limited mobility, injury, or a predisposition to clotting, says Caron Rockman, MD, a vascular surgeon and the chair of vascular surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. But “anyone can experience a superficial blood clot,” Dr. Rockman says.

Doctors Consider Superficial Blood Clots to Be Less Risky Than Deep Blood Clots

A clot that forms in the deep veins is known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). These clots can travel to the lungs and stop blood flow, leading to a pulmonary embolism. Superficial clots are different.

“Superficial clots are usually less serious and most often go away on their own in a few weeks,” Rockman says. “However, it is important to note that a superficial clot can sometimes progress into the deep veins, especially if it’s extensive or close to where the leg vein joins the deep system near the groin or behind the knee.”

For this reason, superficial blood clots “should not be ignored,” says Dr. Yi.

These Blood Clots Can Be Simple to Diagnose

Superficial blood clots are usually diagnosed by a physical exam and confirmed with an ultrasound, according to Rockman. “You can often feel the superficial clot in the vein under your fingers, like a really hard worm,” Shutze says. “It’s pretty obvious that something is going on.”

Treatment depends on the clot's size and location, says Rockman. “Mild cases can often be treated with warm compresses and with anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen,” she says. “Larger superficial clots or those near the deep veins might require blood thinners.”

The Prognosis Is Usually Good With a Superficial Blood Clot, but There’s a Lot of Variability

“The length someone is out depends on the severity, size, and location of the clot, along with treatment,” Rockman says. Most superficial blood clots require anti-inflammatory medication, and there’s no need to alter a person’s activities, especially if they have a desk job, she says.

But people with physical jobs, including athletes, may need to take a few days off or do lighter duties for a few days, Shutze says.

“Extremely extensive, very painful, or larger superficial clots may require blood thinners and are often treated for approximately six weeks,” Rockman says. “Contact sports or activities with a high risk of injury may be reduced while patients are on blood thinners because of an increased bleeding risk should a serious injury occur.”

The Eagles have not shared an update on Hurts’s health since the original announcement.