Measurement of Venous Blood Flow in the Lower Limbs: Prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis during Prolonged Sitting

The venous blood flow during stretching and deep breathing in the sitting posture was examined in the present study. First, an inguinocrural venous blood flow was measured using the Doppler method. It was confirmed that the blood flow velocity significantly increased during stretching with deep breathing. Second, the peripheral blood circulation in the lower limbs was evaluated during a 60 min sitting session using a near infrared spectroscopy method. It was confirmed that stretching while sitting restrained the reduction of blood flow. These results effectively showed an increase in the venous return. Therefore, we suggest that stretching and deep breathing can be used sometimes as preventive measures for deep vein thrombosis during prolonged sitting.