Superficial Thrombosis - Do I wait for it to go away?

  I developed a superficial thrombosis on my upper leg about a month ago.  
  I am only 22 years old and my doctor said it was due to over-doing a weight
  lifting exercise program.  I took relafin for a week and now a month later,
  it is still there.  My doctor didn't give me any info on how long I will
  have this for and any advice on what to do for it.  I had just assumed that
  it'd be gone after my one week of medicine.  I've been reading about how
  blood clots can travel and be dangerous.  Should I be worried, how long am
  I going to have this for, and is there anything I should be doing for it?  
  Also, I was told I should do absolutely no exercise on my leg, not even
  cardio exercise.  Is this true?  Can exercise really cause a blood clot?  
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Dear Renee,
Thank you for your question.   Superficial thrombosis is a blood clot of the superficial veins.  It is often caused by trauma to the area or poor blood flow in that area.  Treatment is with pain medications and warm compresses.  It may take several weeks to months to completely resolve.  This type will not travel anywhere in the body.
Deep venous thrombosis is a more serious condition.  This is blood clots of the "deep" veins in the leg.  It may be caused by prolonged immobility of an extremity or a condition which causes the blood to more easily clot (hypercoagulable state).  This type of blood clot can break off and travel to the lung causing lung damage.  Blood thinners are used to treat this type of clot.
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.