Blood Clots Sideline Pro Athletes 6.7 Months on Average

As many as 900,000 Americans a year are affected by venous thromboembolism (VTE). The exact yearly count of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown, according to the CDC, which calls 900,000 an upper estimate, not a counted total.

DVT and PE are grouped together as VTE. Thrombosis means a clot forming inside a blood vessel, which can lead to DVT. DVT is a clot in a deep vein, most often in the lower leg or thigh. PE brings shortness of breath, rapid breathing, and chest pain or discomfort, per MedlinePlus.

The toll is large. Blood clots cause about 100,000 premature deaths each year, and 50% of cases are linked to medical care. Three in 10 people with a clot will have another within 10 years, according to the CDC. That repeat risk shapes how long secondary prevention lasts.

VTE in pro athletes is serious and often needs long-term anticoagulation therapy, drugs that slow clotting. A 2017 study across U.S. pro sports leagues found an average return to play of 6.7 months for all VTE types. For upper extremity DVT, the average was 4.3 months. Arm clots matter for overhead and contact athletes, where vein compression, repeated trauma, and central venous devices combine with immobilization and travel-related stasis, or slowed blood flow.

Treatment limits availability. Studies advise gradual return to noncontact or low-risk activity after the first 3 to 4 weeks on blood thinners, with close monitoring. The wait reflects competing risks. Early full-dose treatment lowers the chance a clot grows or travels, like a plug breaking loose downstream, but raises bleeding risk from trauma. Full contact is therefore delayed while fitness and sport-specific load return in controlled settings.

The broader context here is time and type. The 6.7-month average for all VTE versus 4.3 months for arm DVT points to differences by location and severity that matter for roster planning and medical clearance. Leg DVT and PE carry different clot burden, travel risk, and follow-up needs than an isolated arm clot. Long-term blood thinners further complicate clearance in collision sports, where even target INR or anti-Xa levels leave little margin for bleeding in the brain or joint. For clinicians and teams, the question is less whether an athlete can train during treatment than when contact risk becomes acceptable and what monitoring supports that call.