A patient presents at the physician's office with a complaint of severe, aching pain in her right leg.An examination of the patient's lower body reveals that the right ankle is badly bruised and severely swollen.The patient states that she fell 2 days ago and "sprained" her ankle but did not seek medical attention at that time.She has been mostly either sitting or lying down since the accident.Her leg pain and swelling could be due to:

Question

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Any soft tissue, bone, or joint injury in the leg will lead to swelling in the area surrounding the injury. In addition, venous stasis caused by the inactivity as well as bruising can lead to formation of DVT. This is especially dangerous because a deep vein thrombus can break loose and cause a pulmonary embolus, a potentially fatal condition.

A Patient Presents at the Physician's Office with a Complaint