Why do my legs feel weaker than my arm? will a d dimer blood test show a pulmonary embolism or blood clot?

D-dimer: A d-dimer test is helpful with regards to diagnosing a pulmonary embolism (pe)or deep vein thrombosis (the pe being caused by a deep vein thrombosis or clot ). The gold standard is still (for a clot) is a venous doppler study and for a pe - either a ventilation perfusion scan (vq scan) or a spiral ct of the lungs. All of these tests require scheduling and may /may not be available in your area.

Different issues: Legs feeling weaker than arms may be just a part of "weakness". Because your legs feel weak is not likely to be associated with blood clots or pulmonary embolism. Please consult your doctor to evaluate the cause of weakness.

Often not helpful: If the face of a history that is strongly suspicious for the possibility of a blood clot, a d-dimer level of more than 500 strongly adds to the suspicion of the possibility of a clot. A high d-dimer level doesn't prove the clot though. That takes an imaging study as dr. Williams said. On the other hand, a very low d-dimer means that you don't have a clot.