Owens, though, made the best of the situation, focusing on his studies and training with the OSU track team under coach Larry Snyder. Snyder, who thought Owens' race starts were too slow, made the athlete repeatedly practice starts that had him crouching tightly at the starting line. He also altered Owens' long-jump style, teaching him to move his legs in mid-air.
In general, a low platelet count occurs because: 1  The body's bone marrow doesn't make enough platelets. 2  The bone marrow makes enough platelets, but the body destroys them or uses them up. 3  The spleen holds on to too many platelets.
Ordinarily, heparin prevents clotting and does not affect the platelets, components of the blood that help form blood clots. Triggered by the immune system in response to heparin, HIT causes a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia). Two distinct types of HIT can occur: nonimmune and immune-mediated. Nonimmune HIT, which occurs most frequently, is characterized by a mild decrease in the platelet count and is not harmful.