Beat Deep Vein Thrombosis on Long Haul Flights
Long haul flights can be hard work, especially for those who aren’t confident flyers, and the risk of deep vein thrombosis setting in is considerable. Fortunately there are several helpful techniques and preventative measures you can take to help you relax and have an enjoyable flight.
Stretch Your Legs. It’s likely that you’ll need the toilet at least once during a long haul flight but even if you don’t it’s important you stand up and have a walk down the aisle in order to stretch your legs. Regular periods of mobility and exercise are essential to ward off deep vein thrombosis. DVT normally occurs in travellers legs when they’ve been still for a long time. A clot coagulates in a deep vein causing pain and swelling in the leg, foot or ankle that is worse when standing, which is the first sign that there’s a problem. Sometimes the skin around the affected area will turn pale, blue or red and feel warm when touched.
Smaller clots, however, may be symptomless and therefore very dangerous if they go untended. This is why regular movement is vital on flights that last longer than five hours. The real issue with DVT happens when a bit of the clot breaks away and blood then streams into the lungs, this is known as Pulmonary Embolus and can cause serious injury as well as death.
Staying hydrated is also essential. Drinking water can help you stay alert as well as hydrated which is another good measure to prevent deep vein thrombosis. Avoid alcoholic drinks and those that contain a lot of caffeine such as tea, coffee and carbonated fizzy drinks as these cause dehydration.
There are several travel items to help prevent deep vein thrombosis. Many people use compression stockings while they travel. This item of clothing, worn to the knee with a class 2 level of pressure, stops blood pooling in the subject’s calf. You can find them in most pharmacies but they must be worn in addition to exercise, not instead of. Also wear baggy clothes if possible as these avoid constricting your veins. A good idea to evade long bouts of inactivity is to only sleep for short periods rather than long sustained ones, the quality of sleep may be less but at least you don’t risk the onset of deep vein thrombosis.
All these measure should be done after exercise. Regular movement is the most important defence again deep vein thrombosis. Every thirty minutes you should bend and straighten your legs several times, wiggle your toes and rotate your feet while you are seating. This motion helps the blood to continue circulating throughout your body and especially in the lower half which is most at risk. Press the balls of your feet down firmly on the floor at regular intervals as this aids the blood flow to your legs.
Most of us aren’t fortunate enough for private jet charters or even air cargo charters, where you can move freely about the cabin, however with the exercises detailed above all travellers can beat deep vein thrombosis and have a happy and healthy flight.
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