How to Protect Your Leg Health When Flying on a Plane

Dehydration, prolonged inactivity, and cramped body positioning are enemies of optimal circulation, especially in the lower extremities, where veins must work against gravity to keep blood flowing in the right direction. 

Unfortunately, these “vascular adversaries” are defining characteristics of extended air travel or any long-haul flight that keeps you sitting in a tight space longer than four hours.   

Whether your summer travel plans include visiting distant relatives and friends or exploring foreign countries and cultures, our Vascular Vein Centers team is here to help. Read on as our board-certified experts explain how to protect your circulatory health when you fly. 

How long-haul air travel affects circulation in your legs

When you sit still in a tight space for hours, whether in a plane, car, train, or bus, the blood flow in your lower extremities slows down. The longer you remain in a cramped seated position, the more likely you are to experience: 

• Decreased lower extremity circulation
• Blood pooling; increased venous pressure 
• Lower leg or ankle swelling (acute edema) 
• Increased risk of blood clot formation

Basically, hours of cramped immobility cause sluggish blood flow in your legs, increasing pressure inside your leg veins and making them swell. Dehydration, which makes blood stickier, and lower cabin pressure, which exacerbates swelling, can intensify the problem. 

An increased risk of travel-related vascular concerns 

For the average healthy adult, the worst circulatory outcome of a long-haul flight is typically mild leg swelling that resolves without incident within 24 hours of landing. 

Flight-related circulatory issues may come on more quickly, be more severe, or last longer for adults with risk factors for venous insufficiency, such as: 

• Older age (50+)
• Excess body weight 
• Sedentary lifestyle 
• Recent pregnancy
• Varicose leg veins
• Smoking cigarettes
• Family history 

These factors are also associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or a blood clot in a deep vein. DVTs are dangerous because they have the potential to break free, travel to the lungs, and cause a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (PE).   

Long-haul travel is another significant DVT risk factor, leaving you 1.5 to four times more likely to develop a dangerous blood clot. The more venous insufficiency “risk factor” boxes you can check, the higher your DVT risk on a long-haul flight may be.   

Strategies to keep your blood flow moving when you fly

Luckily, you can do a lot to support healthy circulation when you’re on a long flight. Everyone, including those with few or no additional DVT risk factors, should:   

Get up and move

Moving your body is one of the easiest ways to keep your circulation moving. For every 30-60 minutes of flight time, get on your feet and walk the aisles of the cabin for several minutes. 

Stay hydrated

Staying hydrated on a long-haul flight keeps your blood more fluid and less sticky, helping it circulate through your body more easily. It also prompts more trips to the bathroom, giving you extra opportunities to get out of your seat and move. 

Just be sure to skip or limit alcohol and caffeine, which can contribute to dehydration. 

Exercise your legs

Between regular aisle walks, when you’re confined to your seat, keep your lower extremity circulation going by exercising and stretching your lower legs. This can be especially helpful during stretches of turbulence when you can’t get up.  

Every 15-30 minutes, spend a minute or two performing seated heel raises (toe lifts), ankle circles, and knee lifts. By activating your leg muscles, these exercises boost blood flow and protect against clotting.

Extra protection to help mitigate an increased DVT risk 

If you’re older, have varicose veins, or have other factors (i.e., you smoke or are overweight) that increase your DVT risk on a long-haul flight, schedule a pre-travel visit with our team. To promote better circulation in-flight, we may recommend:     

Compression therapy

Graduated compression stockings (available by prescription) and non-medical support hosiery (available at pharmacies) gently squeeze your lower extremities to assist circulation.  

Wearing fitted compression socks on a long-haul flight provides circulation-enhancing benefits for most adults. We can help you find the right compression garment for your needs. 

Preventive vein care

If you have swollen, achy, or painful varicose veins, it can be helpful to treat them with a minimally invasive vein removal procedure before your long-distance trip. This can improve your circulation before you travel, lowering your DVT risk when you fly. 

For more leg health and DVT prevention tips, schedule an appointment at your nearest Vascular Vein Centers office in College Park of Orlando, Kissimmee, Waterford Lakes of East Orlando, Davenport/Haines City, Lake Mary, or The Villages, Florida, today.