Flight Socks

[Nixo]

I'm flying to New York on Saturday,seven and three quarter hour flight.:eek: Hate flying:( Wondered if anyone has ever worn the flight socks on long flight to protect against blood clots.When we looked at them,it said on the back if you have certain medical conditions,one being Diabetes,consult your doctor before wearing.Have rang my diabetic nurse and she wasn't sure,so is going to get back to me.Just wondered if anyone else had any comments about them.

[rzrbks]

The cheapest thing to do, (Ask me, I know cheap) is just to do ankle, foot and leg movements while flying. And to be sure and have plenty of water with you. Drink plenty before flying as well.---Water I mean.

Just wiggling toes and therefore ankles and legs will do a great deal to protect against blood clotting.

[shabbie6247]

i wore these on a twelve hour flight to thailand (and back again!) i didnt get swollen feet and ankles like i do with just foot and leg exercises during the flight.
they are expensive but sooo worth it! (£15.00 from boots the chemists)

[sofaraway]

I would imagine the reasoning for the warning label is to do with people having neuropathy and not being able to feel if the socks are too tight, whick could restrict blood flow and cause swelling above the socks.
I wouldn't see a problem with you wearing them if you don't have neuropathy and are aware to check they aren't too tight

[mg_2204]

Once I got flight socks, really good ones, but just couldn't wear them. They drove me crazy. Too tight!

My doc suggested taking low dose Aspirin 4 days before the flight and 4 days after the flight.

Now that I'm on low dose Aspirin all the time I don't worry about it.

I do the exercise RZ mentioned. I walk in the plane. I go to the washrooms. I avoid caffeine (the hardest for me!) at all cost the day before the flight, and on the day of the flight.

When we left England to come back to the homeland last year (Aug 06) I had underwent major surgery 9 weeks prior to the flight. Chances of DVT and other problems were much higher apparently but my doc said as long as I was doing the exercises, and avoiding caffeine I would be ok. I had worn special socks for the entire 9 weeks after the operation (they covered the whole leg!) and I got rid of them just before the flight. I wore comfy shoes I could just take off and loose fitting clothes. Everything went well.

Have a good flight!

[Cyborg]

Is there some kind of blood clotting threat associated with flying?

[notme]

Yes Cyborg if you don't move your legs enough or are prone to clots, it can be a big issue.

I took a 17 hour flight last summer and I did not use flight socks. I did not drink or eat anything with salt or sodium two days prior to flying. I moved my legs a lot while I was seated. Just ankle movents can help. Every three hours or so, I would get up for a bathroom run and I would stand in the back of the plane and do leg exercises. I was back there with an entire workout group.

Get up often, stay away from salty food, drink water (no soda) and move often. You should be fine.

[mg_2204]

... I hear some people suffer from DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) from sitting at their computer too long :eek: - Exercise should be enough during a flight.

[Nixo]

Thanks everyone for all your comments.Think I will stick to the leg exercises and having a walk around.Jacqui

[shabbie6247]

Is there some kind of blood clotting threat associated with flying?

a controlled test (some tv programme did it a couple years back) showed that the issue wasnt so much with the flight but with the duration of time spent sitting with little or no movement in the legs.

they tested an 8 hour flight and an 8 hour bus trip. one third of the test group wore the flight socks, one third did the exercises and the other third did nothing at all.
the best results were acheived with the socks as they reduced the likelihood of 'pooling' in the lower legs.
the testers monitored the blood flow using some kind of ultrasound gizmo on the lower legs.

[Catcount]

Nixo, I do a lot of long haul flights lasting as much as 18 hrs with a stopover. The flight socks they provide you if your entitled to them are in my view useless. They are a one size and can cramp you. Now I use Mediped or Wickers . They are nice and soft and usually have my size. Another point to help avoid "blood clots" is to exersize either in your seat by moving your legs around or by walking the cabin, I thought I would mention that I have neuropathy of my feet and have had 2 operations to clear up ulcerated feet. Fortunatly no amputations as yet.

Check out the socks egh!

Catcount

[Mich]

I always wear my support socks on long flights. I bought them over the counter at the drug store. They don't feel tight, but do feel supportive, and they keep my feet warm when I slip out of my shoes. I also do leg and ankle exercises in my seat and take a hike to the restroom every hour or so.

I carry a blow-up neck pillow to make myself as comfy as possible. My small carry-on serves as a footstool under the seat in front and my sweater is big enough for a blankee. Now if I only had more than three inches :o of leg room...

[Alice]

My feeling is that you should still stretch and move your legs on a long flight..even if wearing the support stockings. Even on short flights, I try to do leg lifts, knee pulls and such while sitting. I'm a "leg crosser" (doing it now at the computer!...like a lady!) so I try to keep them uncrossed on the flights.

It's a problem of non-diabetics as well. I mean, not a diabetic problem. But some clots have formed that have been deadly a short time after flights.