Question: How can I avoid swollen feet when I fly overseas?
Whenever I fly overseas my feet swell hugely. Generally this goes away within a few hours of getting off the aircraft providing the climate of the place I'm visiting is cool. However when visiting warmer more humid countries such as Thailand and Indonesia the swelling continues throughout my holiday. During a recent trip to Thailand I had to buy mens shoes and my feet were so huge and uncomfortable I could barely walk. This went on for the duration of my holiday and was very unpleasant. I'm planning a trip to Bali soon and would like to know how to avoid this happening again.
Answer: This problem is very common on long distance flights. It is caused by the
inactivity during a flight. When you sit with your feet on the floor for a
long period, the blood pools in your leg veins. If you get up and walk
around once an hour or so, the muscles in your legs will contract and
compress the veins forcing the blood back to your heart.
The excessive swelling that you describe may be caused by a more serious problem. Like a blood clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT). You should check with your doctor about this.
On long flights do the following to help lessen the risk of DVT:
The excessive swelling that you describe may be caused by a more serious problem. Like a blood clot in your legs (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT). You should check with your doctor about this.
On long flights do the following to help lessen the risk of DVT:
- Do not wear tight clothing around your waist.
- Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration. Bring on board some bottled water that has electrolytes in it. In the USA the brand name is "Smart Water."
- Stretch your legs and calves every half hour.
- Avoid alcohol and sedatives (sleeping pills) while on the plane.
- Taking aspirin to thin the blood is not effective in reducing the risk of DVT.
