Do you have an overseas trip planned? Are you going to be sitting on a plane for hours as you travel to your next destination? Check out the below for some great tips on how to keep yourself healthy and reduce your risk of developing pain, oedema, stiffness or deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) while flying.
- Keep your body moving!
Cannot emphasize this one enough! Reduce risk of muscle pains, DVT, oedema, spinal and joint stiffness by keeping active on your flight. It is as simple as getting up every 30-60 minutes (when you are not sleeping), and walking to the other end of the cabin and back. If in pain/discomfort seek help and advice from your physiotherapist or other practitioner before and after flying.
5 Exercises to do in your seat:
- Ankle pumps
- Sitting heel raises
- Sitting thigh lifts
- Shoulder shrug and roll
- Trunk twists
Also see our handy handout below for more details on these exercises. We recommend to do a couple of these exercises hourly.
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Before, during and after your flight, due to the dryer, less-humid air in airplanes it is important to increase your water intake in preparation for, during and after your flight. Also avoid drinking too much alcohol and caffeine during the flight as this fast tracks dehydration. Not only is water intake important but also looking after your skin, eyes and sinus’s can reduce the effects of the air on the plane. Packing moisturizer, eye drops, lip creams, and nasal spray can also help keep your body well hydrated and nourished.
- Sleep! Whether it’s a quick nap or a few hours, here are some tips to get some rest while sitting on a plane:
- Pack ear plugs or sound reducing headphones to block out surrounding noise and other travelers.
- Eye mask to block out the lights and reflections off the clouds from the sun to help you catch some Zzzz’s.
- Travel pillow, u-shaped neck pillows are recommended for good spinal support and comfort.
- If your body is too cool you will find it more difficult to fall asleep, so take a jersey or something extra to keep you warm as it can get quite cool on the plane and sometimes the blankets provided just don’t cut the mustard.
- Compression stockings! These are a must if you are travelling long distance or on multiple flights! Yes we know they don’t exactly look flattering, but neither does a hospital gown. Compression stockings have been shown to reduce the risk of developing a DVT and also effective in reducing oedema in the feet and ankles and pain/discomfort associated with this.
If you do suffer from pain or stiffness after your flight come in and get a check-up with a Physiotherapist or other practitioners who will help to get you back on the right track.
References:
Scurr, JH., Machin, SJ., Bailey-King, S., Mackie, IJ., McDonald, S., & Coleridge Smith, P D. (2001). Frequency and prevention of symptomless deep-vein thrombosis in long-haul flights: a randomised trial. The Lancet, vol. 357, issue 9267, pg 1485-9, url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673600046456
Hitos K, Cannon M, Cannon S, Garth S, Fletcher JP. (2007), Effect of leg exercises on popliteal venous blood flow during prolonged immobility of seated subjects: implications for prevention of travel-related deep vein thrombosis. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis 5: 1890–5.
Clarke MJ, Broderick C, Hopewell S, Juszczak E, Eisinga A. (2016), Compression stockings for preventing deep vein thrombosis in airline passengers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue 9. Art. No.: CD004002. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004002.pub3.