Nowadays, most people that travel by plane have heard of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a deep leg vein. A deep vein is not one that you can see just below the skin – it is a blood vessel that goes through the muscles.

When travelling on a long plane journey, there are a number of ways to help prevent DVT. Every so often, exercise your legs and feet by wiggling your toes and bending your legs.

Press the balls of your feet hard down on the floor to increase the blood flow in your legs. Try to walk up and down the aisle every now and then to get your blood moving.

Avoid drinking too much alcohol as this can cause dehydration and immobility. In this respect, drink plenty of water during the flight. Do not take any sleeping tablets that will cause you to sleep for the duration of the flight. Try to catch snippets of sleep in between exercising your legs and feet.

It has also been suggested that taking a small amount of aspirin (100mg – 150mg) the day before the flight, the day of the flight and a few days after, can help to prevent DVT.

If you have any suspicions that you may be at high risk from DVT, consult your doctor before you travel as you may be advised to take extra medication to prevent your blood clotting.

There are a few items that you can buy to help prevent DVT. Special compression stockings have been developed that can help to prevent travel related DVT. The stockings can be bought at most pharmacies, and need to be ‘graduated compression’ stockings, worn up to the knee with the correct amount of compression (class 2) – your pharmacy will be able to advise you on the correct stockings to buy.

These stockings are meant to help prevent blood from pooling in the lower leg and feet. However, it is still important to continue with leg exercises throughout the journey as the stockings are an extra prevention, not a cure.

A quick online search will also bring up a number of companies that have developed devices to help you do leg exercises whilst flying.

When you have landed, try to walk around a bit to get your blood really flowing properly again. Keep an eye on your legs and if you notice any out of the ordinary swelling – some swelling on long haul flights is normal – or you have difficulty breathing, request medical advice immediately.

Overall, DVT is a relatively rare occurrence when travelling long haul and only a very small minority of people will ever need to take extra medication during a flight. The best advice for travellers concerned about DVT is to carry out regular leg and feet exercises throughout the flight. However, if you are at all concerned, please consult your doctor before you travel.