How common are blood clots after flying?

Even if you travel a long distance, the risk of developing a blood clot is generally very small. Your level of risk depends on the duration of travel as well as whether you have any other risks for blood clots.



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Prevent Blood Clots During Travel
  1. Stand up or walk occasionally. ...
  2. Exercise your calf muscles and stretch your legs while you're sitting. ...
  3. Talk to your doctor about wearing compression stockings or taking medicine before departure if you have additional risk factors for blood clots.


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Compression socks prevent swelling
Being able to stand up and walk around or stretching is limited on a plane; therefore, promoting blood circulation is necessary. “Compression socks help to increase circulation, thus preventing swelling in your lower legs and feet,” he explains.

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Remember that anything over 6 hours flying time is considered long haul, but flights of longer than 10 hours are not uncommon either. One important thing to remember is to keep your seat belt fastened at all times in case of unexpected turbulence.

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recent operation or injury where trapped air or gas may be present in the body (e.g. stomach ,bowel, eyes, face, brain) severe long term diseases that affect your breathing. breathlessness at rest. unresolved pneumothorax (punctured lung)

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However, anyone traveling more than four hours, whether by air, car, bus, or train, can be at risk for blood clots.

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Compression socks come in many different levels of compression but for flying, socks with 8-20 mmHg are going to be your best bet. Many socks will fall in between this range like 8-15 mmHg, 12-14 mmHg or 15-20 mmhg. Compression levels over 20 mmHg are best worn when prescribed by a doctor.

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Factors that contribute to the increased risk of travel-related DVT include obesity, extremes of height, use of oral contraceptives and pre-existing blood clotting abnormalities. The absolute risk of DVT in healthy passengers per long-haul flight (more than 4 hours) was found to be about 1 in 6000.

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There has been considerable attention focused recently on the risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) associated with air travel. Despite the lack of evidence among air travelers, a single dose of aspirin has been widely recommended as a means of preventing such thrombosis.

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