Adventure Doc
keeping you healthy for life's adventures
Erik McLaughlin MD, MPH
Affiliates
DVT
HEALTH KIT
Detached Blood Clot
DVT
DVT (deep vein thrombus) is another concern of travel. Anytime you are sitting in one place for long periods of time (like more than 4 hours) your circulation in the legs gets decreased. This makes you at more risk for getting a blood clot in your legs. The concern for this is that the blood clot can travel, through your veins, to your lungs. When this happens, people cannot breathe, like they are choking. The blockage of air is not in their throat, but the lungs. Fresh air gets into the lungs just fine but cannot get from the lungs to the bloodstream due to the blood clot. To keep this from happening, stand up and walk around the plane. Go to the bathroom a few times, do some leg stretches and bend your legs a few times and every few hours.
Blood Flow
DVT
NORMAL
Valves
Blood
Clots
PRODUCT REVIEWS
If you are driving, make sure to get out and do the same.
When traveling on the plane, the air you breathe is recycled through the cabin. It tends to be very dry and have no moisture in it. This causes you to become dehydrated quicker. Make sure to drink an extra bottle of water on the plane and after you land.
Plane Exercises
