Traveller's thrombosis
What is traveller's thrombosis?
Traveller's thrombosis is Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT, a thrombosis caused by a blood clot in a deep vein and can be life-threatening. It can incur by sitting for long periods of time. Those who fly for business or pleasure know that it is cramped on a plane. Economy class passengers sit in about 17 inches wide by 30 inches-deep seats.When passengers sit motionless for hours in airplanes, the blood circulation slows down. The dry air and the low air pressure are contributory factors. This is compounded by the sitting and the bent or crossed legs. The kinked veins now have to work hard to pump the blood out of the feet back to the heart. The blood can pool in the legs and the watery components can leak through the venous wall into the tissues.
What happens as a result? The feet and legs swell up, blood thickens and, if a vein is then blocked, a thrombosis may develop. A deep vein thrombosis can break loose and cause a serious problem in the lung, called a pulmonary embolism. Deep vein blood clots typically form in your thigh or lower leg, but they can also develop in other areas of your body.
Symptoms of a DVT
- Swelling in your foot, ankle or leg, usually on one side
- Cramping pain in your affected leg that usually beings in your calf
- Severe, unexplained pain in your foot and ankle
- An area of skin that feels warmer than the skin on the surrounding areas
- Skin over the affected area turning pale or a reddish or bluish color
Preventing DVT’s
Here are some tips on how you can prevent DVT’s:- Move
- Drink plenty of water or tea or similar drinks
- Try out foot exercises: flexing, extending and circling your ankles can activate the blood circulation
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