What is the best way to avoid DVT?
The way to avoid Deep Vain Thrombosis is to maintain the circulation as fluid and as effective as possible in the legs. Veins do not have enough pressure within them in order to empty themselves simply by a pressure effect. The way we empty the blood coming from our legs, is to use our muscles: by squeezing on the veins, the blood gets pushed up, back into the general system. So, if we are sitting still for long periods of time, we are not effectively removing blood from the veins in the legs, and we need to move. That means: exercising your feet, moving your ankles, contracting your calves and, if possible, getting up and walking around. So, if you're doing a long-haul flight, you would need to get up and about every three quarters of an hour or an hour, in order to keep the circulation in your legs going. In addition to this, if you keep yourself well hydrated, your blood is going to be a little bit more fluid and with less of a tendency to coagulate. So it is important that we keep ourselves well hydrated. But furthermore, because of the risks of Deep Vein Thrombosis in long-haul flights, we will recommend the use of compression stockings, which will help press on the veins and prevent blood from accumulating in them, and we would often suggest the use of a junior aspirin, when and where possible, in order to reduce the risk of thrombosis even further.
