Walk to make air travel safer

Long flights boost your risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and potentially life-threatening blood clots. Vonda Wright, MD, shares 6 steps to prevent DVT and enjoy a journey.

Transcript

00:00

You have your boarding pass and passport, but before you claim a seat in the waiting area, take a walk.

00:07

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:16

Hi I'm Dr. Vonda Wright. Long flights, cramped seats, and age are all risk factors for Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT.

00:26

That's a blood clot in a deep vein. Now, there's no proof that walking around prevents DVT,

00:34

but it can't hurt. Neither can doing those anti-clotting, plane seat exercises found in many in-flight magazines.

00:42

And if you're over 40, and your flight time is longer than 4 hours, you should stroll the plane aisles

00:48

every couple of hours. Why? When you're immobile, blood flow slows and clots may form.

00:55

That can cause scary problems if say, a clot breaks loose and gets into your lungs. Here are other common sense tips before you board.

01:05

Drink water to stay hydrated. Skip alcohol if possible. Definitely, don't have more than one.

01:12

Wear compression stockings, and lastly, relax.

01:19

Stress can encourage blood clots. [MUSIC PLAYING]