Jobst

Travel Socks

Men's knee-highs

Long distance travel, whether by car, train, or plane can be associated with leg discomfort and risks. Lack of leg movement gives way to swelling of the feet and legs. Swelling contributes to leg fatigue, discomfort and a feeling of heaviness in the legs.

Activity restriction in a confined sitting position results in decreased flow of venous blood from the hind legs to the heart. This, combined with pre-existing risk factors can lead to a more serious danger - travel-related thrombus. You may have heard this reported in the media as economy class syndrome (ECS). A relative travel thrombus is a venous thrombosis (blood clot in a vein) caused by traveling in a sitting position for a long time. Venous thrombosis can be limited to a deep vein (DVT) or a fragment could flow to the lungs and lodge causing a pulmonary embolism (PE).

The likelihood of a thrombus occurring can be reduced with appropriate preventive measures suited to an individual's risk. Risk factors for long-distance travel related venous thrombosis include: age> 40, malignancy, heart failure, severe varicose veins, chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), obesity, hormonal medications, previous DVT, family history of venous thrombosis deep, and recent surgery.