BERLIN — Many of us find our feet or legs swell when we go on longer trips, particularly on flights. The good news is that is easy to fix.
Vascular specialist Katja Mühlberg spells out the benefits of wearing compression stockings. Some of us should be wearing them for medical reasons anyway, she says.
How do compression stockings help on longer journeys?
Katja Mühlberg: When you sit for long periods of time, whether on a plane, in a car or on a bus – often in cramped conditions without moving – your veins find it harder to transport blood from your feet back up towards the heart. They are fighting the force of gravity.
The stockings apply external pressure to the tissue, which aids the return flow of blood. That reduces the sense of heaviness in the legs that many people feel when they sit for long periods. A simple, positive effect.
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If I want to buy a pair of compression stockings to combat swelling on a flight or long-distance bus trip, is there anything I need to bear in mind?
Mühlberg : Depending on where you live, you can find over-the-counter support stockings, which are not the same as medical compression stockings.
Support stockings are knitted from highly elastic material and exert gentle pressure on the tissue. They can simply be used as comfort stockings to prevent the feeling of heavy, tired legs caused by sitting for long periods, but also by standing for long periods.
But medical compression stockings, on the other hand, are prescribed by a doctor when there is an underlying medical condition. That might be venous insufficiency or persistent swelling resulting from a blood clot.
When it comes to the material they are made of, they are similar to over-the-counter stockings, but unlike these, they exert a specific level of pressure. There are various levels of compression, which are determined by a doctor.
Travelers, particularly on long-haul flights, often sit in very cramped conditions, sometimes for hours on end with very little room to move. Should some people wear compression stockings on these kind of journeys?
Mühlberg : For people with varicose veins who are already prone to leg swelling under normal everyday conditions, wearing medical compression stockings definitely makes sense.
The same applies to patients who have had a blood clot and have been suffering from persistent swelling since then. We also recommend them for pregnant women.
The same goes for patients with lymphoedema. That has nothing to do with the veins, but rather involves a build-up of lymph fluid in the legs.
All these groups are advised to wear medical compression stockings on long flights for health reasons.
And then there are all those who do not have medical conditions or are not pregnant, but nevertheless find their legs tend to swell up at times in daily life. For them too, it makes perfect sense to wear over-the-counter support stockings during flights. It will just make them feel comfier.
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