Leg and foot swelling during air travel is common and typically harmless. The most likely culprit is inactivity during a flight.

Sitting with your feet on the floor for a long period causes blood to pool in your leg veins. The position of your legs when you are seated also increases pressure in your leg veins. This contributes to foot swelling by causing fluid to leave the blood and move into the surrounding soft tissues.

To relieve foot swelling during a flight:

• Wear loosefitting clothing
• Take a short walk every hour or so
• Flex and extend your ankles and knees frequently while you're seated
• Flex your calf muscles
• Shift your position in your seat as much as possible, being careful to avoid crossing your legs
• Drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration
• Avoid alcohol and sedatives, which could make you too sleepy or unsteady to walk around the cabin

Foot swelling isn't a serious problem if it lasts only a short time. But excessive swelling that persists for several hours after you resume activity may be due to a more serious condition, such as a blood clot in the leg (deep vein thrombosis). If you have swelling in only one leg and also have leg pain, seek prompt medical care.

If you're at increased risk of blood clots — because you recently had major surgery or you take birth control pills, for example — talk with your doctor before flying. He or she may recommend wearing compression stockings during your flight. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe a blood-thinning medication to be taken before departure.

This article is written by Dr. Sheldon G. Sheps and Mayo Clinic staff. Find more health and medical information on mayoclinic.org.

The post Foot swelling during air travel: A concern? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

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What causes foot and leg swelling during air travel?
Leg and foot swelling during air travel is common and typically harmless. The most likely culprit is inactivity during a flight. This swelling isn't a serious problem if it lasts only a short time. But excessive swelling that persists for several hours after you resume activity may be due to a more serious condition, such as a blood clot in the leg. Learn more from Dr. Sheldon Sheps, an emeritus Mayo Clinic hypertension and peripheral vascular diseases specialist.

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"There have been some studies that have suggested that because, as people walk up and down the aisles, they may touch the armrest along the aisle. And that could potentially serve as a way of transmitting infection to persons sitting in the aisle seat," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious diseases specialist. "Some people have suggested that the window seat may be the safer seat to sit in in terms of risk of transmission of infections.”

Watch: Dr. Rajapakse discusses how to stay healthy when flying.

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“Some of the dirtiest places on an airplane — or where you’re most likely to pick something up with your hands — have been found to be the seatback tray table, the armrest, the seat belt buckle and, of course, the bathroom on the airplane," Dr. Rajapakse says. "So avoiding touching those surfaces as much as possible will help to keep you healthy."

Since touching these surfaces sometimes cannot be avoided, wiping them down with a disinfectant wipe and washing your hands or using hand sanitizer afterward, can decrease your risk of picking up an infection.

The best thing to do when traveling is to wash your hands frequently to prevent illness.

“Many of these infections are spread by respiratory droplets. That means direct exposure to someone who’s coughing or sneezing," Dr. Rajapakse says. "If these droplets land on a hard surface, you can pick them up and infect yourself if you touch your face, your nose or your mouth."

To stay healthy during air travel, you should:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Bring disinfectant wipes.
• Use hand sanitizer.
• Bring facial tissues.
• Ensure your vaccinations are up to date, and get your flu shot in preparation for flu season.

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Pregnancy & Air Travel

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