I have done my share of air travel and I'm amazed at how many people stay in their seats for the duration of the flight. No bathroom break, not stretching, nothing. All they do is sleep, read, or tap, tap, tap away on their computers. Up until 2003 I probably wouldn't have noticed as much. That was the year my husband Jim fell off a ladder (actually, it broke in two while he was on it) and landed facedown on the concrete walkway in front of our house. Doctors didn't think he'd survive, but he did. He's basically fine, but does have his share of negative effects from it, including partial hearing loss and a blood clot in his leg.
Long plane rides are prime breeding grounds for blood clots because of the extended sitting involved and the cramped seating arrangements. I'm short, and on some flights I even feel cramped and wish for more leg room. That's bad! They should yank out at least a row of seats on each side of the aisle to give us more wiggle room--for comfort and safety.
Most recently, on a cross country trip to visit my mother in New York, hardly anyone got up. I made Jim get up at least once every hour on this nearly 5-hour flight. I did the same. Plus, I wiggled my toes and stomped my feet while I was sitting.
On flights where Jim and I can't sit together, I stare at the back of his head from afar trying to remind him to get up. If that doesn't work, I get out of my seat, go over, poke him, and say, "Get up already!" This is no laughing matter. He's had blood clots before. He knows it's serious and I doubt he'd want to go through that ordeal again. So it's worth it for him to tear himself away from the magazine he's reading, excuse himself to his seatmates, get up and move.
Something else I noticed on this latest flight: the flight attendants didn't have the passengers go through their group stretching session until about 20 minutes before the plane was due to land! That's crazy! It should be done at least halfway through the flight, if not once an hour.
Next time you fly, remember:
- Stretch at least every hour
- Get up and walk at least once an hour, or as much as you can (I know, turbulence can hamper this)
- Take bathroom breaks whether you need to go or not. (Again, turbulence messes with this sometimes)
- Wiggle your toes
- Rotate your ankles.
- Flex your feet up, down, left, right and hold for 10 seconds each time.
- Stomp your feet on the floor.
- Roll your shoulders up and back
- Bring your ears to your shoulders
- Rotate and hold your head for 10 seconds to one side then the other, slowly.
Check out this link from the University of Maryland Medical Center about Deep Venous Thrombosis. http://umm.edu/health/medical/ency/articles/deep-venous-thrombosis
Safe travels!
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