Planning a long trip this holiday season? If you have varicose veins, you need to take some precautions before you embark.
With the holiday season almost here, you’ve probably started making travel plans to visit family and friends. While it’s always fun to catch up with loved ones, people with varicose veins need to take precautions to make sure a vein health emergency doesn’t spoil the seasonal festivities.
If you have varicose veins and plan to make a long trek this holiday season, these tips will not only lessen varicose vein discomfort, but also reduce your risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg.
Studies have long pointed to a link between a heightened risk of DVT and extended plane journeys. After analyzing more than 1,900 travelers, one study estimated a twofold increase in DVT after a trip either by plane, car, or train of more than four hours. DVT is dangerous because it’s possible for a clot will break away and lodge in the lungs, depriving the organ of oxygen and leading to a life-threatening medical situation.
People with varicose veins are at higher risk of developing DVT than the general population, according to a 2018 study. Therefore, if you have varicose veins and have purchased a ticket to a far-off destination, you need to be doubly protective of your vein health when you travel.
Varicose veins form when tiny valves in the leg veins weaken and fail to push blood back to the heart. Overwhelmed by an excessive amount of blood and gravity, the valves permit blood to pool within the vein walls, which eventually leads to the overstretched vein popping up on the legs as bulging twists of varicose veins.
Age, weight, pregnancy, and family history all contribute to whether you’ll get varicose veins or not. But another major risk factor is sitting for long periods — as you would on a plane or car trip. What’s more, air pressure changes in planes reduce blood oxygen levels, which, in turn, may result in a blood clot.
Maintaining proper blood circulation during extended journeys in cramped quarters requires supporting those valves while seated. Here are four easy tips to keep blood moving and your varicose veins from making you uncomfortable during the ride.
Before you board the plane or train or settle into a car seat for your long journey, the specialists at the Center for Vein Restoration can discuss your risk factors and which methods will ease the discomfort of varicose veins during your trip. We’ll also tell you about permanent options to eliminate varicose veins and enable you to travel safely. Contact us today for an appointment.