Signs of a Blood Clot Caused by an Airplane
As travel writer Lindsay Campbell recently discovered, blood clots after a flight can take even seasoned travelers by surprise. She stretches before flying and moves as much as possible, but after landing, she ruled that the pain in her calf was a hiking injury.
Blood clots can form in the veins deep inside the leg (hence the name deep vein thrombosis or DVT) if your knees are bent and you do not move your legs for several hours. The resulting clot forms in the calf and causes painful sensations that turn into severe pain. Campbell describes it as follows:
Our flight landed on Monday, and for the next two days I considered the pain in my calf muscle as a stretched muscle. But the pain intensified. It felt like Charlie had hit me in the leg. By Thursday, I was limping and fidgeting in meetings, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable. When I got home that evening, I told my boyfriend Jim about the pain and how it gets worse. He bent down to massage my leg, and when he pressed down, I jumped up and immediately burst into tears.
After the flight – or indeed at any time – it is good to know the signs to look out for. If a clot is in your leg, you may experience :
- Swelling of the lower leg
- Cramps or soreness in the lower leg
- Redness or bruising
- Swelling that is warm to the touch
Symptoms usually appear on only one leg or are more severe on one side than the other.
To make matters worse, pieces of the clot can come off and travel to your lungs, where they can interfere with your breathing. These are called pulmonary embolisms and their symptoms include:
- Dyspnea
- Breathing pain, commonly described as stabbing pain
- Cardiopalmus
- An unexplained cough (for example, you have no cold or reason to cough), possibly with bloody mucus
Don’t ignore these symptoms even if you feel like your flight hasn’t been that long. Campbell’s blood clot probably started after the six-hour flight, when she slept cross-legged most of the time. The more spacious seats make it easier to change position while sleeping, which is why clots are primarily associated with airplanes (at home, you can move whatever you want in bed).
Those most at risk are those who smoke, take birth control pills, are pregnant, are obese, or have a family or personal history of blood clots. (In some people, blood is simply more prone to clotting.) If you have recently had a clot, talk to your doctor about whether it is safe to board another flight and what precautions you should take before doing so. For example, medications can help prevent blood clots in the future, and you are more likely to be prescribed blood thinners whether you are flying again or not.
But don’t worry! Clot clots are rare, and you can reduce your risk by walking around during the flight (even pedaling under the seat helps). You’re also at greater risk if you get dehydrated, so try drinking water – hey, those extra trips to the toilet will get you moving, too. Finally, a pair of properly fitted compression stockings will help prevent blood from accumulating in the veins of your calf. But whatever you do, if you have a sore calf after a long flight, check it out.