AirTravelWoes wrote:
I'm looking for suggestions on avoiding and/or alleviating (after the fact) leg pain that results from long plane flights. I returned to SoCal from Japan on Friday and my legs have been aching ever since. Dehydration wasn't an issue, but I've heard that special blood pressure stockings can help. Has anybody tried them?
I've used compression stockings, but so far only on a trip from CA to Chicago. They did help to reduce the foot swelling that I usually deal with. I will be wearing them on an upcoming business trip to Taiwan, and I'm fully expecting them to help with the fatigue and achiness that I have experienced in the past.
A good brand to look at is Jobst, and go for the 20-30mmHg version-- those are the highest compression that I've seen, and while they feel pretty tight at first, if they're the right size, you won't really notice them after a few minutes.
Also, try to get an aisle seat, and at the very least stand once every hour or two, for at least a couple of minutes-- ideally you would walk up/down the aisle once or twice, just to get some blood flowing.
And ear protection can help with the overall fatigue you feel during a flight of any significant duration. I always wear earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones during all plane flights, and it helps immensely. The constant noise is really draining otherwise. And FYI-- you can keep earplugs in and place the airline-issue headphones over them to watch the in-flight movies. I've never had any difficulty hearing the movie with this setup. However, I now own noise-cancelling headphones, so I just use those. But if you don't have the $$ for 'em, the earplug/headphone combo works really well.