Here is a link to the FDA Website about Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Here is an excerpt from the information
Reducing the Risk While Traveling DVT has been dubbed "economy-class syndrome," reflecting the cramped legroom in economy class airline seating. But it can happen to passengers in any seating class of an aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It can also happen to people on long rides in cars, trains, or buses.
"People should not be afraid to travel," says Stanley Mohler, M.D., professor emeritus of aerospace medicine at the Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. "They should just anticipate that they may be inclined to be immobile," he says, and take precautions. A two-hour flight wouldn't be a problem, he says, but a 12-hour flight would be "a big problem" if a person sits inactive the entire time. Children who travel don't appear to be at risk for DVT, says Mohler, because they are generally more active in their seats than adults.
In adults, "hub-and-spoke flying is also a problem," he says, referring to a series of connecting flights interspersed with long hours of waiting between flights. "It's important for passengers to keep moving their legs to help the blood flow," even when waiting in the airport terminal, says Mohler, who advises walking when possible. "When you walk, the muscles of the legs squeeze the veins and move blood to the heart."
Another way to help move blood to the heart is to wear compression stockings, which put gentle pressure on the leg muscles. Studies in healthy people have shown that wearing compression stockings minimizes the risk of developing DVT after long flights, according to the AHA. These stockings are available at medical supply stores.
Stein advises avoiding regular socks with very tight elastic bands at the top and sitting with your legs crossed for long periods of time, which constricts the veins. He also urges travelers who can't walk around frequently to exercise their legs by curling or pressing the toes down, which causes the muscles to contract and squeeze on the leg veins, helping to pump the blood along.
Airlines, also, are encouraging passengers to periodically move and stretch their legs. The Australian carrier Qantas, for example, offers leaflets with leg exercises that passengers can do in their seats. Qantas began printing warnings for DVT on its tickets following the highly publicized death of a 28-year-old woman in October 2000. The woman died from a pulmonary embolism shortly after she stepped off a 20-hour Qantas flight from Australia to England after attending the Olympic Games in Sydney.
Stein also advises drinking plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Dehydration causes blood vessels to narrow and blood to thicken, increasing the risk for DVT. Reducing alcohol and coffee consumption, which both contribute to dehydration, is also recommended. These steps aren't scientifically proven to prevent DVT, but they're common sense, says the AHA. As for taking aspirin to prevent DVT, "there is no real evidence that an aspirin reduces the likelihood, but it very possibly could be of value," says Stein.
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