Compression socks to fight DVT

[klfrodo]

Any suggestions for a good quality pair?

I bought some from Bracco off of Amazon. After wearing them for a couple of flights, my shins were just itching like mad. Took me a week and a tube of hydrocortisone to get back to normal.

[Marebear]

I buy mine through Magellans catalog and they are wonderful. I also bought this winter some called SOCKWELL. They do have wool in them and are different colored patterns so they don't look like compression socks! They are wonderful to wear in Colorado winters!!!!

[RuthC]

Take a look at Jobst brand. They do have custom made, which are great, but I believe there are some over-the-counter styles, too.

[Alaskanb]

Ours are from Footsmart

[slidergirl]

I use Zensah compression sleeves. That way, I don't have to wear them to the airport and from the airport. Just put them on for the flight. For those of you who are going to tropical locations and want to wear your sandals, they are a good choice!

Edited March 3, 2014 by slidergirl

[Fattony]

Asking for medical advice from total strangers? I take all major insurance plans. Or cash. ;-)

 

There is a wide, wide range in the quality and effects of such socks. Not all are alike. If a doctor has diagnosed you with a tendency for deep vein thrombosis, it's more important that you get a particular type, which the doc may recommend (even write a prescription for). I have had vein clot problems, and my wife (a physician) first had me wear compression socks, but , due to discomfort and difficulty getting the socks on each time, now I get an injection before each trip (she gives me the injection right before each trip-- a perk most can't enjoy).

 

Sounds like you had an allergic reaction to the material in the socks you bought (just a layman's opinion). If you go to a specialty store, or a doctor, rather than just buying online, you can discuss the different materials such socks may be made of.

 

Socks or not, you should still get up and walk as much as possible during a flight. At least every couple of hours.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Fattony

[thechicagoans]

Asking for medical advice from total strangers? I take all major insurance plans. Or cash. ;-)

 

There is a wide, wide range in the quality and effects of such socks. Not all are alike. If a doctor has diagnosed you with a tendency for deep vein thrombosis, it's more important that you get a particular type, which the doc may recommend (even write a prescription for). I have had vein clot problems, and my wife (a physician) first had me wear compression socks, but , due to discomfort and difficulty getting the socks on each time, now I get an injection before each trip (she gives me the injection right before each trip-- a perk most can't enjoy).

 

Sounds like you had an allergic reaction to the material in the socks you bought (just a layman's opinion). If you go to a specialty store, or a doctor, rather than just buying online, you can discuss the different materials such socks may be made of.

 

Socks or not, you should still get up and walk as much as possible during a flight. At least every couple of hours.

 

+1

 

And everyone should wear compression socks unless medically indicated otherwise on long-haul flights. DVT is no joke.

[kenish]

Agree DVT is serious...but disagree with the word, "everyone". I am fortunate to have no circulatory problems and work to stay fit. A doc friend (who also travels a lot) said they would be a complete waste for me. That said, it's important to get up and walk now and then and also do in-seat exercises like heel raises.

 

Thought exercise.. 300 million fly on long flights annually. I bet only a small percentage wear compression socks. In-flight DVT is a serious problem affecting a small percentage of people. From a CDC publication: "In general, the overall incidence of travel-related VTE is low. Two studies reported that the absolute risk of VTE for flights >4 hours is 1 in 4,656 flights and 1 in 6,000 flights. " They do go on to break down the statistics, which vary widely due to the length of the postflight "window"...which varies from 1 hour to 8 weeks! Also, I wonder how many compression socks users were DVT cases?

 

By all means, "everyone" should assess their personal risk and how to mitigate it. But saying "everyone" should use compression socks doesn't square with reality.

Edited March 6, 2014 by kenish

[thechicagoans]

kenish - a well made point but if one wants to be able to comfortably fall asleep and not have to worry about waking up, wearing compression socks carries substantial risk-mitigating benefits. It's a simple tool that requires minimal thought to achieve a desired preventive outcome.

 

My advice to wear them unless medically indicated otherwise comes from a cardiologist and nephrologist but we can all get feedback from different sources so it's not like they will all agree.

 

The annual risk of dying in a car crash for the average American is 1 in 5,000 vs. 1 in 11 million for flying. This is where one makes a cost-benefit decision. In a car, everyone should make sure their infant / child is in a secure car seat. In a plane, while lots of parents make the "what if there's turbulence and your infant becomes a projectile" argument against lap infants, the reality is that it's a very, very unlikely occurrence.

 

In the grand scheme of things, you are right and I will shift my comment to be "it is highly recommended that unless one is sure of being able to take caution to exercise other preventive measures such as staying hydrated, exercising, and walking around every two hours, that one wear compression socks. If one has poor circulation, one should wear compression socks on all longhaul flights."

 

Human beings are naturally very poor at understanding likelihoods that are close to 0% or 100% as our cognitive decision making framework makes it challenging to evaluate the risks of something not being 100% accurate (medical tests) or something unlikely happening to us (tragedy in an accident).

[kenish]

Agree with your comments, and didn't think about not having to wake up if you plan to sleep.

 

Interesting aside- the statistic you posted for dying in a car crash is similar to getting DVT on a flight. Also as you said, people (except for actuaries, maybe) tend to misperceive risks and pay too much or too little attention to them.