Flight Socks Buyers' Guide

In modern society we spend nearly 400 hours a year travelling. The majority of this is by car but on average 10 hours is by plane.

Risks of Travel (Related to Lower Limb Blood Flow)

Any prolonged time spent sitting down will reduce 'venous return' this will cause venous pooling in the lower limbs. This is why on a long haul flight many of us will notice our feet are swollen at the end of a journey. In addition this puts you at an increased risk of a blood clot or DVT (deep vein thrombosis) because as the rate of blood flow slows down the greater the chance of it forming a clot. The longer the flight, the greater the risk.

How to Avoid These Risks

As travel is now an integral part of our daily lives, we cannot avoid it, so adapting is the only strategy we can employ. On a plane it is advised that we move around, regularly move our lower limbs and drink plenty of fluids. This helps reduce some of the risk but does not eliminate it, nor does it really help with the associated swelling.  In some instances it may not be possible to perform these tasks.

Travel & Flight Socks - Helping to Avoid the Risk and Reduce the Symptoms

Medical grade graduated compression socks have been specifically designed to prevent DVT, help venous return and stop pooling of the blood in the lower legs. This makes it the ideal sock to use to prevent the negative effects of travel, preventing swelling of the legs (eliminate cankles), reducing the risk of a DVT and keeping lower legs fresh and ache free. The key to using medical grade socks for this purpose is that they must be CE marked, appropriately fitted and sized and conform to European/US standards.

We have a range of validated graduated compression products, most of which are ideal to use during travel. We have selected products for both men and women so matter what you are wearing we have a proven medical grade product to suit your travel needs.

We suggest wearing the products for the entire duration of travel. The socks and tights are designed with comfort and fashion in mind, yet contain proven medical technology. Any of the socks or tights on the website with Class 1 Compression or higher can be used for travel.

When to Use VR Travel & Flight Socks

VR travel and flight socks have been designed to replace your 'normal' socks and can be worn on a daily basis for extra comfort and health benefits. As a minimum they should be worn in all travel where there is likely to be a period of immobility greater than 3 hours, as this increases the risk of DVT.

During travel one of the main concerns is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

Remember travel isn't just flying, it can be a long car, coach or train journey all of which increase your risk due to immobility.

Compression has been proven to help reduce the risk, but there are certain things you have to remember

1. Products must be medical grade and fitted according to your measurements. It should be comfortable to wear over a long period. If it is painful, it is probably the wrong size for you or incorrectly fitted.

2. Compression reduces but does not eliminate all the risk

3. Everybody is at risk of DVT, however there are certain groups that may be at greater risk; these may include; (previous DVT/PE, recent surgery, pregnancy, extra weight etc.)

4. Consult your doctor immediately if you have any signs or symptoms which you think maybe a DVT or PE (Pulmonary Embolus)

5. We do not recommend using any of the footless products during travel. Blood can pool in the foot during inactivity so compression over the foot is essential.

6. If travelling, compression should be worn all day on day of travel, not just for the flight.

Information courtesy of Compression Advisory.