Holiday Drives
Finally the autumn holidays are here. The kids are off school and you’ve managed to prise yourself from work. The luggage is packed, snacks are ready, and the car has been checked. So it’s off for that long and hopefully harmonious but very long drive to your favourite south of France spot or your usual coastal retreat. If you drive without stopping to rest for too long you could make it record time. However is that wise?
Recent research has shown driving like a Le Mans 24 hour race driver may not be as wise as you think. Research by a group of doctors has found further evidence that drivers face as big a risk as airline passengers of deep-vein thrombosis. If fact the research concluded that travelling for more than three hours whether by train or car in which there is little mobility significantly increases the chances of DVT for those most susceptible to blood clots.
These include people who have recently had surgery, cancer or heart disease, those suffering blood conditions or who have or have had a history of thrombosis and women taking the Pill.
With this in mind, below is a guide to staying healthy of long journeys in particular that long summer holiday drives and traffic jams.
Tips from preventing DVT during long car journeys and air travel:
Get up and take a little walk every half an hour provided that you are travelling in a vehicle with enough room, for instance a bus or an airplane. If you’re driving you will have to stop at every three hours at a service station and ensure you get movement to the lower limbs.
Keep on moving your toes and heels after every twenty minutes to keep the flow of blood in your legs
Consume as much as fluids as you can before and during the car journey. However, consumption of alcohol should be avoided.
Make sure that your clothes aren’t too tight around the waist area or your legs.
Make use of compression stockings for long drives of more than three hours or more. The slight pressure from the stocking helps to prevent blood ‘pooling’ in the calf. Stockings do not replace the need for regular exercises. They are in addition to exercises. If you have any of the risk factors mentioned above, it would be wise to wear these stockings for your journey.
It is important to mention here that making use compression stockings for long drives is a guaranteed way of keeping DVT at bay. It ensures that the flow of blood to your legs is not reduced in order to avoid the risk of blood clot. Neo Slip prides itself in providing the best quality compression stocking aids at an affordable price.
