Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Here’s a quick tip for flying – do what they say and walk around during long flights! Seriously.

Wearing flight socks and taking an aspirin is not enough to prevent DVT! I know now, since it happened to me when returning from the USA to England after the 24hr TT Worlds.

The ‘fix’ involves injecting yourself for a month with Fragmin/Dalteparin and then starting a course of rat poison (anti-coagulant drug Warfarin) to help remove the clot. To reduce the likelihood of permanent damage from the clot, they also suggest wearing compression socks for two years, yes two whole years, after the fact! Not cool!

Athletes on cattle class flights are particularly likely to become victim to DVT due to their larger muscles requiring larger veins, their lower heart rates and lack of ‘muscle pump’ from movement that helps to return blood to the heart. These factors combine to create an environment for blood pooling, particularly in the calf muscles, when sat immobile for long periods.

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