How do you deal with leg circulation problems on trips, on flights?

You need to discuss the issue with your doctor, but compression socks would seem to be a possible remedy.

Book an aisle seat and get up often to walk around.

In the airline's magazine I have usually found a page towards the back that describes specific exercises you can do seated. I think they work - my usual leg cramps don't bother me when I do them. I'm a believer in massage therapy. My airport terminal has a massage vendor - a good 15 or 30 minute massage before a flight seems to help. I walk on the plane when I can (or they allow). I also walk around the baggage area to help get the circulation going. But, more importantly, talk to your doctor for specific things you might do. I'm in my late sixties and I'll be damned if I'm going to be stopped from travelling by my foot!!!!

Break your journey into shorter flight segments. Iceland Air stops in Reykjavik to change planes on the way between North America and European cities. You can use this stop to walk around before boarding the next flight. And on the plane, do as Norma suggests.

Hi Sam -

I would echo the suggestion to get any suggested advice confirmed/OK'd by your own doctor.

I'm in the same age bracket as you and as somebody who has suffered several DVT's I wear knee length compression socks on all but the briefest flights. Immediately after my second DVT I travelled in the full length compression stockings for a year, but they are a sod to get in and out of - a toilet cubicle is barely adequate I discovered - and they can be occasionally hot and a bit uncomfortable, but then prevention is better than cure. Ultimately I just switched to the more convenient knee length ones when I felt the full length version wasn't necessary. I still carry ankle socks with me and change in and out of them immediately before and after the flights (unless it's particularly cold and the compression socks will be warmer!). I also make sure I keep up my medication regime scrupulously during my trips and during flights especially.

I do the inflight-while-seated exercises as suggested in most airline literature and also on long haul flights I make sure I do several slow circuits of the aircraft to stretch my legs and also when the galley area is quiet on long haul flights I take advantage of the additional room back there to do a routine of stretches and lunges. To date, while the aircrew may be a bit puzzled, none of them have ever objected.

Keeping moving is key and also I've found it helps with my hip arthritis to stop me seizing up after prolonged sitting in one position on flights.

So far, so good! Hope you get through your flights and trips with the minimum of discomfort.

Ian

https://www.mayoclinic.org/foot-swelling/expert-answers/faq-20057828

I do a combination of all of the above! I have talked to my Dr. and he gave me suggestions. I do the inseat exercises, wear the compression socks, and get up and walk as often as possible. I actually started doing all of this years ago for long car trips. At the time my hubby didn't like to make stops, only when the gas tank needed it. Now he's better because he also has to go! ha ha.
The socks and sitting exercises help on the long car trips and the planes. Advantage on the planes there are at least some times that you can get up and walk.

Keep on traveling! and have a great trip!
Mimi

I echo the advice to check with your doctor on this issue.

One thing I have done for many years is to take 2 aspirin before any flight of more than 3 hours. Coupled with this, I do in seat leg exercises and get up from time to time to walk around. This was the conventional wisdom some years ago to avoid DVT, and so far it works. Still, your own doctor is your go to resource.

It's counterintuitive, but compression socks help with circulation and loose socks don't. Both my husband and I wear compression socks on doctor's orders whenever we will be immobile for hours or in the car or on a plane. I still move around and do exercises.

Sarah Mudoch recently had a bit about compression socks on her website. This is the link.

I'm a Sockwell Circulator fan and have multiple pairs of them. They are pricey, but they last a long time. I find that the striped ones like this and this work best for me. The links have charts with correct sizes for both men and women.

Talk to your doctor about knee-length socks like these for your trips and maybe more. Of course there are many more brands out there.

@OP: It's probably obvious, but this is not a good place to get medical advice.
I know just enough to know that leg circulation problems on long plane flights are potentially quite dangerous.
As others have suggested, if you have not already done so, you'll probably want to get medical advice from your doctor about this.

If you plan to get compression socks (I love them), they come in several levels/strengths of compression and different materials. I recently bought some light-weight wool ones and decided they are too warm for me on flights. I do find them useful to keep me warm and comfy when I'm out walking a lot in cold weather.

They aren't easy to put on, but not terribly difficult either. There are how-to videos on youtube.com

Sam,
Your symptoms are not consistent with peripheral vascular disease. I am not saying that you don't have poor circulation, just that your symptoms do not reflect that. Poor leg function that improves with being up and about is more likely to be muscular or neurological. Please talk to your doctor so that you can understand the situation better.

Good point! Last year my husband had sciatica which affected his leg and foot. It got better when he got up and walked around. Didn't hurt in his back at all, although the root cause was a ruptured disk (seen on a MRI). It got better after a couple of months.

You really need to talk to your doctor about this to find the real cause and correct solution.

This is a really good thread! For those of us who want to keep traveling as long as possible, it is important to start thinking now + developing habits we'll use later. I don't wander around the plane much. I see loads of people who do. I think I may do the same on my next trip.

Push ups in the aisle is extreame: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/passenger-pushups-plane-aisle