If your reading this then you’re probably a bit undecided about whether or not its worth buying a pair of flight socks.
After all, it’s just a pair of socks – so really what difference could a pair of socks make to your flying experience?
Well for some it is definitely all about making the ‘long-drawl’ flight more comfortable, but for many who choose to purchase a pair of flight socks, it’s all about the biggest concern that drives many to purchase most seemingly pointless items and services in the first place.
And that is – health and safety.
Not very exciting stuff i must say, but when your life could be at risk, it’s not about exciting anymore; it is all about health and safety.
And when it comes to avoiding one of the biggest killers in the United States – DVT – then a mild pair of socks could be all you need to keep you – healthy and safe.
Let me explain.
Flight socks aid blood circulation, and by doing so you are drastically reducing your risk of DVT. And you want to do this because Deep Vein Thrombosis on a normal day shows no symptoms – until it’s too late.
And when it’s too late do you really want to be told that if you had just worn a pair of flight socks, you would’ve been able to enjoy the rest of your holiday, or life for that matter?
Not to be the bearer of bad news but the simple fact is, by the small act of wearing a pair of socks, you can easily avoid a life threatening condition, that according to ‘The Age’ of Melbourne, Australia, is reported that 30,000 people every year around the world die from flight related DVT, and 80,000 more are hospitalized.
And to think, all you had to do to reduce your risk of getting DVT was to just put on a pair of flight socks.
Yes very simple stuff but just like the simple act of having some fruit and vegies a day, a pair of flight socks might be all you need to keep the doctor away.
So lets dive into a little more detail on the flight socks so you can see what I’m trying to get at here.
Flight socks are essentially compression apparel. And like most good compression apparel these days they use a specific type of compression known as ‘graduated compression’.
Graduated compression in general works by applying the most compression at the further most point from your centre of body mass, then ‘gradually’ decreasing the amount of compression as it moves towards the centre of body mass.
So in the case of a pair of flight socks the foot area would have the most compression and the top of the sock around the calf would have the least.
Now the point to graduated compression is to ensure that the body’s circulation is constant, which by doing so reduces your risk of DVT among other benefits such as increased recovery and in some compression apparel, such as sports compression apparel, graduated compression can increase your athletic performance. Think funky full body suits at the 2008 Summer Olympics – almost all track athletes and swimmers were wearing them in some form or other.
Just one big, giant, full body flight sock!
All kidding aside, DVT is a serious health threat you must be aware of, particularly if you are doing a lot of travelling, by air or other means. Certainly the cabin pressure within planes increase the likelihood of DVT as well, but if you are in a position where you are not moving a whole lot for extended periods of time, you may want to consider putting the flight socks on.
Because at the end of the day, do you really want to put your life at risk over a pair of socks?
When you also consider the small investment it takes to have a pair – a decent set will cost you around $30 – it really is a no-brainer.
Hmm lets think about it for a minute…
Should i just put on a pair of super comfy socks to help reduce my risk of DVT, or should i just ‘wing it’ and hope that when i arrive after a long flight of not moving a whole lot, inside cabin pressure that is prone to causing blood clots, that everything will be okay, and that i won’t go from being a mild mannered healthy individual, to suddenly becoming another DVT statistic.
I’ll let you decide that one.
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