Preventing foot injury – Holiday travel

With the final week leading up to the next two holiday weekends upon us, this may be our last chance to talk about staying safe during your travels.  The past few weeks we have discussed footwear and activities to avoid DVTs while you are journeying this holiday season. But, what are you to do if your footwear is no longer available, as has become custom at many airports? 

While we can hope that new practices put in place to keep us safe while traveling may let us keep our footwear on, it is a good idea to be prepared if indeed you are asked to remove them.  It is important to keep your feet protected from foreign bodies (splinters, sharps, etc.) and fungus.  Public places are ready for your feet to be assaulted by the molds and fungi that can cause ‘athletes feet’ and fungal toenails.  If you are wearing tennis shoes, as we suggested in earlier blogs, be sure to wear cotton socks.  Some are made with a thicker bottom and would be best suited for situations like this.  Make sure that they are comfortable in your shoes first, but wearing these types of socks will help to protect your feet if you do have to remove your shoes.  Because your socks can ‘pick-up’ dirt and grime from the floor, it’s also a good idea to pack an extra, clean pair of socks in your carry-on. You can then switch them before putting your shoes back on.

It is also a good idea to give yourself ample time to make your flight.  Attempting to rush through security checks can make you prone to injury.  Take the time to watch where you are stepping and avoid any of those foreign bodies.  If you do happen to step on anything, promptly make a visit to AFAS to have it examined and removed!  Travel safe this holiday.

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy this holiday Austin!

Traveler’s Thrombosis – Avoiding deep vein thrombosis for safe travelling

Hopefully you have made all your travel plans and are almost done preparing for the upcoming holidays.  While you may be focused on your destination or getting to spend time with family and friends, you should take a minute to think about staying healthy during your travels.  One significant event you can easily avoid is that of a deep vein thrombosis(DVT).

DVT’s occur when your blood forms a clot in your vein.  This results in pain, redness and swelling in the arm or leg that it occurred in.  It can become quite serious if this clot then becomes lodged in your lung or heart.  While this is most common in post surgical or hospitalized patients, there are a number of other factors that can put you at risk for this occurring.  Some of them, such as being overweight and smoking, are things your family doctor reminds you of at most visits. Other factors include advanced age, contraceptive use, travel…….wait? Travel?  The immobility and dehydration that are common to travelling lend to a DVT that has become known as traveler’s thrombosis.  Whether or not you have any of the risk factors we’ve mentioned, consider keeping yourself well hydrated as you travel.  Walking around terminals and hauling luggage can be quite a workout and you can easily become dehydrated if you do not drink plenty of liquids.  Staying hydrated is staying health whether you’re at risk for DVT or not.

If you do have some of the risk factors for DVT, consider other things you can do to keep them from occurring.  Since staying seated for long periods of time is another part of traveller’s thrombosis, try to move around during your travels.  If you are in a car, take occasional stops to walk around.  If a plane or train, stand up and walk around from time to time if possible.  You can also consider wearing compression stockings or flexing your leg muscles while you’re sitting.  These ‘little’ things you can do during your travels can help avoid DVT’s and the problems associated with them.

Until next time, keep those feet happy and healthy, Austin!