During holidays, people can’t help but travel and travel. When traveling long distances, you should especially be on guard against a hidden health “danger” – “economy class syndrome”. This term is not limited to economy class or flying, but generally refers to the health problems that may be caused by long-term travel on planes, trains, cars and other means of transportation.
He was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment after taking a train all day
Let’s first introduce a real case: In 2025, the emergency department of a hospital received a patient who was in a critical condition due to “economy class syndrome”.
Ms. Ren, who was working outside, and her family finally arrived at their destination after a 23-hour train journey. However, as soon as she got off the vehicle, Ms. Ren suddenly felt chest tightness and difficulty breathing, and then lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. After admission, bedside cardiac ultrasound examination suggested that Ms. Ren might have acute pulmonary embolism. Fortunately, with the timely rescue of the 120 emergency personnel and the meticulous treatment of the hospital’s emergency team, Ms. Ren successfully received thrombolytic therapy, her condition was brought under control, and she was discharged from the hospital smoothly a week later.
These are all distress signals from the body
Economy class syndrome, also known as “travel thrombosis syndrome”. It refers to the situation during long-distance travel where, due to taking economy class on planes, hard seats on trains, long-distance buses and other means of transportation with limited space, one sits still for a long time. As a result, the blood vessels in the lower limbs lack the squeezing effect of muscle contraction, and the venous blood return slows down, leading to blood stasis in the veins of the lower limbs and symptoms such as swelling in the lower limbs.
In addition, during travel, the inconvenience of using the toilet may cause passengers to drink less water, leading to blood concentration and increased viscosity, which also raises the risk of lower extremity venous thrombosis.
The early symptoms of economy class syndrome may only be thrombosis of the lower extremity veins, such as pain, swelling, local redness, swelling and heat in the lower legs. In some cases, there may be no symptoms. If not detected and treated in time, the detachment of a thrombus may block the pulmonary artery or its branches, causing symptoms such as palpitations, chest pain, chest tightness, coughing, and hemoptysis. In severe cases, it may even lead to shock or sudden death.
Therefore, it is reminded that if you experience symptoms such as swelling in the lower limbs, chest tightness or pain, breathing difficulties, pale complexion, or fainting during your trip, you should immediately inform the staff, seek help, and go to the hospital as soon as possible to avoid serious consequences.
Take preventive measures from diet and clothing to sitting posture
During the journey, one should do more exercise and avoid standing or sitting for long periods to reduce the chance of deep vein thrombosis. If it is necessary to maintain the same posture for a long time due to certain conditions, it is recommended to wear elastic stockings for prevention.
During a long journey, please be sure to drink plenty of water, at least 200 milliliters per hour, to reduce blood viscosity. In addition, one should also avoid eating overly salty or greasy food. At the same time, it is necessary to avoid drinking alcohol and consuming large amounts of coffee.
Avoid crossing your legs for a long time, as this can compress the blood vessels in your lower limbs. At the same time, do not sleep while sitting for a long time. When sleeping while sitting, muscle activity decreases. Moreover, certain positions may compress the main veins of the lower limbs, slow down blood flow, and increase the risk of venous thrombosis. During long-distance travel, one should regularly engage in physical activities, such as curling one’s toes, standing on tiptoes, stretching one’s thighs, and rotating the ankle joints.
It should be noted that sitting still for more than four hours may increase the risk of blood clots. Therefore, experts recommend moving around every one to two hours. For people with high-risk factors for deep vein thrombosis, anticoagulant drugs can be used for prevention under the guidance of a doctor.
Three small actions to prevent being tied up
When taking public transportation, space is limited and movement is inconvenient. Here are three small actions recommended for you to move your legs and feet in a sitting position to prevent lower extremity venous thrombosis.
Ankle joint movement
Sitting on a chair with your heels touching the ground, you can practice this while playing games or watching TV. By using our calf pump, we can promote blood circulation and prevent the formation of blood clots. Do 3 sets each time, each lasting 5 minutes. You can do 5 to 6 times.
Flexion and extension movement
Sit on a chair, lift your calves upwards, curl your feet, and perform extension and flexion movements. This can effectively help venous blood return. Through the contraction of the calf muscles, blood can be well pumped back to the heart. Do 3 sets each time, for 5 minutes each time, and you can do 5 to 6 times.
Circular motion
Sit on a chair or lie down on a bed, raise your legs upwards, lift your feet off the ground, and do the action of pedaling a bicycle. Do 3 sets each time, each lasting 5 minutes. You can do 5 to 6 times.