Thank you for making contact and I can understand your concerns.
It seems there are two issues here:
Firstly your concerns about blood clots, or what is medically known as deep vein thrombosis. Immobilisation can be a risk factor, together with others including a previous history of clots, being on a combined oral contraceptive, various auto-immune conditions and also if you smoke.
Then there are the flight factors such as being in a cramped cabin, drinking alcohol and the flight duration. Indeed, there are many!
If you have concerns, its best to consult a physician before making a long-haul flight and they can give your risk profile.
They can also advise you on measures to limit risk. Simple ones that are often advised by travel companies includes ensuring you have a good fluid intake, use compression stockings, consider more leg-room and medications if appropriate.
Things to watch out for are pain, swelling and redness to the calf – this can be associated with sharp chest pain or difficulty breathing.
The second issue is the healing of your foot injury. Without seeing your images, examining you clinically and assessing your risk factors for healing, then it’s hard to give you more definitive information.
Nevertheless, there are things to consider when dealing with an injury:
- The mechanism of injury – how you hurt yourself
- Whether you have other risk factors that affect healing such as
a. A poor metabolic state e.g. diabetes, obesity, peripheral vascular disease
b. Whether you smoke
c. Your general level of fitness
d. Medications that may be taking
These all need to be taken into consideration when advising you about tissue healing and your prognosis.
If your doctor has advised about exercise, then I would follow that for the present time.
If you have concerns or questions, you should speak to your specialist before seeking another opinion. Safe trip and enjoy your family holiday!
