Sock it to me! Boots Flight Socks. (Boots Flight Socks)

Member Name: GillMN

Product:	Boots Flight Socks
Date:	07/11/08 (474 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Save your feet swelling. Help prevent DVT. Keep your feet warm.

Disadvantages: None.

I travel a lot with my job. Sometimes I can be sat in airports or on aeroplanes for hours at a time.

I noticed that at the end of some flights my ankles and feet were swollen and stiff and continued to be so for most of the next day. This puffiness would subside over 24 hours but caused me discomfort and looked ugly.

My doctor reccomended I invested in some Flight socks. I went to Boots the Chemist and bought some. They cost me £8.99 for a box with two pairs in. This was about three years ago. I was lucky because I was able to use my Boots Advantage points to pay for them.

They now cost £12.99 for one pair which is a huge jump in price.

I would buy them again though, even so. I do not want to be one of the Department of Health statistics which state that Deep Vein Thrombosis occurs in one in every 2000 people!
They go on to say that one in every hundred DVT cases will be fatal. I find that figure quite frightening given the amount of people flying!

DVT is a blood clot, usually in the lower limbs caused by blood pooling and moving sluggishly through the veins. The chances of having one are increased when you are flying because of the combination of reduced air pressure and the need to sit still for long periods of time. The clot itself can cause severe pain but can prove fatal if it moves and blocks the functioning of a vital organ.

The swelling of my feet proved to me that I was a candidate for this life threatening disorder.

On the box it tells you that...
"These socks have clinically proven level of compression, 14-17mmhg, and can help reduce the risk of flight related DVT and help prevent swollen ankles."

I don't understand what mmhg actually means so I can't explain that part. What I can tell you is that since wearing the flight socks I have had no problem with swollen feet and ankles and no discomfort in my legs at all.

The original box was yellow and had comprehensive instructions on it. The current box is silvery grey and shows a picture of the socks in use. The boxes are recyclable.

The socks are thick and black, with a little bit of a sheen to them. You need to roll them down as far as you can, put them over your toes and work the length of them up your legs to your knees. It is important that you fit them over your feet snugly and evenly.

They are very tight but once on are warm and comfortable. I always wear jeans or trousers to travel so they don't show. If they did, they would look like presentable thick tights or socks. If you are a man you don't need to worry about looking as though you are wearing tights. (Even if you did, what's more important? Your health or if people think you wear slightly funny looking socks?)

I have worn these Flight socks at least twice a month, often more, for the last few years and they are still in very good condition.

I hand wash them but they can be machine washed on a low temperature.

Other places manufacture Flight Socks. Scholl do a similar pair but are slightly more expensive. You can get them cheaper but I think I would stick Boots own brand because they are a reliable company who will replace them if anything goes wrong.

Even if you only take the occasional flight which is over three hours in length, I strongly reccomend that you invest in and use a good pair of flight socks.

Summary: They might have saved my life. They have certainly made it much more comfortable.