Why your ankles swell on flights and the simple movement that prevents it completely - Silicon Canals

"When we fly, our bodies face a perfect storm of conditions that practically guarantee swollen ankles. First, there's the sitting position itself. Your legs hang down for hours, fighting gravity while blood tries to make its way back up to your heart. Meanwhile, the cabin pressure is significantly lower than what we experience on the ground, which affects how our blood vessels function."

"The low cabin pressure makes things worse. At cruising altitude, even though the cabin is pressurized, the air pressure is still equivalent to being at about 8,000 feet elevation. This causes your blood vessels to expand slightly, making it even harder for blood to circulate efficiently. Add in the dry cabin air that dehydrates you, and you've got the perfect recipe for"

Ankle swelling during flights commonly results from prolonged sitting, gravity-driven blood pooling, reduced cabin pressure, and dehydration. Legs hanging downward for hours prevents calf muscles from pumping blood back toward the heart, while tiny venous valves rely on muscle contractions to function. Cabin pressurization simulates about 8,000 feet elevation, causing veins to dilate and circulation to become less efficient. Dry cabin air promotes dehydration, worsening fluid accumulation. Preventing ankle swelling can be achieved through one simple overlooked movement that reactivates calf muscle pumping and supports venous return.

Read at Silicon Canals