When sitting for long periods, the neck, back and shoulders can quickly become tense and the legs can swell and become fat. The risk of developing a thrombosis, i.e. a blood clot in a vessel, is particularly high on long-haul flights.
With simple exercises you can prevent the symptoms, but also a thrombosis. Personal and group fitness trainer Schugufa Issar Amerchel – SIA for short – has developed an app specifically for airplane training.
He introduced us to some of the exercises – these include adduction and abduction for the legs as well as calf stretches and neck training to relieve tension.
Back and neck pain are often the result of sitting for a long time, whether it’s at the office, at home, or on long flights. Airplane seats are often uncomfortable, there’s little legroom, and you can’t toss and turn as you’d like.
Also, legs and feet quickly become stiff, heavy and greasy. But can these complaints be avoided? wir have studied and with the personal and group fitness instructor Schugufa Issar Amerchel – short: SIA – spoken. The Munich native developed the first sports app for airplanes and therefore knows which fitness exercises anyone can do without much effort in an airplane.
Simple seated exercises
His top tip is: exercise. Simple stretching and fitness exercises on the seat are enough to stimulate blood circulation and thus prevent thrombosis. Because a long and uninterrupted sitting can cause blood to accumulate in the vessels and therefore flow more slowly. At worst, one arises Thrombosisa blood clot in a vein or artery.
Blood clots are often so small that they go unnoticed and dissolve on their own. However, if they obstruct blood flow and don’t clear up, prompt treatment is needed. Due to the bent posture of the legs, the veins in the knee and groin area are twisted and blood accumulates in the ankle and lower leg area. The low air pressure and dry air on the plane further increases the disturbed blood circulation by expanding the walls of the veins and “thickening” the blood.
Typical symptoms of acute thrombosis are a feeling of heaviness, tingling, a pulling sensation in the lower leg, swelling of the leg, and a feeling of pressure or warmth. If you see these signs, you should always see a doctor. Because the blood clot can continue to migrate and block a vessel, for example, through which oxygen-poor blood gets from the heart to the lungs. In this case we speak of pulmonary embolism. Long flights, during which the legs hardly move, favor the development of a thrombosis.
According to a study of the project “WHO Research on the Global Dangers of Travel” (WRIGHT) every flight longer than four hours doubles the risk of thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Therefore, you should get up on the plane from time to time and stretch your legs. Anyone who is already prone to blood clots should wear anti-thrombosis stockings as a preventative measure. There is also exerciseswhich you can do comfortably while sitting.
- Exercise: Circle the legs outside the ankle.
- Alternately flex and straighten your feet.
- Claw your toes and then relax them again.
- Spread your toes apart and hold the stretch for a few seconds.
- Stand up and touch your toes.
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Exercises against neck and back pain and to prevent thrombosis
SIA has additional exercises in its „Travelletics“-App summary, which is recommended, among others, by the Munich Vascular Center. “These are designed in such a way that they can also be performed without problems in a confined space with little legroom,” explains the personal trainer. “From the neck and shoulders to the legs, the whole body is gently trained and relaxed. This also circulates the traffic on the plane.
The expert is also the face of the app herself: She shows the individual training steps in videos and explains what to pay attention to in each case. SIA got the idea for the app from her during a long-haul flight. “When I was on a plane for over 12 hours, I started my full body workout while sitting. The people sitting next to me in the line were fascinated and just went along with it.
Neck circles or shoulder raises and lowerings ensure stretching and relaxation. We continue with exercises for the back and for the part of the neck and shoulders. The hands and fingers are then relaxed. In addition, exercises for the straight and lateral abdominal muscles are planned before mobilizing the pelvis.
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Finally, the legs are stressed and relaxed. The focus is on the calf muscles to prevent thrombosis. In the app there are several “packages” with exercises. The app contains a total of 90 exercises for a total of around 15 euros. You can cancel at any time, so there are no subscription models. Users can also upload their exercises to the app. Here are some examples of exercises that are good for your calves:
1. Wadenmuskel training
Alternately lift your heels, keeping your toes on the floor. Repeat seven times on each side.
2. Wadendehnung
Alternately lift your toes up, keeping your heels on the floor. Again, seven reps on each side.
3. Abduction
Alternately, lift one leg, place your hand on the knee from the outside, and press your knees into your hand. hold for 30 seconds.
4. Adduction
Alternately lift one leg, place the opposite hand on the knee from the inside and press the knee against the hand. hold for 30 seconds.
5. Work out
Alternately, stretch your legs and back again, to each side for ten seconds.
6. Lateral rotation for the back
Sit upright with a straight back. Slowly twist to one side at the waist. Make sure your waist, stomach, back and shoulders move in one direction. Repeat the process on the other side.
7. Neck training against tension
Sit on the front edge of the seat. Slightly squeeze your abs and buttocks, bend your arms and place your fingertips lightly on your shoulders. Raise your upper arms horizontally. Elbows point outwards. As you exhale, bring your elbows together in front of your chest until they touch. As you inhale, bring your arms back to the starting position. Already four repetitions help against tension.
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