Medical researchers in Australia recently conducted a study which shows that wearing spandex or nylon tights on long-haul flights relieved ankle swelling and post-flight fatigue. This proves that use of low-ankle-pressure graduated-compression tights (GCT) in reducing flight-induced ankle oedema.
Sixty-seven people (23 Qantas pilots and 44 passengers) volunteered to participate in the study, and 17 (16 passengers and one pilot) were excluded (Box 1). Of the 50 participants (22 pilots and 28 passengers) recruited to the study, 26 wore GCTs on their outward flight (Group 1; 18 men and six women) and the remaining 24 wore GCTs on their return flight (Group 2; 17 men and six women). Ultimately, 47 participants (24 in Group 1 and 23 in Group 2) returned data and so completed the study (Box 1). Their ages ranged from 24 to 71 years.
Box 2 presents baseline characteristics for the participants in terms of physical characteristics, leg symptoms and activity level, and proportion of time at work spent sitting and standing. There is nothing in these data to suggest that our participants would not be representative of the general healthy flying population.
When wearing GCTs, there was a decrease in ankle swelling compared with not wearing GCTs (mean difference, - 0.19 cm; 95% CI, - 0.33 to - 0.065 cm; P = 0.012).
Measurements involving ratings were not analyzed in a way that produced CIs of rating differences. Significant differences in Box 3 indicatea shift in the probability distributions of the ratings. So, for the rest of this section we make general observations on the ratings based on Box 3.
Sixty-seven people (23 Qantas pilots and 44 passengers) volunteered to participate in the study, and 17 (16 passengers and one pilot) were excluded (Box 1). Of the 50 participants (22 pilots and 28 passengers) recruited to the study, 26 wore GCTs on their outward flight (Group 1; 18 men and six women) and the remaining 24 wore GCTs on their return flight (Group 2; 17 men and six women). Ultimately, 47 participants (24 in Group 1 and 23 in Group 2) returned data and so completed the study (Box 1). Their ages ranged from 24 to 71 years.
Box 2 presents baseline characteristics for the participants in terms of physical characteristics, leg symptoms and activity level, and proportion of time at work spent sitting and standing. There is nothing in these data to suggest that our participants would not be representative of the general healthy flying population.
When wearing GCTs, there was a decrease in ankle swelling compared with not wearing GCTs (mean difference, - 0.19 cm; 95% CI, - 0.33 to - 0.065 cm; P = 0.012).
Measurements involving ratings were not analyzed in a way that produced CIs of rating differences. Significant differences in Box 3 indicatea shift in the probability distributions of the ratings. So, for the rest of this section we make general observations on the ratings based on Box 3.
