Bushwalk Australia

Well, you be the judge. When I walked the track in late September, I got into the habit of going to bed at 6:00pm and getting up at 6:00am, and a lot of people were keeping similar hours. My sleeping bag was very tight and effectively splinted my legs together, and when I did roll over I made sure it was very slow and gentle to avoid disturbing other sleepers. In other words, twelve hours of not much circulation in the legs, and possibly a bit of a breeding ground for dvt. When I floated this theory past the doctor who is currently treating me for dvt, he said it was actually plausible, despite the physical activity of the other twelve hours of the day. You may think this is unlikely, and perhaps it is; all I am saying is, if you're in your fifties, tall and spending a lot of hours in the huts in a cocoon-style sleeping bag, it might be a good idea to keep those legs moving whenever you think of it.

It may have some effect as per a bed ridden hospital patient. But given that you do move, as opposed to sedated/anaesthetised patients and that you walk for the next 12 hours, I strongly suspect the effect is trivial if any. This is also quite different to "economy class syndrome" where one is sitting for a prolonged period of time with dependent drainage. By lying, the hydrostatic pressure gradient in the legs is minimal for both venous and lymphatics. As such, it only take a tiny bit of leg muscle activities to pump those deep veins to effect. A good gauge would be whether you notice any additional swelling in your legs at 6am. If none, then don't worry about it. If yes, wear an anti-embolic compression stocking in your bag, similar may be considered if you've had a significant DVT in recent past. Or, take 100mg of aspirin in late afternoon to both cover DVT prophylaxis and general muscle joint aches from the day's walking...

Thanks, GPSG - sounds like you know what you are talking about, and thanks also for the advice about the compression stockings and the aspirin. The only reason I made the hypothetical link was that the symptoms started the day after I finished the walk (and then I ignored them for two weeks!) - but from what you say, a causal link seems unlikely. (All the same, if I ever get back into that sleeping bag, I will be moving my legs around a bit more, just in case!)
Thanks, and regards.
Michael J.

Never hurts to move whilst we are still alive on this planet.