Can you travel with neuropathy? Flights, road trips and what to plan

Short answer: yes, most people with neuropathy can fly, drive long distances and take vacations. What makes it work is planning, not luck. Dr. Mohamed Karim, D.C., says the patients who stop traveling usually do so after one bad trip, and the ones who start again are the ones who planned the second trip around their feet instead of hoping for the best.

Why the airport is harder than the flight

People expect the plane to be the problem. It is usually the terminal.

Some airports take 20 minutes to cross from gate to gate at a brisk walk. For someone whose feet burn after a few hundred steps, that can stretch to 45 minutes or an hour. Then comes the standing: security lines, the crowd at the gate, the wait to board. Add the fear of being bumped by a rushing stranger when your balance is already unreliable, and it makes sense that many people decide it is easier to stay home.

Most of that is solvable before you leave the house:

• Ask your airline for wheelchair assistance when you book. The airline provides it, not TSA, and staff can take you from the curb to the gate and from the plane to baggage claim.
• Call TSA Cares at (855) 787-2227, ideally 72 hours before your flight, if you want help at the security checkpoint.
• Ask about the electric carts at larger airports for long connections.

A lot of people have never heard of these services. They are there for exactly this situation.

Aisle seat, every time

Asked window or aisle, Dr. Karim did not pause: aisle, “all day every day.” You can stand, stretch and walk to the restroom without climbing over a sleeping neighbor, and moving is one of the few things that reliably takes the edge off symptoms in a cramped seat. He also finds that simply moving gives the brain something to process other than the damaged areas.

On longer flights, compression socks can help with circulation while you sit still for hours. Whether they are right for you depends on your circulation and health history, so ask before you buy a pair.

Long drives: split the day

Dr. Karim uses his own example. Iowa to Texas is roughly a 16-hour drive. Instead of doing it in one push, spread it over two or three days, and stop every two hours rather than every four. Get out, walk around the rest stop, drink water, use the restroom. Those short walks get circulation moving again in legs that have been bent under a dashboard.

For his patients who have home treatments, the stops are also when they do them. Some do their protocol once a day, some twice, some three times. A 20-minute break that keeps the rest of the trip bearable is time well spent.

The packing list that matters

• Loose, comfortable shoes. Wide fits or Velcro closures if pressure from shoes or socks makes symptoms worse. Some people do better in sandals on travel days.
• A water bottle you will actually use. His rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces of water a day as a bare minimum, so a 200-pound person drinks at least 100 ounces. He says most people who walk into his clinic are chronically under-hydrated, and dehydration can flare nerve symptoms.
• Whatever you use at home for relief, packed where you can reach it.

Wendy’s six years at home

Wendy, who has let the clinic share her story, had not traveled in about six years when she first came in. On her last family vacation she had a bad flare-up. She could not walk the beach or join the excursions, so each day one family member stayed behind with her.

Her family was glad to do it. She felt like a burden anyway, and she stopped going.

Her goals when she started care were specific: travel with her family again and make new memories with them, and be able to climb the bleachers at her grandchildren’s games, walk uneven ground and handle stairs. According to Dr. Karim, she reached both. It is worth asking what the equivalent goal is for you, because a concrete goal like “the bleachers at the Friday game” tends to keep people going longer than “feel better.”

Watch the full episode

Three takeaways

1. Plan the trip around your feet: assistance booked, breaks scheduled, aisle seat chosen.
2. Keep moving and keep drinking water on travel days.
3. Do not let fear of one bad trip cancel the next ten.

Have a trip coming up and not sure you can handle it? Dr. Karim helps patients plan for exactly this. Read about neuropathy treatment in North Liberty or book a free consultation. Related: is it neuropathy or just getting older?

This article summarizes a podcast episode and is general information, not medical advice. Ask your own doctor before starting compression socks or changing how much water you drink if you have heart or kidney conditions. See our medical disclaimer.