AAre you sitting comfortably? Just take a moment and pay attention to your posture without adjusting. what are your feet doing? Have they crossed? And are you a right or left crosser? Some 62% people Cross left to right, 26% go the other way and 12% have no preference.
There are usually two ways to sit in a chair and cross your legs, one at the knee and the other at the ankle. But as comfortable as it may be to sit with your legs crossed, is it harmful to your health and posture? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
For a start, research shows that cross-legged squats can make you gain weight. misalignment of hipswith one being higher than the other.
And this speed changes At which the blood moves through the blood vessels in the lower limbs, which can increase the risk of blood clots.
Most research shows that crossing the knees is worse than crossing the ankles. In fact, sitting like this can increase your blood pressure due to pooling of blood in the veins and your heart has to work against it. And this can increase your risk of damage to your blood vessels, which is why you should get your blood pressure taken when you feet flat on the floor,
effects on the body
The longer and more often you cross-legged, the more likely you are to have long-term changes in the length of your pelvic muscles and bone arrangement. And because of the way your skeleton is linked together, leg crossing can also cause misalignment of the spine and shoulders.
The position of your head could potentially be out of alignment due to changes in neck bonesBecause the spine compensates by keeping your center of gravity above the pelvis.
Your neck can also be affected due to one part of the body being weaker than the other. This same imbalance can also be seen in the muscles of the pelvis and low back, which result from poor posture and the stress and tension caused by sitting cross-legged.
The pelvis can also become misaligned due to prolonged stretching of the gluteal (bum) muscles on one side, which means they become weak.
Sitting with crossed legs for a long time increases the chances of developing scoliosis.abnormal alignment of the spine) and other distortions. it can also cause greater trochanteric pain syndromeA common and painful condition that affects the outer part of the hip and thigh.
Research also shows that sitting with your legs crossed can put the peroneal nerve, also known as the fibular nerve, in your lower leg at risk. compression and bruising, This usually manifests as a weakness when trying to lift more with the short-toed side of the foot. regarding foot drop – where the whole leg hung up, In most cases though, it is short-lived and returns to normal within a few minutes.
There is also evidence that crossing the legs can affect sperm production. This is because the temperature of the testicles should be between 2 °C and 6 °C below standard body temperature. Sitting raises the temperature of the testicles by up to 2°C, and crossing your legs raises the temperature of the testes by the same amount. 3.5 °C, And studies suggest that’s a deal increase in temperature of the scrotum or testicles Can reduce both the number and quality of sperm.
It is also worth noting that due to the difference in Body structure men’s and women’s It’s probably a lot easier for women to sit cross-legged – especially because men have less range of motion On the hip
feet and joints
But research shows that sitting cross-legged can be beneficial for some people. For example, a small 2016 study found that people who have one leg longer than the otherCross-legged sitting can help to adjust the height of the two sides of the pelvis. improve alignment,
also appears to be sitting cross legged reduce activity Certain muscles, especially the oblique muscles (the ones under the skin where you place your hands on your hips) than squatting with the legs forward. This can help relax your core muscles and prevent overexertion.
Similarly, there is also evidence of cross-legged sitting. enhances Stability of the sacroiliac joints (responsible for transferring weight between the spine and the legs).
And of course, the famous yoga or meditation posture (the lotus position) sees people sitting on the floor with their legs crossed. However there is limited data on whether spending long periods of time in this position can cause some of the same issues that lead to sitting cross-legged in a chair. In fact, for many Yoga Provides Enormous Benefits – Even those who already have knee problems.
So the verdict? It’s probably better to avoid crossing your legs if you can. Although that said, many of the risk factors associated with crossing your legs increase the likelihood of other underlying issues such as: sedentary lifestyle and obesity. So keeping this in mind, the main advice is not to sit still in one position for too long and be active regularly.
Adam TaylorProfessor and Director, Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre, Lancaster University
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons Licence. read the original article,
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