sitting position
That’s why you shouldn’t cross your legs when sitting
The position is comfortable, so almost everyone does it from time to time when sitting: cross your legs. But if you overdo it, your health suffers.
published
Crossing your legs while sitting is convenient and often happens unconsciously.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Either you cross your legs at the knee, …
Getty Images
… or at the ankle.
imago images/Arabian Eye
Neither is really healthy.
Getty Images
Most of the time it happens automatically. You sit down and, without thinking too much regarding it, cross your legs. 62 percent of people cross their right leg over their left leg, 26 percent do it the other way around, and 12 percent have no preferred position, a study found in the 1990s.
There are basically two ways to cross your legs: at the knee or at the ankle. But as comfortable as it may be to sit like this, it is unfavorable for your health in many ways.
blood pressure
Sitting cross-legged raises blood pressure because veins are squeezed and blood pools in them. This makes the heart work harder. For this reason, you should have both feet on the ground when measuring your blood pressure. Because blood moves more slowly through the legs, the risk of thrombosis also increases. This applies above all to people who already have an increased risk of thrombosis. The posture with legs crossed at the knee is considered more problematic.
varicose veins
The additional pressure on the veins can also promote the formation of varicose veins, but luckily didn’t trigger. However, anyone who belongs to a risk group, i.e. has a genetic predisposition or is overweight, should avoid crossing their legs if possible.
posture
A misalignment of the hips can be promoted because one is higher than the other when sitting crossed. A crooked pelvis can also be a result if the gluteal muscle is overstretched on one side for a long time and thus weakened.
The longer you sit cross-legged, the greater the likelihood that muscle length and bone configuration in the pelvis will change. This can lead to misalignments of the spine and shoulders, such as Adam Taylor from Lancaster University in the UK writes on Theconversation.com.
Even the position of the head can change as the bones in the neck realign while the spine tries to keep the center of gravity over the pelvis. Sitting for a long time with your legs crossed encourages spinal deformities (scoliosis) and other deformities. Sitting like this can also trigger greater trochanter pain syndrome, a condition that affects the lateral hip area.
Annoy
Nerves can also be affected, such as the fibula nerve, which runs past the knee. If it is sprained or injured, in the worst case this can lead to paralysis in the foot or in the toes, although these are usually short-lived and return to normal within a few minutes.
sperm production
Sperm production might also be affected when men sit cross-legged. The temperature in the testicles should be two to six degrees Celsius below body temperature. Just sitting normally raises this temperature by two degrees. if you cross your legs, it can rise by up to 3.5 degrees, as a 2007 study shows. Higher temperatures in the testicles can reduce both the number and quality of sperm.
So sitting with your legs crossed is anything but ideal, even if many of the possible consequences only become dangerous if you have a corresponding predisposition or predisposition. Here, as with sitting in general, it applies shouldn’t do too long at a time. Your body will thank you if you change your sitting position from time to time and get up and move regularly.
Subscribe to the knowledge channel notifications in the 20-minute app. You will be informed regarding groundbreaking findings and discoveries from research, explanations of current events and curious news from the wide world of science. You will also receive answers to everyday questions and tips for a better life.
Here’s how: Install the latest version of the 20-minute app. Tap on the settings menu in the top right (three lines with a circle), then «Settings» and finally on «Push notifications». Select the desired topics and then click «Next». If desired, select a region and click «Next». Under “Topics” you can now select “Knowledge”. Click «Confirm» and you’re in!
