Sitting with our legs crossed is a habit we tend to give in to unconsciously and automatically. We also do it when we're tired of our normal sitting position, when we're feeling slightly cold, or for women to look more ladylike. Although it can be comfortable and unharmful for a short while, sitting cross legged turns out to have potential undesired consequences on your health if done repeatedly - with some of them being quite serious. Here are five of them:
1. It could cause peroneal nerve paralysis
There's more than one cause for peroneal nerve paralysis, and sitting cross-legged is one of them. It arises as a difficulty or inability to lift the foot at the ankle due to an interruption in the peroneal nerve, and occurs as a result of isolated nerve traction and compression at the knees, hip joints, or ankles. These interruptions could be brought about by staying in the same position for a long while, such as sitting cross-legged.
2. It could spike blood pressure
After various studies carried out in 2010, it was proven that habitually sitting with one leg over the other could cause your blood pressure to rise. Whether you have problems with blood pressure or not, avoid sitting in this posture to ward off the occurrence of such problems, as well as other complications in blood circulation.
The reason why these health problems arise is because when we sit in this position, we apply pressure to the knee area, sending the blood from the legs back up to the chest. This results in the heart having to pump more blood, leading to an increase in blood pressure.
3. It could lead to pelvic imbalance
Sitting in this position often can put you at risk of pelvic imbalance, which refers to the condition by which our inner thigh muscles become shorter, and our outer thigh muscles become longer. Eventually, this could cause your joints to move out of place.
4. It could give rise to spider veins
Varicose and spider veins could be caused by a myriad of factors, including genes, as explained in this article. However, the crossing of legs is also one of the contributing factors to both conditions, as it applies pressure to your veins, causing them to become narrower and weaker. As a result, your blood could flow backward, resulting in an accumulation of blood in the legs, which in turn can cause your veins to inflame and swell.
5. It could lead to a bad posture
According to a study, sitting with crossed legs for more than three hours a day could lead to a hunched posture, lower back and neck pains, and discomfort in the hips.
So, now that you know the risks, make sure you remind yourself to uncross your legs each time you catch yourself doing it! And of course, make others aware of the dangers by sharing this post. ↓
H/T: brightside.me
