Why not sit on your feet? Why can't you cross your legs? Pain in the back

Do you like to sit cross-legged? Expect problems. What do we know about this unfortunate pose? That's right, this is a sin - the pose of Judas Iscariot (there are no sources of this information), and it is simply indecent and ungodly to sit like that for either women or men, especially in the temple. Well, you certainly can’t argue with the last one.

But what happens to the human body when it is used to sitting like this? And why does it simply seem impossible for many to give up this position of the legs; they seem to fold by themselves, and sometimes intertwine in the area of ​​the shins? Everything is quite understandable.

Having got used to the harmful sitting “cross-legged”, and sometimes without even noticing it, a person creates a danger primarily for his joints and blood circulation. Moreover, the risks are very serious.

Meanwhile, back discomfort is sometimes to blame for the desire to cross one’s legs, especially when a person has been sitting or walking for a long time. Those who have obvious problems with the spine - osteochondrosis, curvatures, protrusions, herniated discs, arthrosis of intervertebral joints, etc. - like to sit cross-legged.

What happens to the spine when a person crosses his legs?

A tired back (especially from sedentary work) wants to redistribute the load and relieve tension from the muscles. And this pose really helps relieve fatigue a little, but for a very short time.

If a person sits for a long time without taking a harmful position from foot to foot, then the back with its muscles perceives this state as “standing”, with the exception of the lower sections and pelvic bones, the load on which doubles in comparison with the standing position.

If a person sits and places one leg on top of the other, the body axis shifts and the load is redistributed. There is a moderate rotation of the vertebrae in the lower spine, the pelvic bones are located at a different angle in relation to the spine, and the load not only on the back muscles, but also on the abs changes.

Joints, muscles and ligaments quickly begin to become overstrained. If the “foot-to-foot” position happens to a person often, then all back problems progress - osteochondrosis, protrusions and hernias, and osteophytes grow.

Does the cross-legged pose affect more than just the spine?

Undoubtedly. The venous outflow into the lower limbs. If you already have varicose veins, the cross-legged position greatly aggravates its course. Normal blood flow in the pelvic organs is also disrupted. The pressure “jumps” for a short time.

In the cross-legged position, people harm their knee and hip joints. Damage to the peroneal nerves is also observed, because Due to their superficial location, their parts are very easy to injure. There is compression of the nerve and the vessels that supply it. Over time, it becomes difficult for a person to bend the foot, and tingling and numbness of the lower leg appears.

How to wean yourself from the bad habit of sitting with your legs crossed and remove the harmful consequences?

1. Increase physical activity. Monitor the position of your legs, consciously teaching them to a safe position.
2. Take care of your back health. The better your spine and back muscles feel, the less desire you will have to intertwine your legs. Such is the physiology. Strengthen your muscles, massage regularly and watch your posture.
3. When working sedentarily, take breaks literally every hour for at least 5 minutes. It is convenient to use the timer and also program reminders on your smartphone.
4. Orthopedic furniture that promotes correct position body when sitting is very useful. If this is not possible, then adjust the height of your chair so that the bend of your knees is not less than 90 degrees. A small footrest will help improve blood flow in the legs during prolonged sitting. The monitor should be positioned at eye level exactly in front of the workplace, not at an angle. All this will help reduce tension in the back muscles.

Based on materials from neurologist Maria Meshcherina

Who among us doesn’t like to cross our legs at work, in a cafe, and even more so at home? Many of us are so used to this that we don’t even notice. But it turns out that the habit of sitting cross-legged can be harmful to our health.

Why do we take this pose?

If you listen to your feelings, then notice that in this position the discomfort in your back decreases, especially if you have to sit at the computer for a long time. This is especially true for people with curvature of the spinal axis (scoliosis) and other back problems (arthrosis of the intervertebral joints, herniated discs).

If you sit cross-legged, the body weight and the load on the lower spine are redistributed. In this position, tired muscles relax. For a while it becomes a little easier for us.

What happens to the spine?

From an evolutionary point of view, our spine with its curves and the muscles that support it are designed for walking and running, and not for long periods of sitting at a computer. A sitting posture is not natural and our body is subjected to stress for which it is not adapted.

When we sit without throwing our legs, the back muscles continue to work almost in a “standing” mode, and the lower parts of the spine and pelvic bones receive maximum load (twice as much as in a standing position). And if in a sitting position we cross our legs, then the axis of the body changes and the load is redistributed.

In this position, there is a slight rotation of the vertebrae in the lower back along the axis, the position of the pelvic bones in relation to the spine changes, and the load on the back and abdominal muscles changes. Joints, muscles, and ligaments become overstrained.

Hence the problems - back pain progresses over time, scoliosis worsens, herniated intervertebral discs and osteophytes (bone growths on the vertebrae) appear.

What happens to other organs?

It has been proven that in addition to problems with the spine, the sitting position cross-legged provokes disruption of venous blood flow in the legs, impaired circulation in the pelvic organs and a short-term increase in blood pressure. In addition, the knee and hip joints suffer.

Those who like to sit cross-legged often experience damage to the peroneal nerves. This occurs because part of the peroneal nerve runs superficially and is therefore easily injured.

When we cross our legs, this nerve is compressed, as well as the vessels that feed it. If the situation repeats, weakness of foot flexion, tingling and numbness of the lower leg may develop.

Prevention

First of all, you need to move more and sit cross-legged less often. If you have a sedentary job, then you should try to take breaks every hour for at least 5-10 minutes. If possible, it is advisable to purchase special orthopedic furniture.

You can try to improve your own workplace. Here are tips to help reduce tension in your back muscles.

1. Adjust the height of the chair - when sitting, your knees should bend at least 90 degrees.
2. You can use a low footrest - this will improve blood circulation in the legs during prolonged sitting.
3. Pay attention to how your computer monitor is positioned - it should be level in front of you, not at an angle, and the screen should be at eye level.

It's easy and your back and legs will thank you.

Maria Meshcherina

Photo istockphoto.com

It's no secret that many people sit with their legs crossed. Most often this happens out of habit. It doesn’t matter where the person is: visiting, on the subway or at the workplace. As if by themselves, your legs fold into a kind of “cross”, and before you even have time to notice, you have taken on your usual pose. But is it harmless? Doctors believe that the habit of sitting with legs crossed is quite dangerous and “paves” the way to various diseases.

The appearance of blood clots

It has been experimentally discovered that this position interferes with normal blood circulation. The habit of crossing your legs leads to blood clots. Of course, if you do not abuse this habit, then nothing bad will happen. But frequent and prolonged sitting with crossed legs inhibits natural blood flow. The risk of blood clots forming in the vessels increases significantly, so you should change the position of your legs more often.

Nerve damage

Not only blood vessels suffer from crossed legs, but also nerves. If you like to sit cross-legged, don't be surprised if you experience problems with sensitivity in your legs and feet. This position does not allow the peroneal nerve, which is involved in the transmission of motor impulses, to fully work. Over time, you will begin to notice that your toes or feet themselves quickly become numb, so you have to constantly rub them.

High blood pressure

Sitting in this position for a long time also increases blood pressure. There is no exact data yet on how long this continues in time, but the fact remains a fact. Studies have shown that patients with hypertension increased their blood pressure if they crossed their legs. After the experiment participants placed both feet on the floor, after three minutes the pressure returned to normal. But even a short-term increase in blood pressure still has a bad effect on both the functioning of the heart and the functioning of blood vessels.

Pain in the back

The human spine is not a plastic rope that can be twisted in any direction and it will not affect it in any way. It has a certain structure, so not all poses are harmless for it. When crossing legs over legs, a person's spine bends in an unnatural position. After several years of sitting in this position, you can get pain in the back and lower back. Most often, doctors diagnose a “vertebral hernia” in people who spend their working day and leisure time sitting in one place.

Illustration copyright Getty

How do you usually sit? Many people like to sit with one leg crossed over the other. The correspondent looked into whether such a pose threatens our health.

In the 1980s, British comedian Kenny Everett made this pose his signature - he sat in a skirt and high heels, extravagantly crossing, uncrossing and then re-crossing his legs. This, he said, was the manifestation of "the best possible style."

Others prefer not to cross their legs at all - even to the point of sitting cross-legged, like men who spread their legs wide on public transport and at the same time crush their neighbors.

Such men would like an amusing advertising campaign The Great Cross-Out, which was launched in the United States in 1999. A nutritional supplement company has urged people to avoid cross-legged postures to stay healthy.

But can you become healthier by not crossing your legs?

The list of suspected consequences of cross-legged sitting includes high blood pressure, varicose veins and nerve damage.

However, all these assumptions need to be carefully examined.

Of course, it's true that if you sit in one position for too long, your leg or foot can become numb.

They say crossed legs can distort the measurement result, temporarily increasing blood pressure levels

This occurs because crossing your legs increases pressure on the peroneal nerve under the knee (it is responsible for sensation in the lower leg and foot). But the pinching sensation in the numb limb will be temporary and will quickly pass as soon as you take a different position.

However, maintaining the same position for many hours can cause peroneal nerve palsy. It manifests itself as “foot drop,” in which people are unable to lift the back of their feet and toes.

There are two possible reasons, according to which crossing legs can lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure.

According to one of them, blood rushes to the chest at the moment when you lift one leg to throw it over the other. As a result, the heart has to pump more blood, and the pressure increases.

An alternative theory is that blood pressure rises because isometric leg exercises (physical exercises that don't move the joints) increase resistance to blood flow in the vessels.

This explains why crossing your legs at the ankles does not increase blood pressure.

To understand which of these explanations are most likely, scientists in the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands conducted a study that included several physiological measurements.

It turned out that the resistance to blood flow in the vessels of people with crossed legs did not increase at low heart rates, but the amount of blood flowing from the heart increased.

Thus, the increased blood pressure was due to the fact that crossed legs pushed blood towards the heart.

So crossing your legs does lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure, but there is no evidence of long-term changes.

But there is one exception. People at high risk of developing blood clots are advised not to sit cross-legged for long periods of time, as obstructing normal blood flow can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis.

Crossing your legs may not increase your blood pressure in the long run, but what about varicose veins?

The reasons why some people have varicose veins and others do not still remain somewhat of a mystery.

A study found that people who sat cross-legged for more than three hours a day were more likely to slouch.

To prevent blood from flowing backwards, there are tiny valves in the blood vessels. If these valves become stretched and weakened, there is a leakage of blood that results in enlarged veins or, as they are also called, varicose veins.

It has not yet been proven that crossing legs is a decisive factor for the appearance of varicose veins. Whether your veins will enlarge over the years or not depends on your genetic predisposition (at least to some extent).

So, the condition of veins, blood pressure and nerves from sitting cross-legged does not worsen in the long term.

All that remains is to understand the effect of such a landing on the joints.

One study found that people who sat cross-legged for more than three hours a day were more likely to slouch.

However, in this study, people were asked to self-estimate how long they sat cross-legged.

I am writing this text at the table, also crossing my legs, but I could not say exactly how many hours I spent in this position.

Until now, society has preserved many unspoken rules that once had rational basis, but have now become completely meaningless. Does the ban on cross-legged sitting for women apply to them? Let's look at this rule from the point of view of etiquette and medicine.

Why is it forbidden for a woman to sit cross-legged in society?

In fact, modern European etiquette allows such a pose for women. Indeed, many people find her elegant, attractive, graceful. This pose also indicates a person’s relaxation, and therefore is not always welcome in institutions that do not imply relaxation: schools and universities, churches, hospitals. But, again, there is no explicit and strict prohibition.

In the film “The Princess Diaries” (with Anne Hathaway in the title role), the heroine’s grandmother, being the queen, taught her granddaughter not to sit with her legs crossed - they say it is not befitting a princess. However, in modern high society such a pose is not considered indecent.

Anne Hathaway's character learns royal manners, but not all the rules of etiquette shown in the film actually apply in society

Another thing is Muslim societies. Slightly different rules of etiquette apply here, in which crossing your legs can be interpreted as disrespect for your interlocutor. Therefore, when coming to a country where the majority of the population adheres to the rules of Islam, it is better to abandon this position - you should not interfere with someone else’s monastery with your own rules.

Medical reasons - truth and myths

Among the medical reasons for the ban, you can also find not only truth, but also speculation. Cross-legged pose does not lead to:

• varicose veins. At least it still hasn't been proven. Scientists now believe that varicose veins are caused by a sedentary lifestyle, excess weight and pregnancy, and not by this position;
• damage to the hip joint. Around 1999, a medical myth appeared that crossed legs would sooner or later lead to “wear and tear” of the hip joint with all that it entails - pain in the hips, a “clubfooted” gait, and decreased physical activity. In fact, this is not true - the cross-legged pose will not harm this joint;
• deterioration of posture. Posture is more influenced by the quality of the chair or chair, as well as lifestyle in general, rather than by crossing your legs.

Contrary to popular myth, varicose veins are not caused by crossed legs.

But here are the real consequences of crossed legs (and not only for women):

• lower back pain. Normally, our spine is concave at the waist. When we sit with our legs crossed, this natural concavity bends in the opposite direction. This position of the vertebrae is unnatural for us, so if you stay in this position for a long time, you can feel pain in the waist. In advanced cases, crossed legs contribute (but are not main reason) development of intervertebral hernia;
• increase in pressure. So far, scientists have found only a temporary increase in blood pressure in those who sit with their legs crossed. There is no talk of a long-term increase or development of hypertension. Therefore, if you suffer from low blood pressure, try sitting cross-legged for a while - you may soon feel better;
• the appearance of blood clots. Of course, the cross-legged position is not the main and only factor that leads to the development of blood clots. But if you already have problems with blood circulation, it is better to avoid this pose. This position of the legs slows down blood circulation, which can lead to undesirable consequences.

Sitting with your legs crossed is now acceptable for both men and women. But you should always be aware of possible negative health consequences.