Then….you shouldn’t!
This is a topic that i wanted to write about for quite some time and now is the time.
Personally, I don’t cross my legs, since I started studying medicine, specially in the anatomy subject.
Crossing legs have been instituted as a way of being Gracious and Chic in the society, for some centuries now. A ladylike position that shares how sexy you can be.
I have seen the most ridiculously ways of people eating with the legs crossed in such a way that their chair was 50 cms apart from the table but people tend to think is … I don’t know… can I say Chic again or can I say that you’re actually hurting your body and your body will get his revenge?
Crossing your legs is wrong.
We are a bipede being. We walk in 2 legs, straight in which the head of the femur (the longest bone in your body) articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint.
Now my question to You that crosses your legs:
Do you suffer from back pain? You do for sure! You know why?
When you cross your leg, you put pressure on the peroneal nerve at the back of the knee, which suppress blood and oxygen the lower legs and feet and to your back muscles (specially the lower back and sciatica).
No one talks about this and i don’t know why? Maybe because it’s so deep in our society that people tend to think is ok to suffer just as long as you “sit pretty”.
Let me tell you one thing: the sitting pretty will not last and it will become painful to the point you wished you stopped crossing the legs.
Some examples on what will happen if you cross your legs:
- Spider veins: If the veins are damaged or weakened, the blood can leak into them and collect there, causing spider veins or exacerbating existing ones.
- High blood pressure: Crossing your legs at the knee can temporarily cause your blood pressure to go up
- Pain: spoken before, can be from Lower back pain to Neck pain, as well as herniated discs.
- Bad posture: bad posture and its downstream effects on the back, hip and pelvis.
- Your Joints will hate it and move way: Prolonged leg-crossing eventually makes the inner thigh muscle shorter and the outer thigh muscle longer, and puts your joints at risk of moving out of place.
Now…will YOU continue to cross your legs?
Tell me why on the comments below.
