SHAUN: To cross or not to cross? This is what happens in your body when you cross your legs while sitting:
CIRCULATION. When you sit, your legs fight gravity to keep blood flowing as it normally should. Crossing your legs makes it even more challenging for blood to circulate to different areas of the body, causing vein inflammation and potentially putting you at greater risk for a blood clot.
BACK PAIN. Sitting cross-legged can increase lower back pain and lead towards a poor posture if you sit incorrectly (which most of us tend to do). If you choose to sit cross legged, avoid hunching your back while sitting and keep your spine in a neutral position. Distribute your weight on your hips instead of your feet. As well as the potential vascular problems outlined above, crossing knee over knee shortens the muscles around the hip of the leg on top. Unequal muscle length around your hips can cause a wide variety of hammer effects on the mechanics of your hips, pelvis and spine and is a significant cause of back pain.
HIP STRAIN: If you're inflexible to start with, the muscle groups and joints responsible for supporting your body while you’re sitting like this might not have been used for a while so a cross-legged position will place strain on your hip flexors.
For more information and tips on how to improve your posture to help with any pain you might be experiencing, book a massage with Shaun, he’s happy to help!
