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An osteopath has explained why you shouldn’t sit with your legs crossed, as well as outlining the potential problems that could occur if you don’t change your ways. You can hear what he thinks in the video before.
OK - we all do it. You’re probably sat with your legs crossed now, reading away on your phone.
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However, whilst it’s not exactly the biggest risk to your health that you’ll ever face, habitually sitting with your legs crossed can cause problems.
It’s not just osteopaths who would argue against this, but physiotherapists too.
Anyway, over on TikTok – which is the repository of all knowledge these days – a professional osteopath called Brendon Talbot has been educating his followers about the potential pitfalls of crossed legs.
The problem – it turns out – is all to do with your veins.
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To be fair, your veins and arteries are right up there when it comes to important parts of the body, so we should definitely hear him out.
Talbot explained: "While sitting avoid crossing your legs. All of the blood from the lower limbs drains into the femoral vein which travels below the inguinal ligament (groin area)."
It’s also been suggested that crossing your legs whilst in a seated position can raise the blood pressure a bit, which stands to reason when you think of it.
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Varicose veins are another common reason people are told to avoid leg-crossing, because it can disrupt the blood moving to your heart.
Of course, it’s worth just taking stock here and remembering that it’s not the biggest health concern out there.
You are extremely unlikely to die because of your commitment to crossing your legs.
Well, you’d likely be the first, anyway.
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There are things you can do proactively to improve vein health, though.
Talbot also recommends getting out and doing some exercise, which sounds like decent advice.
He said: "Get regular exercise to keep blood moving through your veins. This doesn't have to be resistance training, it can be something as simple as walking.
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"Everything in the body relies on movement, down to a cellular level.”
On top of that, you can try to keep your weight down, which reduces the chances of high blood pressure and therefore keeps your veins healthy and under less stress.
Talbot continued: "This will reduce the risk of high blood pressure. High blood pressure may weaken vessel walls over time.
"This internal fat can also put stress on nearby vessels, restricting blood flow and increasing the pressure on the veins."
Finally, vein health can be helped by simply getting up and moving around instead of staying sitting or standing for long periods every day.
"Veins have flap like tissue called valves. Muscle contractions help move blood through these valves back to the heart,” Talbot explained.
So, now that you’ve finished this up, why don’t you take a short stroll around the room before continuing your scrolling?
Your veins will thank you for it.
Topics: Health
Tom Wood