The dangers of the habit of sitting with crossed legs.

Sitting with your legs crossed puts a lot of strain on your spine, joints, back, and hips, which can lead to osteoarthritis, pelvic misalignment, and impaired mobility in the long run.

Sitting with crossed legs is a common posture for many people, especially women. In the long run, this posture can cause many serious problems for the neck, back, hips, knees, posture, and gait, especially for those with varicose veins.

On May 23rd, Dr. Le Bao Le, from the Department of Internal Medicine and Musculoskeletal Disorders at the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City, stated that when sitting with legs crossed, one leg placed on the thigh of the other causes the hip support to become unbalanced and tilt to one side. To restore balance, the spine must shift to the opposite side, which over time can lead to the spine and neck becoming misaligned due to bearing more force than normal.

In addition, the back, neck, and hips also bear more pressure, making them more prone to pain and fatigue. When crossing your legs, the lower area is also subjected to more pressure, worsening varicose veins.

Sitting with your legs crossed causes uneven weight distribution in the hips, leading to uneven development of the muscles in the spine and hips. The side that bears more weight will become larger, affecting posture and even mobility.

Dr. Calvin Q. Trinh, Head of the Musculoskeletal Correction Center at Hospital 1A (Ho Chi Minh City), also stated that this habit disrupts the body's symmetry, causing pelvic misalignment, and even leading to lower back pain and knee joint pain. Crossing legs can put pressure on the peroneal nerve at the back of the knee, reduce blood flow to the leg joints, hinder the production of synovial fluid in the joints, and cause joint dryness.

"This both increases pressure on the articular cartilage and stretches the ligament system, leading to a risk of osteoarthritis," the doctor said.

Crossing your legs for extended periods also puts incorrect pressure on the knee joint, increasing pressure on the cartilage and stretching the ligaments. This posture is dangerous for people with musculoskeletal disorders and venous insufficiency, worsening their condition, making walking difficult, and affecting their quality of life.

Sitting with legs crossed is a habit of many women when working or going for coffee. Photo: Minh An

According to Dr. Le, the best sitting posture for health is with both legs parallel and the back and neck straight. This posture distributes the weight evenly across the neck, back, and pelvis. This balances the body and minimizes strain on muscles, bones, and the spine. Occasionally, women can sit with their legs crossed, but this should not become a habit.

For those who have to sit for long periods, it's advisable to straighten your legs and extend your feet forward, or simply cross your feet. Office workers with sedentary jobs should stand up and walk around every 60-120 minutes of sitting to reduce muscle aches and pains.

If you have pelvic misalignment, spinal misalignment, or other musculoskeletal problems, you need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment to restore function, reduce pain, and improve mobility.

Minh An

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