Very often, while sitting on a sofa or chair, we adopt a cross-legged position. Many for convenience, others for beauty. But few people know...
Very often, while sitting on a sofa or chair, we adopt a cross-legged position. Many for convenience, others for beauty. But few people know: if you constantly put one foot on top of the other, you can harm your health. Yes, sometimes it looks elegant, but the body will not say "thanks" for it. Why let's try to figure it out right now.
Why is it harmful to sit cross-legged
The first reason doctors do not recommend taking this position often is blood flow disturbance. When the legs are crossed and pressed against one another, the walls of the vessels narrow, which prevents normal blood flow, and the intensity of blood movement decreases. This is fraught with varicose veins (vascular "stars" and reticules will appear) and problems in the pelvic area. In women and men, this can cause various disorders of the genitourinary system. Therefore, in the cross-legged position, it is better not to sit up.
From here comes the second danger - the risk of high blood pressure. When blood flow is disturbed in the groin area, there is an additional load on the vessels. As a result, a pressure surge may occur. If this position is abused, the risk of blood clots increases (especially in hypertensive patients, the elderly).
Finally, constant cross-legged sitting causes spinal problems. Posture suffers first. Intervertebral hernias and scoliosis are also possible. Regular tossing one leg over the other deforms the muscles of the outer and inner thighs and increases the risk of joint displacement. But how to sit correctly? Are there safe positions?
How to sit correctly?
If you sit on a chair a lot and often at a table, it is important to follow these rules.
The chair and table should be "in size" for you. The correct chair should be matched or adjusted for your height. To check if it suits you, sit on it. In the correct position, sitting on a chair or office chair, the thighs should be parallel to the floor, the feet should be on the floor. The hips and torso and bent legs should be at right angles. Calculating the correct table height is even easier. The ideal height is when the elbow of your lowered arm (when you are sitting at the table) is 5 cm below the tabletop.
When you sit in a chair, your legs should be bent at right angles and your feet should be completely flat on the floor. There should be enough legroom under the table. The shoulders are relaxed, relaxed. You do not need to lean on the table with your elbows. They can be placed on the armrest, if available.
While sitting, periodically lean back in your chair to relieve the spine. The back of an office chair or chair should be moderately firm, not very firm. Ideally, anatomical. For this reason, it is undesirable to sit a lot on backless chairs, such as stools.
To prevent sedentary work from doing harm, try to move, change position every 20 minutes. Rotate your neck, do head bends, swing your arms, legs - every hour.
As for sitting on soft sofas (at home, while relaxing), the rules are the same: do not sit cross-legged, periodically change your position, walk around the apartment, perform the simplest movements. You should also avoid too soft furniture.
But that's not all - women are not recommended to sit cross-legged by etiquette. So, members of the royal family (it’s the female half) are prohibited by protocol.