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VIVA – Sitting cross legged is a common posture that many people adopt, especially when sitting on the floor or on a low seat. While it may feel comfortable and natural for some people. But turns out, it can give the bad effect for people health.
Research shows that sitting cross legged can increase the misalignment of the hips, with one being higher than the other, and it changes the speed at which blood moves through the blood vessels in the lower limbs, which can increase the risk of blood clots.
The longer and more often you sit cross legged, the more likely it is that you'll have long-term changes in the muscle lengths and bone arrangements in your pelvis. And because of the way, your skeleton is linked together, leg crossing can also cause misalignment of the spine and shoulders.
Your head position can potentially become out of alignment due to changes in the bones of the neck, as the spine compensates to keep your center of gravity above the pelvis.
Ilustrasi sakit di leher.
- U-Report
Moreover, your neck can also be affected due to one side of the body being weaker than the other. The same imbalance can be seen in the muscles of the pelvis and lower back as a result of poor posture and stresses and strains caused by sitting cross-legged.
The pelvis may also become misaligned due to the prolonged stretching of the gluteal (bum) muscles on one side, meaning that they become weaker.
Moreover, sitting with the legs crossed for a long time increases the likelihood of scoliosis (abnormal alignment of the spine) and other deformities. It can also cause greater trochanteric pain syndrome, a common and painful condition that affects the outer side of the hip and thigh.
Research has also shown that sitting with crossed legs can put the peroneal nerve, also known as the fibular nerve, in the lower leg at risk of compression and injury.
This usually manifests as weakness when trying to lift the pinky side of the foot as well as more concerning foot drop. Although in most cases this is short-lived and returns to normal within a few minutes.
There is also evidence that crossing the legs can affect sperm production. This is because the temperature of the testicles should be between 2 degrees C and 6 degrees C (3.6 degrees F and 10.8 degrees F) below standard body temperature.
Research shows that an increase in the temperature of the scrotum or testicles can reduce sperm count and quality. It is also worth noting that due to differences in male and female anatomy, it may be easier for women to sit cross-legged as men's hip range of motion is reduced.
