Is crossing your legs really "elegant"?

Author: Sun Yaohong, Chen Jun, Zhang Jian, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Reviewer: Chen Haibo, Chief Physician, Beijing Hospital

In real life, men, women, young and old, all like to cross their legs when they sit down, but is this really "elegant"?

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In fact, crossing your legs is not only not elegant, but it can also cause many harms to your body, such as:

1. Harm to muscles and fascia

(1) Gluteus maximus: The fascia and muscle fibers are elastic. Long-term stretching will lead to reduced elasticity, fascia densification, and decreased muscle strength. If the gluteus maximus strength is reduced, it will appear as a collapsed buttocks. The side of the buttocks that is lifted up will collapse.

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(2) Piriformis muscle: When the piriformis muscle is stretched for a long time, it will not only cause a decrease in muscle strength, but also easily cause the sciatic nerve to be compressed, causing sciatica, which is mainly manifested as tenderness in the deep buttocks, numbness and tingling in the back of the thigh and calf. Clinically, it is also called "piriformis syndrome."

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(3) Buttock fascia: When the buttock fascia is stretched for a long time, the abnormal tension will be compensated to the back or lower limbs, resulting in low back pain or pain in the posterior and lateral thighs, causing "lumbar muscle strain."

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2. Harm to other parts

Crossing your legs can also cause uneven shoulders, scoliosis, pelvic misalignment, uneven legs, and false wide hips.

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After saying so much, are you scared? Don't panic, start exercising now! It is mainly divided into relaxation and stretching training and muscle strength training.

1. Relaxation and stretching training For the first stretch, hold each movement for 5 to 10 seconds, rest for 5 to 10 seconds, repeat each movement 2 times, 2 to 3 times a week. As the difficulty increases, hold each movement for 25 to 30 seconds, rest for 25 to 30 seconds, repeat each movement 5 to 6 times, 4 to 5 times a week.

Neck stretch: Stand still, place your right hand on top of your left head, and pull your head to the right, bringing it as close to your right shoulder as possible (alternate stretching on both sides).

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Shoulder stretch:

(1) Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, raise your left hand above your head, and keep your left arm close to your left head. Grab your left elbow with your right hand, and then pull your left elbow around your left ear and behind it (stretching alternately on both sides).

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(2) Sit on a flat surface with your legs straight, arms straight, palms 30 cm away from hips, fingers facing backwards, and body leaning backwards.

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Lower torso stretch:

(1) Lie on a flat surface with your palms facing downward. Slowly bend your waist, tighten your hips, and lift your head and chest off the surface.

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(2) Lie on your back and bend your knees and hips until your knees are above your chest. Cross your feet at the ankles and spread your knees shoulder-width apart. Grasp your thighs at the inside of your knees and press your legs down toward your chest.

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Hip stretch:

(1) Sit down with your left leg straight in front of you. Bend your right knee and place your right leg flat against the inside of your left thigh. Bend down as far as you can until you start to feel a stretch. As you bend down, press your left knee as far as you can toward the plane (stretching the left and right sides alternately).

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(2) Lie on your back, bend your left leg, lift your knee off the plane, bend your right knee, cross your right ankle over your left knee, grab a point just below your left knee with both hands, and try to pull your left knee and bent right knee toward your chest until you feel a slight stretch (alternate stretching the left and right sides).

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(3) Sit on the bed, straighten your left leg, bend your right leg and place it on the outside of your left knee. Place your left arm on the outside of your bent right knee, support your right hand on a flat surface near your right hip, and try to turn your body to the right (alternate stretching between the left and right sides).

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Knee stretch:

(1) Sit cross-legged with your heels as close to your buttocks as possible. Hold your feet with both hands, bend your torso toward your legs, and press down on your lower thighs.

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(2) Sit on a flat surface with your legs straight, bring the inner sides of your knees as close together as possible, bend over, lower your head toward your legs, and slide your hands along the direction of your feet.

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(3) Step forward with your right leg, bend your knee 90 degrees, and extend your left leg behind your torso, with your left knee and calf touching the surface. Place your hands on your right knee to maintain balance (stretching alternately on both sides).

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Muscle strength training

(1) Do shoulder, back and chest muscle exercises, 10 times each.

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(2) Perform lower trunk muscle exercises.

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(3) Perform hip muscle exercises.

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(4) Do knee muscle exercises.

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In short, stop crossing your legs! Not only is it not “elegant”, it can actually cause bad posture!