Caution! This posture may hurt your reproductive system

2020-08-12 16:28:33 Newsgd.com Newsgd.com

Are you crossing your legs when you read this article? If so, please put your legs down at once!

[Photo/iPanda]

Crossing legs is a very common sitting position. Many people can't help but sit with their legs crossed every day, because this position, to some extent, can feel very comfortable.

But do you know that the posture of crossing legs will have an undesirable effect on your body? Keeping the legs crossed for too long will increase the risk of varicose veins, deformity of the spine, and can even affect people’s reproductive health.

Three girls are playing mobile games, two of them are sitting with their legs crossed. [Photo/Luo Binhao]

Hazards of crossing legs

1.Poor blood circulation

If people’s one leg overlaps the other for a long time, it will hinder the blood circulation of the lower half of the body. Over time, the posture will easily cause poor blood backflow, varicose veins, skin ulcers, phlebitis (inflammation of a vein) and other diseases.

In addition, due to the long-term compression and ischemia of common peroneal nerve, some individuals may suffer from impaired motor and sensory functions. They may feel sore and numb in their lower limbs, and may even suddenly be unable to stand or walk normally.

2.Bowlegs

Crossing legs may also cause bowlegs, a condition in which the legs curve outwards like a bow between the ankle and the thigh.

When crossing legs, the upper leg is unevenly stressed and leaned inwards, which will increase the cartilage wear and the pressure on medial knee joint. At the same time, a ligament on the outside of the knee joint is continuously stretched. All these symptoms may lead to less good-looking bowlegs.

Bowlegs (left) and normal legs (right) [Photo/Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission]

3.Deformity of the spine

When crossing legs, your body will involuntarily lean forward and the pelvis on both sides will be unevenly stressed, which will cause the spine to bend sideways and bulge backwards simultaneously.

Maintaining this position for a long time can easily lead to pelvic tilt, deformity of the spine, lopsided shoulders, legs of different lengths, and in severe cases, it may even lead to a herniated disk.

Abnormal spine when crossing legs. [Photo/Xinhua]

4.Unhealthy reproductive system

Crossing your legs for a long time will raise the temperature between the two legs and this may breed bacteria, which will affect male’s reproductive health and increase female’s risk of gynecological diseases.

[Photo/Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission]

How to avoid crossing legs?

Crossing our legs is not a disease, but is cause by an unhealthy lifestyle. Therefore we can easily avoid it consciously.

1.Correct your sitting position

Usually we cross our legs when we lean back or in a very relaxed state. But if we raise our heads, straighten our back with feet together, and tighten stomach muscles, it will be difficult to our cross legs and has the benefit of looking more graceful and healthy.

The right sitting position. [Photo/Guangzhou Municipal Health Commission]

2.Put a book on your lap

When you sit upright, put a book or other small objects on your lap. So when you lift one leg, the book will fall due to an imbalance, which can remind you not to cross your legs.

Finally, if you cannot quickly change the habit of crossing legs, please try to keep this unhealthy posture within 15 minutes.

Author| Ariel

Editor| Monica, Jerry

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