Crossing and Uncrossing Legs

Habit: When stressed or anxious, some people obsessively cross and uncross their legs and swing their feet. These relatively brisk movements seldom cause problems. The potential for health damage comes from how you sit with legs crossed, says Yogi Matharu, a physical therapist and director of physical therapy at University of Southern California University Hospital, and assistant professor of clinical physical therapy at USC.

When you sit with your legs crossed, the body’s weight tends to shift to one side of the buttocks, instead of being evenly distributed across the sitting bones, Matharu explains. The pelvis rolls backward, the upper back goes from a straight to a rounded position, and one or both shoulders tend to slope forward and downward. The neck now needs to extend to allow the head to look straight ahead. People often feel very relaxed in this slouchy position, he says, and they’re unaware that the way they’re sitting may affect their health.

Damage: In the short term, sitting this way can cause compression in the sciatic nerve, which runs from the spine, through the buttocks and down the legs. This squeezing of the nerve may decrease blood flow, and lead to pain, numbness or tingling in the legs. It may also result in nerve irritation, a condition that he says might require weeks of recovery.

More serious long-term consequences may include neck or low back pain, headaches and other chronic musculoskeletal problems.

For acute conditions, Matharu helps patients find their most appropriate seated position to keep their spines in alignment. He also suggests they periodically check and correct their body position at various times during the day. When the condition has become chronic, Matharu suggests treatments that include exercise, stretches, manual therapy and using other equipment or aids, such an ergonomic keyboard. “To fully address these issues, patients must focus on the root of the problem, which is correcting the seated posture,” he says.

Posted in: America’s Top 8 Nervous Habits