Although there are many concerns about the impact of crossing your legs on joints or the risk of varicose veins, there is little evidence to support these fears.
Most of us have been reprimanded at some point for the way we sit.
“Don’t cross your legs, will end up on your knees“. “You will have varicose veins“. “Sit up straight.”
This is the list of health warnings many of us heard as children, along with cracking our fingers or sitting too close to the television. But is crossing your legs really bad?
For most people, the answer is probably no.
There is little evidence that sitting with your legs crossed causes back damage, wear on your hips or knees, or varicose veins.
In fact, the biggest problem for many of us is staying in the same position for a long time, become stiff or sore and then assuming that the discomfort means something is wrong with the body.
Where did this idea come from?
Part of it probably had origin in ancient ideas about posture.
For a long time, sitting “properly” was considered a sign of discipline, self-control, and good character. Once this kind of thinking takes hold, it’s easy for social rules to start sounding like medical facts.
It’s also easy (and common) confusing discomfort with injury. Sitting cross-legged for a period of time can cause stiffness, compression or the urge to move.
But it is generally a signal to change positionnot an indication that you are silently harming your body.
This fits into modern thinking about posture and pain, which has moved away from the idea that there is a “perfect” posture.
What about your back?
Crossing your legs is often included in the “bad posture” category, as if it twists your spine and causes problems.
But research on posture and back pain did not find an ideal position to sit that protects everyone, or a common stance that consistently deals damage.
In one, physiotherapists from different countries were asked to choose the “best posture for sitting”. Their answers varied greatly. The researchers concluded that beliefs about ideal sitting posture are shaped by tradition and professional cultureas well as the evidence.
The stance remains relevant, but its backs are strong and adaptable. They are made to tolerate a wide range of positions.
Generally, the biggest problem is staying stuck in the same posture for too long, whether it’s cross-legged, standing up straight, or hunched over a laptop.
What about hips and knees?
Another common claim is that crossing your legs “wears out” the hips or knees.
Once again, there is little evidence that this is true.
Your hips and knees support much greater forces when you climb stairs, get up from a chair, run, jump or carry shopping.
Sitting with your legs crossed can change joint angles for a short period, but this is far from being shown to cause arthritis or permanent joint damage.
Studies specifically looking at the relationship between cross-legged sitting and long-term joint damage are limited, so the evidence is not conclusive.
But the evidence we have does not corroborate the old warning.
When clinical guidelines talk about maintaining healthy hips and knees, they focus on aspects such as physical activitymuscle strength, healthy body weight and joint load control.
They don’t focus on avoiding a common habit of sitting.
So if crossing your legs feels comfortable, there is little reason to consider it dangerous.
If you start to feel uncomfortable or stiff, uncross your legs.
Does sitting with your legs crossed cause varicose veins?
No.
Varicose veins occur when valves inside the veins don’t work properlywhich can allow blood to pool and veins to widen.
The risk is most strongly linked to factors such as age, family history, pregnancy, obesity and certain work patterns, including long periods of standing.
Crossing your legs can briefly alter blood flow while in this position. But that doesn’t mean it causes varicose veins.
The evidence we have do not prove that sitting with legs crossed is a cause of varicose veins.
Are there times when this matters?
Sometimes yes, but generally for specific clinical reasons and often only for a short period.
After some hip arthroplastypeople are traditionally advised to avoid crossing their legs while the tissues heal.
But even in this case, more recent research suggests that some of these precautions may be more cautious than necessary for many patients, and removing these precautions did not increase the risk of early dislocation in one study.
There are also situations where a doctor may suggest avoiding a position for comfort or because it irritates a sensitive area for some time. This is very different from saying that the position is harmful to everyone.
And most of us know the temporary numbness or tingling which can occur after sitting in an uncomfortable position for a long time. This usually passes quickly once you move. Again, this is a signal to change position, not proof of damage.
So, what’s the point?
A variety of movements matters more than the perfection of posture.
The body tends to adapt well to options. Sit with your legs crossed if that is comfortable. Then uncross them. Change your body weight. Lean back. Get up. Go for a walk.
The healthiest sitting position is often one that doesn’t last for the next hour.
Move more, vary your position and trust that your body is probably much less fragile than you imagined.
