Whether at work, at the dinner table or in a waiting room, the custom of sit cross-legged But as comfortable as it is, the position can cause problems for your posture and knees.

Sitting with your legs crossed will not cause a medical emergency. However, in order to avoid poor posture and increased blood pressure, it is important to avoid sitting in any position - crossed legs or not - for long periods of time. See below for complications that can occur from sitting with your legs crossed.

High Pressure

When you measure your blood pressure, it is recommended that you place both feet on the ground, because crossing one leg over the other can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure.

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A study done in 2010 showed a significant increase in blood pressure when the participants crossed their legs at knee level. There was no increase when the legs were crossed at the ankle.

Although this study supports the claim that crossing your legs can increase blood pressure, it shows only a temporary increase, so if you already have high blood pressure, try to avoid spending long periods of time with your legs crossed just to be safe.

Circulation

When sitting, your legs fight against gravity to keep the blood flow going normally. This causes inflammation of the veins (varicose veins), potentially putting you at greater risk of a blood clot and increasing blood pressure (hypertension).

Therefore, to achieve optimal health, researchers recommend sitting with your knees and ankles at 90-degree angles and keeping your pelvis balanced. Breaking this habit of sitting with your legs crossed may be difficult for some, but over time you will begin to notice an improvement.

Posture

Spending long periods with the leg over the knee can cause the pelvis to rotate and tilt, which can cause pain in the lower back and lead to a misalignment of the spine.

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When you have poor posture, your muscles are forced to compensate. This means they work harder than they need to, which can lead to pain and stiffness.

Neck pain

By crossing the legs, the joints and nerves in the legs and knees are put under pressure.

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Crossed legs make the hips uneven, which forces the pelvic bone to rotate. The pelvic bone is the support base for the spine. If left unstable, it can produce unnecessary pressure on the neck and back. So the longer you sit in this uneven position, the more pressure is put on the knee and spine, increasing pain.

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