Sitting cross-legged causes the spine, joints, back, and hips to bear a lot of force, which in the long run can cause osteoarthritis, pelvic tilt, and affect walking.

Sitting cross-legged is a familiar position for many people, especially women. In the long run, this position can cause many serious impacts on the neck, back, hips, knees, posture, and gait, especially for people with varicose veins.

On May 23, Dr. Le Bao Le, Department of Internal Medicine and Musculoskeletal, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that when sitting cross-legged, one leg is placed on the thigh of the other leg, causing the hip to no longer be balanced but to lean to one side. In order for the body to regain balance, the spine must lean to the opposite side, which over time will cause the spine and neck to no longer be straight due to having to bear more force than usual.

In addition, the back, neck, and hips also have to bear a lot of pressure, making them more prone to pain and fatigue. When crossing the legs, the lower area is also pressed a lot, making the varicose veins worse.

Sitting with the legs crossed causes the hip area to bear uneven force, leading to uneven development of the muscles in the spine and hips. The side that bears more force will be larger, affecting posture and even walking.

Doctor Calvin Q Trinh, Head of the Musculoskeletal Correction Center at Hospital 1A (HCMC), also said that this habit causes the body to lose its symmetry, causing pelvic distortion, even pain in the lumbar region and knee pain. Crossing the legs can put pressure on the peroneal nerve behind the knee, and blood flow to the joints in the legs is also reduced, hindering the process of creating synovial fluid in the joint, causing the joint to dry out.

"This both increases pressure on the cartilage and stretches the ligament system, leading to the risk of osteoarthritis," the doctor said.

Crossing your legs for a long time also causes the knee joint to be pressed in the wrong position, increasing pressure on the cartilage, causing the ligament system to stretch. This position is dangerous for people with bone and joint diseases, people with venous insufficiency, making the disease worse, making it difficult to walk, affecting the quality of life.

According to Dr. Le, the best sitting position for health is to sit with both legs parallel, the back and neck straight. This is the position that makes the force evenly distributed to the neck, back, and pelvis. At this time, the body is balanced, limiting the impact on the muscles, bones and spine. Occasionally, women can sit cross-legged, but it should not become a habit.

For those who have to sit for a long time, they should straighten their legs and put their feet forward, or just cross their feet. People who do sedentary office work should stand up every 60-120 minutes of sitting and walk around to limit aches and pains.

When you have pelvic or spinal misalignment or bone and joint problems, you need to go to the hospital for examination and treatment to restore, relieve pain, and improve motor function.