To Cross Or Not To Cross?

Leg crossing has also long been linked to morality and etiquette. In some countries and cultures it’s looked on as casual, disrespectful and altogether lower class. For the same reasons, many orthodox religions frown upon leg crossing in church. And what’s good for the soul should be good for the feet right?

From a health point of view, while leg crossing may not the worst thing in the world, it’s not brilliant either. And if you do have broken veins on your calves or suffer with back issues, it’s perhaps worth understanding how crossing your legs is thought by some to contribute to these issues. Let’s go.

 

The blood pressure connection

Your doctor will often tell you to uncross your legs because blood pressure rises slightly when you cross your legs at the knee. Some people are even able to use this increase in blood pressure to their advantage by crossing their legs to prevent an impending faint. But while high blood pressure is bad for your health, there is no evidence that leg crossing contributes to the condition.

The habit of sitting with your legs crossed can make it more likely that you will develop spider veins because it increases the pressure on your veins and impedes blood flow. The vessels then weaken and narrow and allow blood to flow back in. Blood can then pool in the legs and your veins swell.

Varicose veins are another reason we’re told not to cross our legs. But while these unsightly, swollen blood vessels occur as a result of damage to the small valves that normally keep the blood moving in one direction: straight back to the heart. In those with varicose veins, some blood refluxes out into the small veins on the surface which subsequently balloon under the pressure.

Varicose veins are more common in women, especially those who have had (many) children and with advancing age.

Crossing your legs may draw attention to varicose veins but it’s not their cause.