bjones
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Modern medical science does not recognize sitting cross-legged as being the cause of any major medical problems. However, a common myth exists that sitting in this style may cause a number of problems. Among those problems are knee pain, back pain, neck pain, spinal misalignment, poor posture, and varicose veins.
That being said, sitting with your legs crossed too tightly, can be the cause of a minor health issue: reduced circulation. If you sit with your legs crossed tightly or with too much pressure on your legs or feet, it can constrict or pinch the blood vessels. This very rarely causes complete loss of circulation. In fact, the loss of circulation is usually so little that it is usually not felt at all. When it gets slightly worse, reduced circulation will be felt as a tingling sensation. If it gets even worse, it can cause numbness in the legs or feet. When a leg or foot becomes numb from reduced circulation, we often say it has fallen asleep. In most cases, the tingling or numbness disappears in less than a minute after normal circulation has been returned.
In normal, healthy people, the reduced circulation from sitting in a poor cross-legged position will not cause your ankles or feet to swell. However, people with diabetes or other circulatory problems can experience swelling, known medically as edema. Edema occurs when fluid cannot be efficiently transported through the circulatory system. The fluid collects in the spaces between each cell.
The ankles and feet are most prone to edema because they are most often the lowest part of the body, and because they are the furthest part of the body away from the heart. Because they are the lowest part, gravity can pull liquid down to the ankles and feet. Since they are the furthest away from the heart, the force of each pump of the heart is at its weakest, making it difficult for the body to remove excess liquid that has collected.
So, while it is possible that sitting cross-legged may cause slight swelling in the ankles and feet, it is rare if you are otherwise healthy. If it does occur, it is usually minor and goes away soon after circulation returns to normal. If significant swelling occurs so that your ankle and foot looks ballon-like or if the swelling does not go down, you should see a doctor as soon as possible.
 Posted 4922 day ago
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