Sitting with crossed legs has health implications. [REX] 

You probably cross your legs at least once while you’re having dinner, working at your desk, or pretty much any time you sit down. Odds are, you don’t even realise you’re doing it — you just sit and cross one leg over the other, like you’ve done for years.

But experts say you might want to rethink that habit: Crossing your legs can actually have some negative health effects. Here’s what you need to know:

It Causes Back And Neck Pain

In a perfect world, you’d sit facing forward with both feet planted squarely on the floor. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. Most of us shift our weight around, lean to one side or the other, or, yup, cross our legs.

According to orthopedic physical therapist Vivian Eisenstadt, crossing your legs is just asking for back and neck pain. Sitting with your legs crossed puts your hips in a torqued position, which can lead to the rotation of one of your pelvic bones, she explains. Since your pelvis is the base of support for your spine, it puts unnecessary pressure on your neck and lower and middle back when it’s rotated and unstable. And the longer you sit with your legs crossed, the more pressure you put on your spine, which increases the odds you’ll develop an issue.

“Days and weeks of doing this are one of the main reasons we have back and neck pain, as well as herniated discs,” she tells Yahoo Health.
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