Smarter: Is It Bad to Sit With Your Legs Crossed?

However, crossing your legs at the knees or having one ankle crossed over a knee for extended periods of time has been associated with temporary elevations in blood pressure, poor posture, and chronic musculoskeletal pain, says Max A. Fitzgerald, MD, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

It can pull your pelvis into a tilted position and, over time, potentially cause low back pain and even some misalignment in the spine. It can also lead to muscle tightness and pain.

Crossing your legs at the ankles is typically a little better than crossing them at your knees or having an ankle over a knee because it doesn’t cause as much pressure on the hips and pelvis, but it’s still not the most ideal sitting position, Max says.

And if you have issues with your hips, sitting cross-legged could have further negative effects on your body. For instance, people who have hip osteoarthritis or femoroacetabular impingement, a condition in which the bones of a hip joint aren’t shaped properly, might experience joint compression, inflammation, and pain when sitting cross-legged, says Jennifer Heberton, PT, a physical therapist at Hospital for Special Surgery, a medical center focused on musculoskeletal health in New York City.

What about the lotus pose?

This can be controversial. Meditation is considered to be beneficial for mental and even physical health, but the lotus position can put strain on the knees, Max says.

For a healthy person with good flexibility, short amounts of time spent in the lotus position during meditation or yoga should be okay if corresponding time is spent stretching the hip muscles and strengthening the thigh muscles. But if you have a history of knee issues, it’s probably best to find a different modified position, Max suggests. 

Some sitting positions, including the lotus position, can be challenging and painful at first if your body isn’t accustomed to them. You can build your tolerance over time by stretching regularly, taking breaks, and changing your position when you feel pain or strain, says Hetal Kulkarni, PT, the center manager of Rush Physical Therapy who also works at Rush University Medical Center. 

So what’s the best way to sit?

We’re not saying that you should never sit cross-legged, but as a general rule, try to sit with your feet flat on the ground or on a footrest and your knees bent at an angle of no less than 90 degrees.

But no matter how you’re sitting, make sure you’re changing your posture regularly and getting up and moving around to get the blood flowing whenever you can, says Dana Keester, MS, a CR ergonomics expert.

And if you have back pain from sitting in a chair, but you’re not sure about the cause, here are all the things you could be doing wrong.

Bonus link: Best office chairs we rated (available to CR members).