Crossing your legs often can harm men's health

Many people sit on a chair and cross their legs out of habit, thinking it is more comfortable. However, experts warn that crossing your legs may cause many diseases.

Disease 1: It may cause varicose veins or blood clots in the legs. Liu Deping, deputy director of the Department of Cardiology at Beijing Hospital, said in an interview with reporters that when you cross your legs, the knees that are pressed are compressed, which can easily affect the blood circulation in the lower limbs. If the legs remain in one position for a long time, they are prone to numbness. If the blood circulation is blocked, it is likely to cause varicose veins or blood clots in the legs. "Especially for the elderly who suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease, crossing their legs for a long time will aggravate their condition." Liu Deping suggested that if you feel numbness or soreness in the muscles of your legs, you should immediately lay them flat and rub or pat them repeatedly with your hands to relieve fatigue and restore blood circulation as soon as possible.

Disease 2: Affects male reproductive health. "Developing the habit of crossing your legs is very detrimental to reproductive health." Li Hongjun, chief physician of the Department of Urology at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that when crossing your legs, your legs are usually too tightly clamped together, which raises the temperature of the inner thighs and around the genitals. For men, this high temperature can damage sperm, and long-term use may affect fertility. For this reason, Li Hongjun recommends that you should not cross your legs for more than 10 minutes, and avoid crossing your legs too tightly. If you feel sweat oozing out of the inner thighs, it is best to walk in a ventilated place for a while to dissipate the heat as quickly as possible.

Disease 3: It causes spinal deformity and back pain. Gao Xinsheng, an orthopedic doctor at Beijing Hospital, said that the normal human spine should be "S" shaped when viewed from the side, but when crossing your legs, you tend to bend your back and hunch your back. Over time, the spine will form a "C" shape, causing uneven pressure distribution in the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. Over time, it will also compress the spinal nerves and cause back pain.

In addition, experts also suggest that people who sit for a long time should maintain a correct sitting posture and avoid crossing their legs. If you can't change it immediately, don't cross your legs for too long. You should change your sitting posture after a few minutes, or stand up and stretch your muscles after an hour.

The origin of Erlang

The poet Liu Shahe once wrote an article titled "The Explanation of Erlang's Legs", which explained the origin of Erlang's legs in a humorous way. He pointed out that Erlang's legs are not only said in Sichuan, but also in other provinces. This is the sitting posture of Erlang Shen. The Erlang Shen statue in the main hall of the Chuanwang Temple in my hometown and the Erlang Shen statue in the old Erlang Shen Temple in Jiangyan, Shudu, are all in this posture. It is said that Erlang was the second son of Li Bing, the prefect of Qin Dynasty. He helped his father to dig up the Li Dui and kill the dragon and eliminate the harm. After his death, he was named Erlang Shen.

In the Investiture of the Gods, there is a character called Erlang Shen Yang Jian. The legend became a novel, which is even more absurd... Erlang Shen's sitting posture is absolutely not in line with Confucian norms. The so-called "crossing legs" should be called Yu Bu in professional terms.

According to legend, Yu tried his best to control floods and dig ditches. He did not return home for ten years and suffered from hemiplegia (hemiplegia). One leg became stiff and he became a cripple. When I was young, I saw a wizard perform a ritual, jumping on one foot and lifting the other foot, which was called Yu Bu, imitating Yu. The Erlang Shen statue in Dujiangyan is sculpted in a sitting position, with the right leg resting on the left leg, also imitating Yu. In the 1980s, it was changed to a standing position, holding a spade, and the crossed legs disappeared, and the sense of mystery was lost. The old statue retained the tail of the ancient myth, indicating where we came from, which can be regarded as respecting ancient culture. The change to a migrant worker repairing water conservancy has made the term "crossed legs" lose its basis, making it difficult for future generations to study, which is really not worth it.