If you tend to sit at your desk with your legs angled underneath your chair, the elevated pressure on the backs of your legs can inhibit circulation coming from the feet. This can lead to swollen ankles or varicose veins or even deep vein thrombosis. To circumvent this problem, sit with your feet on the floor or a foot rest. Avoid tucking your feet onto the spokes of your chair, and adjust the height of your seat to allow for comfortable keyboard use.
Sitting with your legs crossed can also be detrimental to your health. Crossing your legs at your knees applies pressure to your peroneal nerve, a major nerve that rests just below the knees. Pressure on the peroneal nerve can lead to a tingling, “pins and needles” sensation called paresthesia.Chronic paresthesia can be a telltale sign of diabetes, and two-thirds of diabetics develop some form of nerve damage in their feet and legs because of a weakened blood supply to the nerves in the lower extremities. Repeatedly sitting with your legs crossed can lead to long-term numbness in your legs due to nerve damage, as well as high blood pressure and back pain.
The potential complications from sitting may be alarming, but the solution to these problems is relatively simple, so you can relax — but not in a chair for six hours. Some experts posit that combating the negative effects of sitting can be simple as standing up to literally anything. Set a timer to remind you walk to the water cooler every hour, or to perform two jumping jacks. Participating in a miniature workout every sixty minutes might not make you the coolest employee in the office, but it can certainly prevent a vast array of health issues, so encourage your co-workers to join you! Habitual, light activity is all you need to keep your body healthy and your feet happy.
Has prolonged sitting caused pain in your feet? Call Kansas City Foot Specialists to schedule an evaluation at (913) 338-4440, or request an appointment online so we can work with you to keep your feet healthy.
