Medicine Are varicose veins caused by sitting with the legs crossed?

Women in particular love crossing their legs when they sit down. It is comfortable, elegant and prevents unwanted looks, especially when a woman is wearing a skirt. However, according to the combined wisdom of grannies all over the world, a posture like that is unhealthy: varicose vein alert!

That is because in this position the knee of the bottom leg presses into the knee pit of the top leg and could thus inhibit the blood flow of the veins there.

An old wives’ tale

But Prof Dr Markus Stücker lays such fears to rest: “That’s an old wives’ tale. No study exists which would verify that crossed legs inhibit the blood flow and promote varicose veins. Veins are located so deep inside the leg that they cannot be compressed like that,” says the RUB vein specialist and President of the German Society of Phlebology.

If there is one thing that is not beneficial for veins, it's sitting down for a prolonged period of time. That’s because the muscle pump in the legs is not active and blood is not transported from the leg towards the heart. If other harmful factors are added to the equation, such as overweight or loose conjunctive tissue, varicose veins may indeed occur.