Do you want to protect your veins, never cross your legs while sitting, warns Canadian osteopath Brendon Talbot.
In a video shared on TikTok, he added that crossing legs can compress a major drainage area in the lower limbs. Talbot added that the pressure build-up can lead to circulatory problems and ultimately contribute to vein disease including varicose veins.
"All of the blood from the lower limb drains into the femoral vein [a large blood vessel in your thigh] which travels below the inguinal ligament [groin]," Talbot said in the video.
Varicose veins occur when the tiny valves inside the veins of the legs stop working properly, causing blood to pool in the veins, making them swollen and painful. It can lead to complications such as bleeding if the vein is knocked, chronic venous insufficiency and skin ulcers.
According to him, regular exercise helps keep the blood moving through veins and thus increase its health.
"Everything in the body relies on movement down to a cellular level - try to move at least 30 minutes a day. Internal fat can also put stress on nearby vessels - restricting blood flow and increasing pressure of the veins," he explained in the video.
Talbot also advised keeping a healthy weight to reduce blood pressure.
He also advised avoiding sitting or standing for long as veins 'have flap-like tissue called valves'.
"Muscles contraction help move blood through these valves back to the heart. Try to change positions regularly throughout the day," he pointed out.
His informative videos are very popular on TikTok and they have garnered a combined 3.5 million likes.
