J Korean Phys Ther.  2022 Feb;34(1):1-5. 10.18857/jkpt.2022.34.1.1.

The Effects of Prolonged Sitting in a Cross-legged Posture on Pulmonary Function in Young Adults

• Son SM

• KMID: 2526911
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.18857/jkpt.2022.34.1.1

Abstract

Purpose
The impact of prolonged sitting in a cross-legged posture on physiological factors has not been extensively studied. We therefore attempted to evaluate whether prolonged sitting in a cross-legged posture affects pulmonary function in normal young adults.
Methods
Twenty-four participants were recruited in this study, and the participants were equally allocated to the normal sitting posture group (NSP group, n = 12) or sitting posture with the cross-legs group (SPCL group, n = 12). The NSP group sat on chairs without crossing their legs for 30 minutes, and the SPCL group sat on the chair with legs crossed (the right knee on the left knee or the left knee on the right knee) for 30 minutes. The pulmonary function of the subjects was evaluated based on forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FVC/FEV1, and peak expiratory flow (PEF) measured using a spirometer.
Results
In the intra-group comparison, the SPCL group showed significant differences in FVC and FEV1 before and after sitting (p < 0.05), but no significant differences (p > 0.05) were observed in the NSP group. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the pulmonary function parameters measured before and after sitting (p > 0.05).
Conclusion
Our results confirmed that prolonged sitting in a cross-legged posture could have a negative influence on pulmonary function. Therefore, if a sitting position is maintained for a long time, the correct sitting posture should be maintained to prevent musculoskeletal disorders as well as to maintain normal pulmonary function.

Keyword

Prolonged sitting; Cross-legged posture; Pulmonary function