A majority of people in today’s day and age have desk jobs. They sit and work at their desk for hours, which has several health implications. One of them is how sitting for long hours at your desk affects your knees. Prolonged hours of sitting weakens your muscles, restricts blood flow, causes stiffness, and leads to poor posture that adds stress on your joints.
It is essential that you take the necessary steps that prevent this knee damage. But first, it is important that you know about the posture mistakes that can damage your knees. Read on to know some posture mistakes that can damage your knees.
Posture mistakes that damage your knees
- Sitting with Legs Crossed for Long Hours: Crossing your legs adds uneven pressure on the knees, hips, and lower back. Over time, this can strain your knee joints and affect blood circulation, causing stiffness and discomfort.
- Keeping Knees Bent at Sharp Angles (<90°): If your chair is too low, your knees remain bent sharply. This increases stress on the knee cartilage and tendons. Ideally, your knees should be at 90–100° with feet flat on the floor.
- Dangling Feet (Not Touching the Ground): When feet don’t rest on the floor (or a footrest), the weight shifts downward to the knees. This creates unnecessary pressure, which leads to pain or swelling over time.
- Sitting Too Far from the Desk: Leaning forward forces you to extend your legs awkwardly or keep them tensed for balance. This posture tends to tighten the hamstrings and add continuous stress on the knees.
- Not Moving for Hours: Sitting for long periods reduces blood flow and joint lubrication, causing stiffness in the knees. The lack of movement accelerates cartilage wear and may trigger early symptoms of arthritis.
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