Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-14
Leg caossiNc.
NsedIess and Dangerous Pressure on
AZ tt,. Nervea and Vessels.

Inasmuch as crossing the legs
causes hollow thighs. II, may be of in
terest TO look into the matter from "a
medical point and notice some evil ef
fects OF the practice. The back or the
knee, as we'll as the front OF the elbow
and wrist, the groin and the armpit.
contains important nerves and vessels
which are not 50 we'll protected against
direct pressure as similar structures In
other parts of the body. This space
behind the knee, bounded above by the
hamstrings. or tendons of the plexar
muscles, and below by the heads Of the
great calf muscle, is called the popli-
teal space and contains two large
nerves, the external and the internal
popliteal nerves, which are the di-
visions OF the great scrotic. together
with the large popliteal artery and its
vein, which carry the blood to and
from the leg.
Besides there are numerous branches
supplying the joint, and also a number
of small Emphatic glands. These
structures are beneath the skin. EN-
bedded in fat and connective tissue,
and the pulsation Of the artery can Of
ten be felt, while of the nerves the ex-
ternal can be made out just inside the
external hamstrings.
Now it is the pressure upon these
vessels and nerves, brought about by
improperly crossing the legs. that often
gives rise to serious trouble. Fortu-
nately most of us throw the crossing
leg SO far over the leg crossed that the
thigh of the first rests well up on the
other, and popliteal space is left free.
But very often the legs are crossed In
such a way that the knee pan of one
fits accurately into the popliteal space
| of the other. thus throwing the weight
lpf the leg upon the vessels and nerves
which it contains. =,
The leg and foot become numb OF
go to Sleep" as we say, and the foo,
is. seen to jerk up and down, with q
definite rhythm. This means that the
nerves are compressed and the artery
| is CONSTRUCTED If the jerking of the
| foot be. watched one will see that Il,
beats in time with the pulse, which
means that besides the hydrostatit
pressure in the blood vessels the heart
is overcoming to a certain degree the
weight of the leg and the walls of the
compressed artery are strained The
| vein. 700, Is CONSTRUCTOR, ana our lee
| feel big and swollen, and the superficial
veins on the back of the leg often stand
out in black lines. ... ...., ! ..
| That these symptoms are unfavor-
! able is beyond a doubt. A compressed
| nerve. il long subjected to such condi-
| tons. is bound to rebel. Sciatica, as
cending paralysis, chronic. numbness
| and cramps have often been traced di-
rectly to the pressure caused by cross
ing the legs Many men ''go lame" in
| one leg, or have a bad knee" and II
| is found that they habitually cross
their, legs in a definite way. Construct
an artery or q vein and the penalty is
| sure and often swift. Thrombosis, or
a blood clot in the vessel; aneurism. OF
a morbid dilation of the vessel; i'm
proper venous return and varieose
veins. to say nothing of swollen feet
and poorly nourished muscles, are
| some of the graver ills. .,.-,,.. .
Fortunately. not all or necessarily
| any of these affections re,inevitably
| entailed by crossing ones legs. Howet-
en- if the danger signals, of numbness,
swelling and jerking Of the, foot ap-
pear, we may rest assured that il long
kept up we may and probably will suf-
| fer from one or more of these troubles
Troy, Times. -,.; L. ..,ayrs -,st.- b