Crossing Legs May Prevent Fainting
Study: Leg Tension Increases Blood Flow
Are you feeling faint? Cross your legs.
According to a Dutch researchers, a combination of leg crossing and muscle tensing may help prevent fainting, providing a simple solution for people prone to fainting during emotional stress or prolonged standing.
The study, published in Monday's rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, is the first of its kind to document the effectiveness of leg-crossing to prevent or delay loss of consciousness.
Vasovagal syncope, or fainting, results from a neurological reflex that originates in the brain. In response to a physical or emotional trigger, the brain emits signals that cause blood vessels to dilate and causes blood to pool in the legs. The heart rate also slows. As a result, the brain does not receive enough oxygen-carrying blood, leading to fainting.
People who are prone to fainting are generally educated about the causes of the condition, and instructed how to avoid situations that trigger fainting. Several drugs have been studied as treatment, but results have been inconsistent.
Leg muscle crossing and tensing should become part of the treatment for fainting patients, said study senior author Dr. Wouter Wieling, associate professor of internal medicine at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The researchers evaluated the maneuver in 20 patients, ages 17 to 74, who had a history of fainting, but were otherwise healthy.
Patients learned to cross their legs while in a standing position and tense the muscles of the legs, abdomen, and buttocks. They were instructed to begin the maneuver when blood pressure began to fall and symptoms such as lightheadness and nausea appeared.
In the study, the maneuver stabilized blood pressure and heart rate in all patients. Symptoms disappeared shortly after blood pressure became stable, and none of the patients lost consciousness while crossing legs and tensing muscles.
"You often see people standing with their legs crossed at cocktail parties, and we call this the cocktail party posture," Wieling said. "In our experience, patients will do this automatically after awhile. A great advantage of leg crossing is that it can be done almost unnoticed."
If crossing legs along doesn't reduce fainting symptoms, Wieling advises people to perform leg muscle tensing, and then if the symptoms are mild, to uncross their legs and walk with tensed muscles to a safe place to sit down.
If the symptoms are overwhelming, patients are advised to crouch down immediately.
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