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I have noticed that when I sit at a place for too long say 8hrs my legs begin to ache.

In between twice or thrice I do take a break and walk around although it's very little.

Now why does this happen? Also, is this an indication of poor physical health?

Edit: I am a 17 yr old male. The only form of exercise I get from is playing outdoors.

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  • To get a good answer, it might be helpful to add some information about you. Are you male/female? What age are you? – MJB Apr 10 '17 at 6:43
  • You are not supposed to sit for 8 hours at a stretch. Are you sitting on chair and where do you get ache? Calf/thighs? – PravinCG Apr 10 '17 at 7:49
  • I do take two or three strolls in between but just 2 or 3. The pain begins in the thighs but then eventually my whole leg hurts. – rattle99 Apr 10 '17 at 7:50
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    We are not doctors and not examining you so we can't explain your pain. – John Apr 10 '17 at 10:11
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    I am a practicing orthopedic medical professional. – Mike-DHSc Apr 11 '17 at 21:02
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Based on your age, the fact the pain is bilateral (both legs) and the long duration required to trigger symptoms, it sounds like it’s a combination of factors (obviously I can't give you an official diagnosis):

  • Blood pooling, contributing to venous insufficiency.
  • Minimal lower extremity movement that aids venous return to your heart especially against gravity.
  • Also, if you tend to lean back when sitting still, that will exacerbate the effect.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

I’d recommend buying a swiss ball ($8 at Walmart) https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-75-cm-Anti-burst-Body-Ball/39082935

If you’re going to be sitting for a long time, that’s your best bet. It will require you to constantly stabilize yourself and once you get used to it you don’t have consciously think about while you're on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletal-muscle_pump https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2010-04-29/your-office-chair-is-killing-you https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/06/12/how-to-stop-your-office-chair-from-killing-you/#7edaa24c10a6

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  • Basically, what one must do is keep changing their posture from time to time. Right? – rattle99 Apr 10 '17 at 10:23

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