People who are able to cross their legs shortly after suffering a stroke may have a better chance of recovering than those who are unable to cross their legs.
A small German study reported in the journal Neurology found that people who were able to cross their legs within the first 15 days after severe strokes had fewer neurological problems, lower death rates, and were able to live more independently.
“Despite having severe strokes that left them with slight loss of movement and even reduced consciousness, we noticed that some people were still able to cross their legs, which is not as easy as it seems,” said Dr. Berend Fedderson, lead study author.
The University of Munich researcher added that if subsequent studies confirm these results, doctors will have a new prognostic tool for assessing a patient’s likelihood of recovery.
“Like any new finding, we need replication in larger samples to know if early leg crossing is as good a prognostic sign as this study seems to indicate,” Dr. Ralph L. Sacco, Chief of Neurology at University of Miami, said in an interview.
According to the American Heart Association, an American has a stroke every 40 seconds. Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States falling just behind heart disease and cancer.