# How common is it to have your crossed legs twitch in because of your pulse? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2014, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364 "2014-05-27T12:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/1 "2014-05-27T12:26:37Z")
Inspired by this thread on [visible wrist pulses](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=347920), (I have no visible wrist pulse, FTR) something I’ve always been aware of is my top leg jumping slightly when I sit with my legs crossed. How common is this? My leg twitch is large enough that my foot moves about half a centimetre, I would estimate. Does this happen to most people? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/2 "2014-05-27T13:06:00Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > Inspired by this thread on [visible wrist pulses](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=347920), (I have no visible wrist pulse, FTR) something I’ve always been aware of is my top leg jumping slightly when I sit with my legs crossed. How common is this? My leg twitch is large enough that my foot moves about half a centimetre, I would estimate. Does this happen to most people? Without having tested it on most people I can’t say, but I’ve seen it mentioned as an experiment with no caveat that “This works for only a few people, and you’re not dead if it doesn’t.” ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/3 "2014-05-27T15:00:48Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Without having tested it on most people I can’t say, but I’ve seen it mentioned as an experiment with no caveat that “This works for only a few people, and you’re not dead if it doesn’t.” Heh. That’s good to know, I suppose. Can you recall what the experiment was about, by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/4 "2014-05-27T16:20:22Z")
Don’t know how common it is, but it happens to me. I have also noticed a recliner rocking slightly with my heartbeat when I am fully laid back and otherwise still. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/5 "2014-05-27T18:24:38Z")
This happens to me as well. I have noticed, however, that fairly often (~65%) I now get a pain behind the knee after sitting crossed for a while. I worry I’m pinching the vein and am going to cause a blood clot or varicose vein or something. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/6 "2014-05-27T19:46:11Z")
Probably almost normal. Note that a piece of evidence that Abe Lincoln had Marfan’s syndrome is the twitching of his leg in some famous photo, postulated to be caused by aortic regurg. So also maybe Marfan’s Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/7 "2014-05-27T20:53:33Z")
I have it and I’m 5’0", clearly not Marfan 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/8 "2014-05-28T11:12:56Z")
Not to thwart the conversation, but after working out, I can often see my skin ripple across. Typically I can be sitting and simply watch the skin on my leg ripple across and sometimes throb. I always assumed that this is simply electric activity in the muscle. It looks bloody strange that is for sure and freaks my wife out. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/9 "2014-05-28T11:55:28Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Probably almost normal. Note that a piece of evidence that Abe Lincoln had Marfan’s syndrome is the twitching of his leg in some famous photo, postulated to be caused by aortic regurg. So also maybe Marfan’s Syndrome. True enough, but remember that Lincoln had a number of characteristics suggestive of Marfan’s, not just his pendulum-leg: from my post in [this old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=92818): > [@me](#): > > 1. Even for a man of his height, his fingers have been described as unusually long (a sign of Marfan Syndrome) > > 2. Contemporary reports describe him as being “loose jointed” (a Marfan feature) > > 3. The blurred legs in his photographs (see **Sir Rhosis** ’ post above) have been taken to indicate the presence of aortic regurgitation (another sign of Marfan Syndrome - see **my post above** ) > > A number of web sites (eg. [this one](http://www.wcwp.com/thelincolnproject/articles/062899.htm)) talk about doing genetic testing for Marfan’s on some of Lincoln’s preserved tissues. I don’t know the current status of that endeavour. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/10 "2014-05-28T12:06:54Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > Heh. That’s good to know, I suppose. Can you recall what the experiment was about, by any chance? Just a “visualize your pulse” or “this is a movement of your body there’s no way to control” activity. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/11 "2014-05-28T17:31:17Z")
> [@MostlyUseless](#): > > Not to thwart the conversation, but after working out, I can often see my skin ripple across. Typically I can be sitting and simply watch the skin on my leg ripple across and sometimes throb. I always assumed that this is simply electric activity in the muscle. It looks bloody strange that is for sure and freaks my wife out. That sounds freakily fascinating! I’m tempted to ask if you’ve ever found a video of this (not necessarily yourself, of course) online, and if you have, do you mind linking to it? I, for one, would be interested to see this in action. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/12 "2014-05-28T19:34:00Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > 1. Even for a man of his height, his fingers have been described as unusually long (a sign of Marfan Syndrome) > > 2. Contemporary reports describe him as being “loose jointed” (a Marfan feature) > > 3. The blurred legs in his photographs (see Sir Rhosis’ post above) have been taken to indicate the presence of aortic regurgitation (another sign of Marfan Syndrome - see my post above) > > A number of web sites (eg. this one) talk about doing genetic testing for Marfan’s on some of Lincoln’s preserved tissues. I don’t know the current status of that endeavour. This is incredibly weak evidence for a disease that only affects about 1 in 5,000. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyUseless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MostlyUseless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyUseless)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-have-your-crossed-legs-twitch-in-because-of-your-pulse/689364/13 "2014-05-29T13:25:25Z")
Actually, this has happened only a few times, but should it occur again, I will get video. When it occurs, it doesn’t happen like a single muscle rippling, but rather like lightning will spread across the sky. Definitely weird. Great! Now I am a medical curiosity! Sometimes my heart will pound to the extent that my wife can feel it. This occurs at weird times, but when it does happen, it is not in concert with high pulse or anything like that; it is just, sometimes you can see it. I should say that I am a pretty good cyclist and thus, I have very large legs and the upper body of a 12 year old girl.