Woman issues warning on why you shouldn’t sit in a ‘W shape’

Photo by@sasscarella/Tiktok Nimito/Shutterstoc

‘Stop them while you still can.’ As kids, we develop little quirks, habits, and personality traits that we often don’t realize will impact us later in life. And even something as simple as sitting in a certain position can end up reshaping the body as it grows.

This is exactly what happened to TikTok user Sarah Pascarella (@sasscarella).

Pascarella, who typically uses her platform to share glimpses of her life as a nanny in France, recently went viral on TikTok after sharing a PSA to parents, warning them. Don’t let your kids sit the way they used to as a child.

What’s this position?

“This is a PSA to parents that let their children sit in a little W shape when they’re little, something like this,” Pascarella says, demonstrating the sitting position.

The W-sitting position Pascarella is referring to is when someone sits on the floor with their knees bent and legs spread out to the sides, with their feet tucked next to their hips. The legs form a shape that looks like the letter “W.”

“Stop them while you still can,” Pascarella warns.

How did W-sitting affect her?

The TikToker explains that sitting in this position caused her shoes to wear out much faster than normal.

To demonstrate her point, she shows a pair of Converse sneakers, both bent at the outer edges. “Look at them, all my shoes look like this,” Pascarella says. She also mentions that she often opts for platform shoes, explaining that they give her “more sole to get through.”

Pascarella shares her experience of how sitting in the W-position impacted her not just her back alignment but also her athletic activities, leading to her running with her legs outwardly turned. She mentions that no coach was successful in correcting the shape of her hips.

“My pole vaulting coach tried, my hurdle coach tried, my cheerleading coach tried,” she states. “I ended up in the back of all the cheerleading formations because my coach was too embarrassed about how I ran.”

She also remembers that being in any other posture as a kid was uncomfortable, and recommends that parents intervene promptly if they observe their kids adopting this posture. "If you address it at the right time, I believe it could have been corrected," she says.

She implores others to not end up like her, warning, “Now that I live in a walkable city, my shoes are going way faster and I’m having to spend way more money.”

What do doctors say about W-sitting?

A Healthline piece mentions that W-sitting is a common behavior during childhood development but might become a concern if it occurs too often.

The piece explains that extended W-sitting can result in uneven muscle development, tightness in the hips and legs, and possible problems with coordination. It could also lead to orthopedic issues, such as walking with pigeon toes, or aggravate existing conditions like hip dysplasia.

Healthline advises parents whose children prefer this position to encourage them to sit in other ways, such as criss-crossing or side sitting so their muscles can develop in a balanced way.

Commenters share advice

In the comments, some users found the situation amusing, while others shared tips on how to improve the condition.

“ITS THE PHOEBE BUFFAY RUN,” joked one user.

“Regularly W sitting is often a symptom of other things, such as a weak core,” stated another. They advised. “See a PT if your kid does it often, don’t just make them stop.”

“Can confirm,” shared a third. “Sat like that up into my teenage years and now i have sciatica (diagnosed at 22 im 27 now).”