Skinny Jeans should now come with a health warning, researchers have warned, after discovering that the trendy and often far too tight wardrobe essential, can cause severe nerve damage.
A 35 year-old Australia woman was recently cut out of a pair of skinny jeans, which she had been wearing as she spend hours cleaning cupboards. Her legs soon became swollen and she eventually lost all feeling in her feet. She was taken to hospital and put on a drip, leaving unable to walk for four days.
The case is the main topic of research conducted by the Journal Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, which highlights the severe muscle and nerve damage that wearing skinny jeans can cause; the tighter the jeans, the worse the damage.
“Very tight trousers can reduce blood flow in the lower limbs,” chiropractor Tim Hutchful, said. “This can make your body ache, a bit like having a stitch while doing exercise, because your muscles need more oxygen than your body is able to give them.
“Sitting or squatting compresses your body even more, intensifying the effect. People need to be aware of the potential risks.”
The condition, known as compartment syndrome, causes a collection of muscles to swell and bleed, leading to pain and numbness. Jean wearers have been advised to avoid wearing skinny jeans for a long period of time, to avoid this problem.
“As with many of these warnings, the very unfortunate case highlighted is an extreme one,” Priya Dasoju, professional adviser at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said
“There’s no need to ditch the skinny jeans just yet, simply avoid staying in the same position for too long and keep moving throughout the day. If you do suffer any prolonged pain you should of course seek help, but no-one should be alarmed by this warning or change the cut of their jeans.”
