It’s time to ditch the skinny jeans, as health experts say the tight-fitting jeans can be damaging to your health.
Although they may be “in style,” our blog has never been one to put fashion ahead of your health. We’ve come around a bit on high heels, so long as you wear them in moderation, but now it’s another fashion trend that coming under scrutiny. According to a news report, a 35-year-old women suffered muscle and nerve damage because she decided to squeeze into a pair of skinny jeans.
The unidentified woman was walking through a park when she noticed she was having difficulty lifting the front of her feet. She tried to walk it off, but eventually she tripped and collapsed to the ground. It was more than an hour before she was able to drag herself to a public area and flag down a cab to take her to the hospital. By the time she made it in front of a doctor, she had lost all feeling in her lower legs and feet.
The woman “recalled that her jeans had felt increasingly tight and uncomfortable during the day.”
Skin Tight Skinny Jeans
Not surprisingly, the skinny jeans were so tight that doctors had to cut the jeans off to remove them. They said the woman was suffering from compartment syndrome – a condition where an injury leads to swelling of the muscle or nerves that is constrained by a layer of fascia. When the swelling worsens, the fascia is unable to expand, and eventually nerves and muscles become injured when blood flow is restricted.
Dr. Roy Buchinsky, Director of Wellness at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, said tingling and numbness should be a sign that your jeans are too tight.
“Once the leg starts to swell, the train has left the station,” said Buchinsky. “That’s the sign the muscles are really going to be inflamed and the pressure is way too much.”
Dr. Buchinsky noted that surgery is sometimes needed to relieve the excess pressure. Cutting open the fascia gives the inflamed muscle increased room to heal. In extreme cases, amputation is necessary. Thankfully, in this case, the woman was simply put on an IV and bed rest. She later regained sensation in her legs and was able to walk out of the hospital four days later.
Doctors say the case was a “new neurological complication of wearing tight jeans,” and people should opt for a roomier pair.
Related source: ABC News
