Skinny jeans can be harmful to body, says medical journal
Skinny jeans could be bad for your health.
Medical journal Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry described the case of a 35-year-old Australian woman who couldn't walk after squatting in her jeans.
The Adelaide woman had noticed that she felt an aching pain in her legs while emptying a cupboard.
She had stayed in the same squatting position for some time.
As she was walking home, she fell and was unable to get up.
The co-author of the article, Dr Thomas Kimber, a consultant neurologist, said: "By this time dark and late in the day, no one noticed her fall and she was lying there for some time – several hours."
While still unable to get up, she crawled to the side of the road and hailed herself a taxi and headed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
There, the medical staff were forced to cut her jeans off because the woman's legs were so swollen.
She also had severe weakness in both her feet and ankles.
The combination of the prolonged squatting and tight jeans had cut off the blood supply to the woman's legs which caused swelling and nerve damage.
Dr Kimber said: 'We were certainly surprised and shocked... that someone could get such severe nerve and muscle damage from the activity she described. The clothing she was wearing was the critical factor."
But before you go burning all of your skinny jeans, Dr Kimber said there is no real need to do so.
Just make sure you don't squat for long periods while wearing them
"The take-home message is to avoid wearing skinny jeans if you intend to do a job with squatting or kneeling. If your legs begin to feel uncomfortable or tingle, you should stand up and get the blood circulating again."
The woman was warded for four days and eventually recovered fully.
Here are two other potentially harmful fashion trends.
1) Corset
Corsets were popular up till the 19th Century.They have been conspicuously absent since (unless you count Keira Knightley and her countless period roles).
But Kim Kardashian has brought the corset back into the mainstream consciousness.
She uses it for waist training. Well, did you really think that itty bitty, teeny tiny waist of hers was totally natural?
It apparently helps to reduce fat and "mould" your waist. If that sounds too good to be true, it is.
Just a tip: There is no such thing as a miracle product.
And well, medical experts have found that to be unhealthy.
Marie Claire magazine quoted weight loss and nutrition expert Christopher Ochner, Ph.D. who said that wearing corsets for an extended period of time can lead to crushed organs, compressed lungs and fractured ribs.
He added that while it may work short-term, the results can me more harmful in the long run.
2) High heels
We all know that high heels are a pain, literally.
But wearing those towering pair of shoes that makes your legs look more shapely for a prolonged period of time can actually affect your spine too.
The Spine Health Institute said that the lower back is pushed forward and that takes the hip and spine out of alignment.
Poor alignment can lead to back pain.
Furthermore, excess pressure is placed on the knees.
So when someone describes your footwear as killer heels,
Sources: Marie Claire, Sydney Morning Herald
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