Skinny jeans may be a staple in women’s wardrobes, but a new case study suggests that squatting while wearing them could result in serious nerve damage in the lower legs.
A report published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, details the story of a 35-year-old woman who spent hours lying on the ground, unable to get up, after wearing skinny jeans while helping a relative move.
The anonymous lady spent many hours squatting while emptying out cupboards and recalled that her jeans felt increasingly tight and uncomfortable during the day.
In the evening while she walked home, her feet felt numb and she noticed she was unable to move them. As a result, she tripped and fell and spent several hours on the ground before she was discovered and brought to the hospital, the report states.
By the time doctors were able to examine the woman, her legs were so swollen that the only way the jeans could be removed was to cut them off. Doctors found she was also unable to move her ankles and toes properly. However, the report noted that movement in her hips and knees was normal.
Doctors said the pressure of the jeans on the back of the leg caused ‘compartment syndrome,’ a condition where blood supply to the leg is diminished, resulting in swollen muscles and the compression of the nearby nerves.
“We believe it was the combination of the squatting and tight jeans that caused the problem,” said Thomas Kimber of the Neurology Unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia who led the study.
The woman was unable to walk for four days and spent that time in the hospital being treated with intravenous fluids before she was able to use her legs properly again.
Squatting is known to lead to the compression of nerves near the knee joint, as well as reduce blood supply to the calf muscles.
In the case of the woman in the study, her calf muscles responded to the diminished supply by swelling.
“If the woman had been wearing loose trousers, the calf muscles could have swollen ‘outwards’ rather than ‘inwards,’ thus avoiding pressure on the nerves and blood vessels,” Kimber said.
The lead author said people should not squat for prolonged periods of time, particularly while wearing skinny jeans.
Wasim Khan, a surgeon specializing in compartment syndrome at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital said people wearing tight jeans should be mindful of any loss of feeling in their legs, according to The Telegraph.
“If you start to get any numbness the first thing you should ask is wehther your jeans are too tight, especially if you are doing a lot of activity,” Khan said.
The surgeon added, “Walkers are known to get chronic compartment syndrome where the muscles swell because of lots of activity, so they may be more likely to suffer.”
Compressed nerves due to skinny jeans have also been linked to a condition called meralgia paresthetica, also known as “tingling thigh syndrome.” In 2012, doctors in Baltimore, Md. reported cases of women with the condition, which was exacerbated by wearing high heels, as it causes the pelvis to tip and increases pressure.
Doctors have also advised men trying for a baby to avoid tight trousers and jeans, as they may lead to overheated testicles, which lowers sperm count. Tight jeans have also been linked to bladder weakness, fungal infections and urinary tract infections.
Despite the report, Priya Dasoju, professional adviser at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said the case depicted was an extreme one.
“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,” Dasoju said, according to BBC. (With reports from BBC, Los Angeles and The Telegraph)
