London - They’re a fashion favourite sported by the Duchess of Cambridge and glamourous celebrities including Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Nigella Lawson.
But skinny jeans could seriously damage your health, doctors have warned.
Medics have highlighted the case of a 35-year-old woman who spent four days in hospital on a drip after her skinny jeans caused her to collapse in agony.
The woman lay on the ground unable to move her legs for four hours before being rescued by paramedics, who had to cut off the constricting trousers because her calves had swelled so badly.
Doctors found she had suffered from “compartment syndrome” – damage to the nerves and muscles in her calves caused by the tight jeans. The damage weakened her ankles, making it impossible for her to stand, and she spent four days in hospital on an intravenous drip before she was able to walk unaided.
The woman had been helping a friend move house, squatting “for a protracted period of time” as she emptied some cupboards.
As the day wore on the jeans had drastically reduced the blood supply to her leg muscles, causing swelling and compression of the adjacent nerves. This meant she could not move her ankles or toes and her lower legs and feet went numb, causing her to fall over.
Her case, which has been published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, is the first reported incidence of skinny jeans causing problems that require hospital treatment.
The victim was an Australian, and researchers from the Royal Adelaide Hospital said: “The case represents a new neurological complication of wearing tight jeans.”
Previously skinny jeans have been linked to a condition called meralgia paresthetica – numbness caused by pressure on a nerve running from your pelvis to your thigh. While it may not be dangerous on a one-off basis, repeated episodes can cause permanent nerve damage. Tight “control pants” have also been linked with health problems.
Men are warned that wearing overly tight jeans can cause reproductive problems.
Daily Mail