Dangerous Fashion: Skinny Jeans Cause Permanent Muscle and Nerve Damage

Nowadays, there is a high priority with regards to fashion and keeping up with the latest trends. Not only can you express yourself more through the clothes you wear but it can also be a form of social status. That is why many people exert so much effort to look a certain way.

However, looking good doesn’t necessarily mean feeling good contrary to the popular belief. Just look at some of the women today who continuously purchase expensive stilettos that are both uncomfortable and very painful at the same time. Or wearing clothes that reveal so much of their skin that they could have just gone bare without anyone noticing the difference - not to mention freezing to death in the process.

There are already thousands of cases that come from fashion related mishaps which is seriously unnecessary and embarrassing and potentially harmful too. Just recently, a study that was published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry found the damages that could arise from wearing tight jeans. According to the research, squatting in skinny jeans for prolonged periods of time could actually cause permanent muscle and nerve damage due to the restrictions that the pair of pants induces.

A 35-year old woman was a “fashion victim” of the said snug, blood-trapping skinny jeans. She was helping a family member to move houses, and had spent a significant amount of time squatting to clear up the space whilst wearing her skinny jeans. As the time passed, she felt her jeans gradually tighten in the calf area eventually making her legs go numb. She had difficulty in walking and consequently fell over and not being able to get up. She was found a hours later with a very swollen leg that had to be cut in the hospital. Doctors said that she suffered from too much compression in the legs and that the jeans further restricted blood to flow properly. The swelling of the leg from this squash the nerves, which is referred as “compartment syndrome.”

For the men on the other hand, it was found that wearing skinny jeans could lead to painful testicle and bladder problems. Skinny jeans have been linked to lower sperm count and fungal infections.

A survey conducted to 2,000 British men found out that some had experience unpleasant side effects from wearing them especially in crotch area while trying to squeeze into a skinny jeans. The study also reports that ¼ of the skinny jeans wearing men are experiencing bladder problems while ⅕  of them had a twisted testicle from fitting in one. With little room to move in the jeans, the spermatic cord that holds the testciles are restricted and gets twisted which cuts off blood supply. In some conditions, surgery may be needed to alleviate the condition and to avoid permanent damage and amputation of the testicles.

That being said, we should be more wary of the potential side effects of fashion, making sure that the fit isn’t too restrictive to avoid unnecessary harm to our bodies.