Skinny jeans can cause nerve disorder

They may make you look slim, but at what cost? Experts now say super-tight trousers cause a condition called Meralgia Paresthetica

Skinny jeans have been a fashion staple for a long time. However, if you prefer good health over a garment that makes you look slim, read on. A recent article posted by an international website reported that too-tight skinny jeans could cause health problems. Another New York-based daily scripted an advice on the same topic by Dr Robert Rhee, chief of vascular surgery at a Brooklyn hospital, who said, "Switch to a larger size. The numbness is a sign your body is not getting enough blood." 
WHAT IS THE HEALTH RISK? 
Skinny jeans worn too tight can cause a nerve disorder called Meralgia Paresthetica, and was brought to the spotlight by Dr Karen Boyle from the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in the US. The website stated her as saying, "It's a disorder that occurs when one of the nerves that runs in the outer part of a thigh gets compressed." This nerve disorder has been noted in medical papers. In 2003, Malvinder S Parmar reported three cases in the Canadian Medical Association Journal stating that patients who suffered from Meralgia Paresthetica were all overweight women who had worn tight, low-rise trousers over the previous six to eight months. 
HOW DOES IT OCCUR? 
Explains neurosurgeon Dr Sunil Kutty, "Meralgia Paresthetica is a nerve condition where the lateral cutinous nerve (sensory) of the thigh, which exits around the waist to supply the lateral part of the skin of the thigh, can be damaged. When someone puts on weight (most commonly a paunch) or wears a tight belt, this nerve could get compressed. When such a compression happens, the function of the nerve may alter and even a slight touch can be perceived as pain." 
Before you develop a denim scare and swear off skinny jeans again, here are a few things to remember. "Wearing skinny jeans might cause this condition only if it's worn tight around the hip area. This can be treated but there's no easy cure. We recommend removal of the stimulant, i.e. not wearing a tight belt or jeans that are tight around that area. To cure it, we either decompress the nerve or cut it off completely," says Dr Kutty. Neurophysician Dr PP Ashok confirms, "Obese people tend to get this nerve pinched, as the nerve is very delicate. It's not a blanket rule that this is bound to happen to people wearing tight clothes, but it's advisable not to. People prone to pressure-sensitive numbness and diabetes are more likely to suffer from this disorder. One may have numbness and a burning sensation on the outer thigh." 
Another detail flagged up was about wearing high heels with skinny jeans, worsening the situation because tilting the pelvis increases pressure on the sensitive area. Dr Ashok says, "When one wears high heels, the weight of the body comes on the toes and this can effect the tender nerves. All these contribute to this problem." 
Skinny jeans have raised health concerns in the past as well when an article stated that doctors advise men trying for a baby to avoid these as they may cause the testicles to overheat, lowering their sperm count. Wearing skinny jeans can also increase the chances of developing thrush.

TOO TIGHT FOR COMFORT: Wearing skinny jeans comes with peculiar problems