Skinny jeans may be good to wear and look at for some, but these fashion items can cause a person a trip to the hospital, especially if worn during strenuous activities.
An article published this week in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry featured the case of an unidentified woman from Australia who experienced ankle weakness and swelling in her lower legs after wearing very tight jeans during a day of heavy lifting.
This case supposedly showed "new neurological complication of wearing tight jeans."
The 35-year-old patient reportedly recalled how "her jeans had felt increasingly tight and uncomfortable during the day" after she did a lot of squatting and lifting as she helped a family member move in and clean cupboards.
Worse, the woman who wore skinny jeans experienced serious numbing of the legs after a day of heavy activities, causing her to trip and be immobile for hours.
To relieve the numbness and pain being experienced by the woman, doctors from the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide resorted to cutting the very tight skinny jeans apart.
Doctors were surprised to find out that the patient's nerves in the legs have been damaged, thus causing severe weakness in her ankles.
The physicians explained that the woman's decision to wear skinny jeans during a strenuous day caused her to have the so-called "compartment syndrome."
This is a serious condition wherein an injury causes swollen muscles or nerves, which are further constrained by a layer of tissue called the fascia.
Because of this, the tissue is unable to expand and remains constricted, meaning that blood flow to these body parts are cut off. This eventually causes injury to nerves and muscles.
Dr. Roy Buchinsky, Director of Wellness at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, explained that serious cases of compartment syndrome may require surgery to cut open the tissue and normalise blood flow and to allow the swollen tissues to heal.
The possible consequences of wearing skinny jeans during prolonged strenuous tasks do not stop there. Severe cases of compartment syndrome may require amputation to treat the patient.
Luckily, the woman in the study was able to walk again after resting for days.
Buchinsky nevertheless reminded the public to always be careful of numbness and tingling in the limbs
"Once the leg starts to swell, the train has left the station. That's the sign the muscles are really going to be inflamed and the pressure is way too much," the doctor said.
