Skinny Jeans Cause Nerve Damage? That's Just Great

Posted May 27th 2009 at 3:06PM by Courtney Dunlop (Subscribe to Courtney Dunlop's posts)

Queen of the skinny jeans, Kate Moss. Photo: Getty Images

Think it's time for baggy boyfriend jeans to be the "it" jean? Let's hope so, because according to this article, medical experts are seeing a rise in the number of women with nerve damage in their legs -- and skinny jeans are to blame!

Apparently there is a nerve that runs down the side of your leg and, as the article quotes New Orleans neurologist Dr. John England, "Anything that is tight around there could potentially compress the nerve that goes there."

(Oh, and wearing high heels only makes it worse because of the unnatural way they push your pelvis forward. What else are we wearing that's bad for us?)

Women have reported tingling sensations in their legs and -- in some cases -- full-on numbness. The symptoms are temporary and when you take off the jeans things should return to normal, but still -- kinda creepy!

Here's the big question:

If you know your skinny jeans could cause your leg to go numb does that make you think twice about wriggling into them? Or do you not care?

Tags: health, jeans, nerve, skinny-jeans

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

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tracy 5-27-2009 @ 5:02PM

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Caroline @ Salescoop 5-27-2009 @ 5:08PM

Am I the only one who was shocked when they read this? I definitely dont want nerve damage, but I don't think giving up skinny jeans is an option! Any other addicts? I guess its like the old saying goes- beauty is pain!

Monica 5-28-2009 @ 1:28AM

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

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Charlotte 5-28-2009 @ 1:48PM

It's so much more convenient for all of us to just blame nerve damage on tight jeans than to actually help our bodies and nervous system out by getting exercise and eating properly.

Hannah 5-28-2009 @ 5:08PM

I'm kind of what you would use for a stereotype- meaning i love skinny jeans no matter if theyre pink blue purple or plain.... and i dont really wear high heels at all so i dont really care... thats just my point of view, i mean if you want to wear like saggy gangster pants then thats cool but i'm not giving up skinny jeans just because it might make my legs hurt.... that person is right, beauty is pain.. lots of it hahaha

i love skinny jeans i'm never giving them up for that!

Val Pancakes 5-28-2009 @ 7:00PM

What keeps me from skinny jeans is that I would look like an idiot in them. As do most people that wear them.

pkhall1 6-02-2009 @ 5:51AM

This is true...its called meralgia paresthetica. Most commonly seen in overweight types with tight waistbands...Reversible with weight loss or looser fitting clothing.

marsha 6-02-2009 @ 2:54PM

NOT A PROBLEMiF YOU HAVE SKINNY LEGSand if you buy the correct size, as I do , your jeans would look a whole lot better and would not be too tight ANYWHERE! I can roll my skinny leg jeans over a pair of cowboy boots. CAN YOU? DOn't have this problem andNOW boy am I ever glad for my ugly skinny legs that I always hated! Sorry if you have BIG LEGS (I do have a BIG BELLY)

Olivia 6-04-2009 @ 10:54PM

okay its quite simple to solve this problem without giving up the amazing fashion choice of skinny jeans. Just dont buy ones that are too tight. I wear skinny jeans practically every day, mine are breathable though. They are not too tight, like other people's jeans are. I mean if you can't even pinch the fabric when you are wearing them, that is a sign that you need to bump up the size. Duh, that wasn't too hard to figure out! I, a thirteen year old girl, have figured it out! TA-DA!!

Oh, and one more thing,
They shouldn't even blame the nerve damage on skinny jeans alone, I have seen regular flare jeans tighter than my skinny ones.

Debbie 6-18-2009 @ 9:15PM

This is so ridiculous. The same warnings came out in the 70s and 80s and they were proved to be wrong then, as this is now. I've worn tight jeans and tight skinny jeans for years now, often with heels, and I've never had any of the problems that tight jeans supposedly get blamed for. There must've been a slow news day at MSNBC.

andy@fashionblur 7-14-2009 @ 12:31PM

What alot of Poppycock! as we say over here in Blighty. Let's rebel against this sort of nonsense and invest in a brand new pair of skinnies................http://www.peacocks.co.uk/Womenswear/Jeans/Skinny_Jeans