JOIN USStop! Don't wear skinny jeans
Although considered to be in vogue, wearing skinny and other tight-fitting jeans may pose certain health hazards which are majorly unheard of.
A condition called ‘tight jeans syndrome’ arises which causes numbness, tingling and a burning pain in the legs above the knees alongwith a host of other medical problems.
Wearing tight jeans compresses the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, a sensory nerve that runs from the abdomen through the thigh. Medically the condition is also known as ‘meralgia paresthetica’.
Apart from causing pain in the legs, the syndrome might also result in digestive issues such as heartburn, indigestion, and abdominal distention. Wearing high heels with skinny jeans can further aggravate the situation as the heel tilts the pelvis in a way that increases the pressure of the skinny jeans.
Dr I C Premsagar, senior consultant, neurosurgery, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, gives some easy tips to get relief from this condition. “One need not worry as this condition is caused only when the jeans is worn tight around the hip area. For a person suffering from this syndrome, removal of the stimulant is recommended i.e. he/she should stop wearing a tight belt or jeans that are tight around that area.”
“Doing this would help the person return to normalcy in six weeks. But, people who tend to ignore the symptoms and keep wearing tight-fitted jeans might be causing permanent damage to their lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Taking timely action at the onset of this problem will help in avoiding this syndrome to a great extent,” adds Premsagar.
Following are some of the pain relieving tips for people suffering from this syndrome:
* Medicines: Medications used in other forms of neuropathic pain, such as tricyclic antidepressants. Antidepressants may alleviate some of the symptoms of pain.
* Moist heat therapy: Moist heat placed on the upper outer thigh may help decrease pain or numbness.
* Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: A special device is used to send mild signals from the nerves going to the brain. It reduces the pain when applied over a body part in pain.
* Physical therapy: A physical therapist may recommend special exercises to strengthen the leg muscles. It might help in making one feel relaxed.
* Pulsed radiofrequency: This device delivers very mild electrical signals to the nerve, blocking the nerve pain, and increasing the body’s ability to fight pain.
* Surgery: Decompressive surgery is rarely needed when the symptoms are bad, and other treatments remain ineffective.