Doctors warn not to squat for long periods in skinny jeans
Woman hospitalized for four days after suffering muscle damage, swelling and nerve blockage in her legs
An Australian woman became seriously ill, collapsed and was unable to walk after wearing a pair of skinny jeans, news.com.au reported.
Emergency doctors at Royal Adelaide Hospital had to cut off the 35-year-old woman’s jeans. It took four days on a drip for the woman to recover from the severe damage to her muscles and nerves in her lower legs. Doctors were also concerned about lasting kidney damage.
According to news.com.au, the woman had spent the day helping a relative move houses, squatting while wearing skinny jeans. Later, her feet went numb and she collapsed, trapped on the ground for several hours before being found and taken to the hospital.
The combination of squatting and tight jeans caused “compartment syndrome,” leading to swelling of the muscles and compression of nerves, neurologist Thomas Kimber, who treated the woman, told news.com.au.
According to the Australian Orthopaedic Association, this was the first case of compartment syndrome caused by skinny jeans that they were aware of, but there may be more to come.
“I have not heard of this being an issue with skinny jeans but it is an issue with tight bandages and plaster casts,” the association’s vice president, Andreas Loefler, told news.com.au. “There’s just not enough blood supply to the muscles and some muscles actually die, which is why it’s such a serious issue.”