Fashion’s medical hazards

LONDON — The unforgiving jeans stalking almost every woman’s wardrobe, thanks to trendsetters Kate Moss and Sienna Miller, have already been associated with meralgia paresthetica, or “tingling thigh syndrome” — numbness caused by pressure on a nerve running from your pelvis to your thigh. But now, the painful outcome of squatting in said skinnies has been raised by health experts, who coined it “compartment syndrome”.

Doctors in Australia have detailed how squatting in tight jeans can cut off blood supply to muscles and compress a nerve behind the knee, bringing a debilitating loss of feeling in the legs, feet and toes. The warning was issued after a woman in Australia was found lying on the ground, unable to get up, after collapsing when her feet and ankles became numb. In the hours before she fell, she had been helping a friend to move house and had squatted down for an extended period while wearing her jeans to empty cupboards and lift boxes.

Moral of the story: Never be too proud to don a pair of stretchy leggings when you’re required to contort into some uncomfortable positions. Also, this acts as a green light for anyone seeking an excuse to get rid of theirs.

Meanwhile, medical practitioners have been flagging another warning: Wearing heels higher than 5cm (or two inches) or pointed toe shoes can cause you to develop Morton’s Neuroma. There is a surge of the agonising foot condition in middle-aged women due to years of high-heel wear and ill-fitting shoes, and styles designed with a pointed toe are thought to be particularly problematic. Morton’s Neuroma, also known as interdigital or intermetatarsal neuroma, affects the nerve that runs between the toes. Wearing high-heeled shoes can push the toe bones against the nerve, making it more likely for the condition to develop. Patients in hospital were treated with insoles and steroid conditions — something to bear in mind the next time those impractical but beautiful stilettos wink at you from your shoe rack.

If that’s not enough, heavy handbags may pose a health hazard too. Carrying your bag on a bent elbow looks effortlessly ladylike — and it’s a great way to show off one’s conspicuous consumption in the handbag department — but it’s never going to do your body any favours, particularly if you’re hoarding everything but the kitchen sink in there. Experts were quick to point the finger at Victoria Beckham, who at one stage was always photo-ready with an arm hook crook to swing her newest Birkin from (but who probably only ever had a smartphone jingling around inside hers) for the rise of women suffering from shoulder problems, torn muscles and inflamed tendons. The bigger the bag, the easier it is to fill with all of life’s essentials, so while a miniature-sized bag may leave you feeling somewhat unequipped, a stress-free back is surely worth the reward.

But perhaps the most bizarre health warning has to do with ladies’ crop tops, especially if you plan to wear those in cold weather. In the mid-noughties, an alternative health practitioner warned that sporting crop-tops in cold weather could affect teenage girls’ chances of having children. Dr Chen Wei-Xiong told The Scotsman newspaper: “When the stomach area is exposed to cold air, it can block the blood and energy flow in that area. It’s dangerous.” He also explained that poor circulation caused by the cold could thin the womb lining, leading to painful periods and infertility.”

He added: “The unhealthy environment inside the womb is the biggest factor behind infertility in modern society.”

If nothing else, that’s always a good reason to plump for a nice jacket for your wardrobe. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH