They've become a fashion staple.
Seen on celebrities from J-Lo to Kate Moss to Russell Brand, skinny jeans seem like they are here to stay for a while.
But , being in fashion may come at a cost to your patient's health.
Neurologists are seeing an increasing number of patients with a condition called meralgia paresthetica (MP), and skinny jeans are being implicated as a major cause!
Meralgia paresthetica is a disorder characterized by tingling, numbness, and burning pain in the outer side of the thigh. The disorder is caused by pressure on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN), which supplies sensation to the skin of the thigh. The nerve is compressed as it exits the pelvis.
Other symptoms include:
- Pain which can radiate to other parts of the body, such as knee and buttocks
- Pain, followed by burning sensation in the affected parts
- Increased sensitivity to heat in the affected part. As a result, taking warm shower or accidental spill of warm water produces intense pain in the region.
- Worsening of symptoms after activities, such as walking, that put the thighs under more strain.
Wearing high-heeled shoes (which frequently completes this fashion look) makes things worse by tilting the pelvis forward and increasing the pressure on the nerve.
Meralgia paresthetica (MP) has been seen in people who have recently gained weight or become pregnant. A in Siena, Italy showed that a high body mass index (BMI) was more frequently associated with MP. In thea study, obesity doubled the risk of MP and is probably related to increased pressure due to abdominal protrusion.
MP has also been diagnosed in policemen who wear their guns on their belts and construction workers who wear heavy work belts. cited incidents of MP in US soldiers in Iraq caused by their protective body armor. Although the authors agree that protective body armor is proven to be lifesaving, they suggest that "modifications to improve current equipment may help to decrease morbidities such as meralgia paresthetica."
, in a study at the Mayo Clinic, point out that patients with diabetes are especially prone to the disorder. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of MP in people with diabetes was 247 per 100,000 patient years, compared to 32.6 per 100,000 patient years in the general population. This is 7 times the occurrence of MP!
Meralgia paresthetica can also be iatrogenic. According to Grossman, in an , it has been "found to occur after a number of orthopedic procedures, such as anterior iliac-crest bone-graft harvesting and anterior pelvic procedures. Prone positioning for spine surgery has also been implicated."
Treatment for meralgia paresthetica is symptomatic and supportive. The majority of cases improve with conservative treatment by wearing looser clothing and losing weight. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and, if necessary, local corticosteroid injections can also be used.
SO, the next time a patient comes in complaining of pain or numbness in their lateral thigh -- don't forget to ask what kind of pants they wear!
You can console them by saying that not all celebrities like skinny jeans. In fact, rapper Jay-Z- :
"no one on the corner/got a bop like this/don't wear skinny jeans/'cause my knots won't fit."