It’s one thing to be a slave to fashion for the sake of looking stylish. It’s another thing entirely to let yourself become a fashion victim or casualty of discomfort. The truth is, if you regularly wear clothes and accessories that are too tight, too heavy, too tapered or that simply don’t fit properly, you could set yourself up for lingering pain or irritation or ongoing health problems. It’s already happening to many who don’t realize their symptoms stem from their less-than-stellar sartorial choices.
Here’s a look at five potentially risky fashion choices — and how they may impact your health.
Heavy purses. Carrying around an overly heavy bag can lead to neck, shoulder, back and even foot pain. What’s more, a 2013 study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science found that when women habitually carry handbags on the same side of their body, it leads to changes in their gait. “When you carry a purse on one shoulder, the weight is very unevenly distributed so it causes you to list to one side and puts a lot of strain on that shoulder and the low back,” explains Dr. Carol Frey, a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at UCLA. “There’s no point in carrying that much unless you’re traveling, in which case you should get a small daypack” to wear like a backpack.
Before toting around a purse, tote bag or other carryall, Frey recommends weighing it: If your purse weighs more than 5 pounds or your hand-held tote weighs more than 10 pounds, it’s time to lighten the load. It also helps to avoid carrying your purse on the same side of your body all day or day after day.
[See: 10 Seemingly Innocent Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore.]
Constricting shapewear. Corsets, Spanx and other types of shapewear may give you the nipped-in waist, the flat belly and the streamlined curves you want. But they can compromise your ability to breathe normally by compressing your internal organs against your diaphragm, and they can also slow the rate at which food moves through your gastrointestinal tract, according to a 2000 study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science. As a result, your digestion may be slower than usual, which can leave you feeling bloated and uncomfortable.
Similarly, tight belts or pantyhose and snug waistbands on pants and skirts can aggravate indigestion or heartburn by putting excessive pressure on the abdomen, which can push acid from the stomach up into the esophagus, warns Dr. Cynthia Yoshida, a professor at the University of Virginia Digestive Health Center in Charlottesville and the author of “No More Digestive Problems.” “Anything that increases pressure on the abdomen puts you at greater risk of reflux, especially after a large meal or if you’re carrying extra weight in your gut.” Your best bet is to wear compression garments sparingly, if at all. If you’re prone to reflux, stick with looser waistbands or at least loosen your belt in the evening. Another solution: Wear a jacket if you want to camouflage your midsection.
[See: 7 Pieces of Workout Gear to Ditch or Replace.]
Sexy lingerie. Wearing a thong, a teddy or string-bikini underwear may make you feel racy and sultry, but it can trap bacteria in the vaginal area and compress the sensitive tissue down there, making you more susceptible to vaginal infections including yeast infections. “There are only a couple of inches of space between the openings to the urethra, the vagina and the rectum — tight underwear can act as a superhighway for bacteria from the anus to travel to the vaginal area,” explains Dr. Jill Maura Rabin, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine on Long Island and author of “Mind Over Bladder.”
The upshot: “It may be in your best interest to wear looser-fitting underwear,” Rabin says. Otherwise, shower before and after wearing snug underwear or string panties, she advises. Quickly change into clean, dry clothes after working out or swimming to prevent yeast infections, especially as the weather warms up.
Too tight jeans. Wearing excessively snug skinny jeans can compress the nerves that run along the outside of your thigh, where the seam is, causing what’s come to be called Tingling Thigh Syndrome. It’s usually temporary, but the nerve compression can cause a numb, tingling or burning sensation that’s truly uncomfortable, Frey notes. Adding insult to discomfort, wearing painted-on jeans can also cause skin chafing on the thigh and crotch areas and decrease the blood supply to the muscles and nerves in your lower leg, which can exacerbate the numbness or tingling in your lower extremities, she adds. Choose jeans that allow for air and blood flow, and you’ll increase your odds of sidestepping these problems.
[Read: 5 Ways to Cope With the Changes Your Feet Undergo With Age.]
Too pointy shoes. You probably know that regularly wearing high heels can take a toll on your feet, hips and back. But did you know that cramming your feet into tight, overly pointy shoes of any height also could lead to agony for your feet? It’s true, and here’s why: Wearing shoes with a narrow toe box alters the biomechanics in your feet, causing increased pressure on the balls of your feet, which can promote the development of bunions, hammertoes (which have a permanently abnormal bend in the joints), metatarsal stress fractures, neuromas (inflamed growths of nerve tissue in the ball of the foot) and other painful foot conditions. A 2016 study in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences found that women who wear constrictive shoes with a very narrow toe box between ages 20 and 39 have nearly a three-fold increased risk of developing hallux valgus (or, bunions) after age 50. “A shoe that’s not shaped like a natural foot will cause the foot to become deformed over time,” Frey warns. “In a way, it’s a modern form of Chinese foot binding.”
If you want to wear tapered shoes once in a while, do so for no more than three hours at a time, Frey advises, and kick them off under your desk or the dinner table whenever you can. Generally, you’re better off sticking with shoes that have a rounded or squared toe box, that don’t cause pressure points or pinch the nerves on the foot, and that allow you to freely wiggle your toes, she says.
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Are Your Fashion Choices Hurting Your Health? originally appeared on usnews.com
