Health warning issued over skinny jeans as doctors warn wearing them can lead to nerve damage

An Australian woman suffered nerve damage in her legs and was taken to hospital where she had to be cut out of the denim

Experts are warning that skinny jeans can cause muscle and nerve damage to wearers' legs (Getty Images)

Skinny jeans can seriously damage muscles and nerves, doctors have warned.

The denim design has been a fashion staple for many years but experts have warned that they can cause muscle and nerve damage to wearers’ legs.

The Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry has described a case in which a 35-year-old woman had to be cut out of a pair after her calves swelled and ballooned in size.

The woman, who has not been named, had spent several hours squatting as she helped a family member move house in Australia. After a while, she began to have difficulty walking and lost sensation in her legs.

She fell and struggled to get up again. She was found lying on the ground hours later and was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital where she had to be cut out of the jeans. Doctors found that her muscles and nerves were damaged.

Doctors believe the woman developed a condition called compartment syndrome; a condition caused by increased pressure within a confined body space and resulting in nerve compression.

As the woman was squatting, the tight jeans stopped her calf muscles from being able to swell outwards, instead forcing them to compress downwards and crush the nerves.

Doctors have also previously warned against wearing high heels with skinny jeans, as wearing the shoes tilts the wearer’s pelvis and increases pressure against the jeans, risking nerve damage.