Dr. Weil (integrative medicine expert) and Phil Vasyli (foot health expert, podiatrist) offer solutions to remedy these potential health dangers and arm you with knowledge to make better choices, even if it is only the “lesser evil” option.

Tight Jean/Tingling Thigh Syndrome:

Tight clothes can cause numbness, tingling, and a burning pain in the legs above the knees, in addition digestive problems, abdominal distention, and heartburn after eating.  This doesn’t just apply to young women wearing skintight jeans; it can affect older men and women squeezing into trousers that are too small for them. Wearing tight clothes can compress a sensory nerve called the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve that runs from the abdomen through the thigh.    In addition to tight clothes, weight gain, pregnancy, trauma, and diabetes are also associated with compression of the nerve.
Expert Tip: Aim for skinny jeans with elastic based denim so that the elasticity will provided necessary give and flexibility.  Or, try a different fashion trend that is healthier for your body – palazzo pants, trousers, skirts, and summer dresses.

Foot Deformities

Stilettos and stylish spike heels have been linked to many foot problems including hammertoes, bunions, stress fractures, and Morton’s Neuroma, a persistent pain in the ball of the foot caused by the thickening of a nerve in response to pressure.  In addition, “pump bump” is a bony enlargement on the back of the heel from pressure and rubbing due to women’s pumps and dress shoes.  Pump bump leads to painful bursitits, inflammation of said heel area.
Expert Tip: Are high heels bad for your feet?  No, they are not.  But consider the fact that the normal human body was not intended to walk in high heels, so the most logical thing is to either not wear them or better, to save them for special occasions or the weekend.
If you want to wear a heel, the best option is to aim for a  1.5″ to 2″ heel with a wedge sole, more importantly with some contact with the arch or add an orthotic to add needed support at that high level.  Orthotics also help keep the arch contours in place in lower heeled shoes.
Wearing backless or soft-backed shoes can specifically help avoid irritating the pump bump area, if it’s already affected.

Shoulder Soreness, Stiff Neck, Muscle Strain, Joint Pain, and Headaches:

Women who carry large and heavy shoulder bags can throw the back out of line and cause shoulder soreness, stiff neck, muscle strain, joint pain, and bad headaches.
Expert Tip: The obvious solution is to carry smaller, lighter bags.  If you can’t give up your large shoulder bags, consider the advice from the American Chiropractic Association: make sure that the weight of your bag is no more than 10% of your body weight.