Harmful Clothing and Accesories

Articles of clothing such as undergarments, belts, hats, and accessories are basics that men and women wear and use on a day to day basis, but who knew that some of these could actually be dangerous? Yes, women and men have both been injured over the articles of clothing they put on their body. For example a man riding in his car with his wallet in his front pocket could reduce groin circulation and lead to testicular problems. Women more often than not, carry large purses of bags that apply a lot of pressure to the shoulders. Not only can these leave marks, rashes or bruises, it also can affect your dispersion of weight and cause back pains.

There are many other injuries that result from clothing and accessories such as:

One in five women have experienced friction injuries from wearing thongs.

One in five men have endured painful ‘jogger’s nipple’ – rubbing or chaffing under their shirt.

On top of that one in eight adults said they’ve experienced headaches from a hat they didn’t realise was too tight.

And one fifth have endured pain from sunglasses causing pressure around their head.

Tight or ill-fitting belts can also be painful with patients experiencing numbness as well as a burning sensation along the outside part of their thigh, leading to hypersensitivity to heat in the shower or bath.

Overly tight hats cause vascular compression and sunglasses which when too tight can cause neck extension, headaches and neck pain.

Ballet pumps are almost as dangerous as high heels, while flip flops can result in claw toe, toe pain / rigid toes and Hallux limitus.

Information from: British Osteopathic Association