By Jennifer LeClaire

High heels. Skinny jeans. Shoulder bags. Today’s fashion could be leading to health-related issues for many men, women and children. Indeed, current fashion trends are what some chiropractors are calling “fashion faux-pas” due to their ability to trigger long-term spine, neck, knee and foot problems. The phrase “what not to wear” can take on a whole new meaning when aches and pains extend from head to toe, becoming an unfashionable reality.

“Especially in the world of women’s fashion, dressing to look savvy is one thing,” says Dr. Jen Faber, founder of Arlington, Va.-based Kinetic Health Alternatives, a concierge mobile health service that brings doctors to patients. “Putting together a wardrobe that will not only keep you looking fresh, but will also keep you pain-free and healthy takes conscious shopping to a whole new level.”

High Heel Hell

High-heeled shoes may be gorgeous, but chiropractors tend to agree that heels that are three inches or higher put significantly more pressure on the joints in the spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet. Many believe excessive high-heeled shoe wearing could lead to a host of problems, including lower back pain, hip pain, knee osteoarthritis, ankle sprains, bunions, corns and calluses. 

But how dangerous are high heels to the spine, really? Brent Russell, D.C., an associate professor at Life University, conducted a study to find out. Specifically, he studied whether or not high-heeled shoes increase the curve of the lower back. His findings: high-heeled shoes do not increase the arch in the lower back. It’s a misconception. Still, he says, shoes with three-inch heels or higher can cause problems.

“The research shows high-heeled shoes change the coordination between the ankle and the knee while walking, and it may predispose some to knee injury,” Russell says. “Frequent wearing of high-heeled shoes is also associated with a predisposition to Morton’s neuroma.” (Morton’s neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of the foot, most commonly the area between the third and fourth toes.)

Despite these findings, Russell says he would not argue with a woman who wears high-heeled shoes and complains of back pain. In other words, he doesn’t deny there may be a connection. He points to a study from Opila-Correia (1990), which suggests lower back and knee problems could be aggravated by high-heeled shoes. 

“Many women are surprised to hear that high heels can have a negative impact on their body,” says Tracey Wright, D.C., a chiropractor who practices in
Hawaii. “However, when they finally see the clear connection between the function of their nervous systems and their female organs, and their pelvis which will grow and birth babies, and how important the alignment of their spine is for these functions to occur with as much ease as possible, many choose to start looking for more ergonomic shoes to support them on a daily basis, while keeping the heels for special occasions.”

If high-heeled shoes could cause trouble, does that mean flat shoes, like the popular Vans and loafers, are a safe bet? Not according to Nadeem Bajwa, D.C., owner of Seattle Chiropractic & Massage Center, who says that flat shoes offer no support for the arches in the feet. “We try to move subluxations in the lower spine, but there’s only so much you can do when the person walks on improper footwear,” Nadeem says. “Being barefoot is a lot better than wearing some of the shoes that are fashionable these days. Some styles are bad for the spine altogether because it’s almost like walking on plywood.”

Hefty Handbags 

The sometimes obvious, yet often unnoticed, fashion trend that affects almost every woman’s spine is the handbag. Designer or not, these bags seem to be heavier than ever before, and are causing more harm than most women would like to admit, according to Shannon Subramaniam, D.C., author of “Dr. Shannon Knows” and a chiropractic staff member at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

“Depending upon the size of the bag, today it contains so much more than in years past,” Subramaniam says. “Our cell phone, iPad, keys, makeup, heavy pocketbook filled with credit cards and receipts, snacks or lunch and water bottles seem to find their way into our handbags that are really shoulder bags. These bags are not only weighing us down, but are full of potential trouble.”

And this is no longer just a female issue. Shoulder bags are now commonly used by men, especially for those in the corporate world. Subramaniam says overstuffed bags create more joint and muscle tension on one side of the body, which can trigger neck pain, shoulder pain, rotator cuff issues and even tension headaches, especially if the bag is worn on one side exclusively and for extended periods of time.

The Skinny on Skinny Jeans

You’ve seen the skinny jean trend. Some of this denim is so tight that it appears to be painted directly on the body. And therein lies the problem. Faber says the constrictive nature of skinny jeans limits the skin’s ability to breathe, so moisture gets trapped. “This can increase the risk of yeast infections and skin irritations,” Faber says. “In addition, these jeans can actually put pressure on the nerves running down your pelvis, which can create numbness in the legs.”

Experts are finding that women who wear too-tight jeans run the risk of suffering from a nerve problem called meralgia paresthetica. According to the Mayo Clinic, the cause of meralgia paresthetica is compression of the nerve that supplies sensation to the skin surface of your thigh.

“Coupled with high heels, the pressure these jeans put on the femoral cutaneous nerve that runs through the thigh can cause tingling and burning through the leg,” says Wright. “Basically, this means that you are cutting off the nerve supply to your thigh, and your body is having to communicate this to you with pain, so that you free it up from this suffocation.”

Uncomfortable Underwear

Wright remembers getting adjusted while in chiropractic school and being told that neurologically, her body did not like having thong underwear on. The chiropractor adjusting her said the thong was creating nerve tension that felt as if, energetically, it was pulling upward in her tailbone area. 

“What he said made sense to me, especially with all of the sitting I was doing while in school,” Wright says. “I have found myself sharing this information with many women who I adjust, especially pregnant women. I have had women tell me that they feel more life flow into their pelvis once they switch to underwear that covers more of their bottom. I also encourage pregnant women to make this shift because it is important to have the least amount of stressors on the body, especially during this time when so much is happening in their pelvis.”

Jewelry, Halter Tops  and Swimsuits

Oversized earrings and necklaces add more weight to the top of a person’s frame, which makes it more difficult to maintain an upright posture, both while sitting and standing. 

“Over time, these weighty accessories can lead to poor posture patterns, making your head and shoulders round forward,” Faber says, noting that 50-75 percent of her patient base is dealing with the aches, pains and repetitive stresses to their bodies as a result of fashion trends. “Like with using shoulder bags, neck pain, mid-back pain and tension headaches can ensue with prolonged use.”

Wright says that some halter tops and bathing suits that tie around the neck can pull too much on the neck, and whenever she tries to wear any top that may have a strap that ties in the back and sits along C6, C7 or T1, she gets a headache. 

“Women who have larger breasts also complain that the weight of their breasts creates excess tension in the back of their neck when they wear anything that ties at their lower cervical spine. It’s kind of like wearing a weight around your neck,” Wright says. “The extra weight creates a forward pull, anterior head carriage and excess stress on the precious cervical spine. Not good. Of course, variety is the key.”

Picking Up Phones

Another fashion accessory that can cause problems are cell phones. Subramaniam reports that the most dangerous posture imbalances that cell phones cause are lateral flexion of the neck and elevation of the shoulder, which is caused while holding a phone between the ear and shoulder, as well as the constant forward flexion of the neck due to texting and game playing.

“This can lead to neck pain, neck sprain and strain, headaches and brachial plexus disorders, such as thoracic outlet syndrome and nerve trauma,” Subramaniam says. “Chronic texting can also lead to tendonitis in the thumb. Chronic forward flexion of the neck can affect the spinal cord and brain stem, which has the potential to cause many serious health issues, including spine and nervous system damage.”

Of course, chiropractic care can help ailments that result from these and other fashion trends. Upfront, Chiropractic can help identify how the body is reacting to the use of such fashion trends, as well as other repetitive, daily stresses from work and life. 

“By assessing which joints, muscles and nerves are being overused, weakened or compressed, chiropractors can create an appropriate care plan to alleviate and, ultimately, prevent health problems over time,” Faber says. “Each patient’s plan should map out [care plans] that will improve the body’s overall structure, function and balance as well as specific exercises to increase strength and flexibility where needed and appropriate lifestyle changes to eliminate the stresses that are the culprits for the symptoms present.”