Hipsters can be a pain in the butt

HIPSTERS might be hip but they may not make you happy.

In fact, the trendy, hip-hugging jeans could cause damage to your health.

According to the latest medical research, hipsters can place undue pressure on a sensory nerve under the hipbone.

If aggravated continuously, it can lead to a condition known as paresthesia which manifests itself as a tingling sensation in the thighs.

In more severe cases, it can also cause numbness as well as burning and prickling sensations.

Doctors have warned that young girls are particularly vulnerable to the condition.

Millions of teenagers have helped make the tight, low-rise trousers a major fashion item as they attempt to imitate the style popularised by pop idols like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Although the damage to the nerve is not too serious, the symptoms might last if the jeans are worn regularly, said Dr Malvinder Parmar, medical director at the Timmins and District Hospital in the Canadian city of Ontario.

He has treated three women who were suffering from the irritating condition after wearing hip-huggers for between six and eight months.

"All had symptoms of tingling or a burning sensation ... and mild local tenderness," he told the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

However, the symptoms disappeared within six weeks after he advised the women to wear looser-fitting clothing.

"Now that hip-huggers are back in fashion, physicians can expect to see more patients with tingly thighs," said Dr Parmar, who urged women to return to wearing traditional waist-cut jeans, or preferably loose dresses.

Paresthesia has also been linked to obesity, car seat belts, sitting with crossed legs for extended periods of time and wearing tight corsets or heavy tool belts. Anecdotally, some patients have also reported pain after routinely wedging bulky wallets into their trouser pockets.