Skinny jeans were the obvious reaction to the huge, flapping swathes of denim seen on pretty much everyone in the 90s. Bootcuts so baggy that you could see the wearer's underpants but not their shoes may have been a bit obscene, but at least they won't cause your legs to explode, and you to die.

Doctors warn in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry that skinny jeans can cause serious damage to muscles and nerves after a 35-year-old woman had to be cut out of hers due to the fact that her legs had swollen so much.

Wearing skinny jeans contributed to her developing compartment syndrome, an ailment caused by bleeding or swelling within an enclosed bundle of muscles. It rendered her unable to walk and she lay on the floor for hours before she was able to get help. It took her four days to get healthy enough to walk again. Other doctors have reported cases where patients have experienced similar conditions from squeezing into skinny jeans.

If you want to show off your pins in tight denim, we can't stop you – and no-one should be forced to wear bootcut. If you're hellbent on squeezing into your skintight Levis, Shoreditch circa 2008 style, doctors say that you should move around and stretch a lot, especially if you experience a tingling sensation in your legs. You have been warned.