Medical research suggests we rethink our tummy-taming underwear

Most of us women have, at one time or another, squeezed ourselves into underwear designed to flatten our stomachs and hide our lumps and bumps.

Whether you wear these garments on a daily basis or force yourself into them at certain point in your social calendar, you may want to rethink your decision following recent advice offered by medical professionals in the States.

According to recent research, these garments can have a detrimental affect on our health and can be responsible for causing a condition known as meralgia paresthetica.
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The condition, which manifests as a result of undue pressure on the nerves at the front of the hips, can lead to tingling feelings as well as a sensation of numbness.

In addition to causing nerve damage, inflicting pressure on your stomach in this regard can push acid from the abdomen into the oesophagus which results in stomach discomfort and can, in some cases, trigger incontinence.

According to Dennis Cardone, D.O., physician and orthopaedic surgeon at the New York University Langone's Hospital for Joint Diseases, anything that compresses the body for a prolonged period of time is a cause for concern and should be avoided in most cases.

Experts in the field have, however, acknowledged that compression wear is advisable in some cases, but assert that this is restricted to compression socks which can be worn in an effort to aid the recovery of muscles following a work out.