How Your Clothes Might Be Hurting Your Body

When it comes to keeping up with the trends, we all seem more than willing to suffer for fashion. Painful stilettos? No problem. Jeans that require a gym membership to peel off? Child's play.

But your fashionable wardrobe might be causing a slew of health problems.

Dangling Heavy Earrings

Aside from the risk of infection, heavy earrings can stretch earlobes over time. They also can get caught, further damaging earlobes.

Heavy Handbag with Thin Straps

When you carry that on-trend, oversized bag, your natural gait is thrown off and your muscles are off-balance, causing one shoulder to hike up and resulting in bad posture. This can lead to stiffness, headaches and neck and back pain.

Constricting Ill-Fitting Bra

Tight bras could prevent you from developing muscle tissue that provides natural support, which may accelerate sagging.

Tight Belts

If cinched too tight, belts can cause pain and tingling, as well as numbness in the legs by compressing the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, which runs from the abdomen to the outer thigh.

Wallet in Back Pocket

Sitting on a thick wallet creates a pocket in the muscle lying underneath the wallet, which results in asymmetrical posture, discomfort and pain.

Thong Underwear

Non-breathable materials, like lace, can trap moisture and lead to infections. The thin band can also easily transfer bacteria from fecal matter.

Tight Pants/Skirts

Clothes that are too tight throw you off balance and restrict movement, resulting in poor posture and misalignment of the spine. They can also compress nerves, leading to pain and numbness, and cause yeast infections.

High Heels

Heels shift weight to the balls of feet, putting pressure on the foot and offsetting your balance. As knees and hips are forced forward, you run the risk of hyperextension, ankle sprains, midfoot fractures, neuromas, pinched nerves, bunions and hammertoes.

Infographic by Alissa Scheller and Raydene Salinas for the Huffington Post.