Thursday, April 25, 2013

Chronic Pain Fashion, Part 1; Ditching the Pants

When you're dealing with joint pain (and tummy issues from medication) like me, the vast majority of pants are hell. Jeans are particularly foul culprits; hard to pull on, painful to zip and button, and either too constricting or always falling down. Unfortunately, pants are now ubiquitous in our society. So what are some other options? Dresses, skirts, and the elusive pair of pants that doesn't suck. Here are some tips on each.



  • Dresses. Flow-y and loose, dresses are a great wardrobe choice when dealing with chronic pain, because good ones essentially feel like wearing nothing. I like ones with some elastic that you can either step into or pull over. Cotton or jersey are breathable and don't put much pressure on your body in the way some synthetic materials do. They allow free movement, most don't have any fasteners to deal with, and they look super classy. Unfortunately, they're not great in colder weather, harder to get on when your arms are painful and stiff, and bad for high-wind.




Found here
Found here














  • Skirts. The trick to finding the right skirt is to find a great fit and a nice material. I usually avoid any fasteners other than snaps to be easy on my hands. Skirts are a viable option for winter if they're long enough and made of the right stuff; wool is warm and comfy if you wear tights or leggings under to protect from itchiness. Good for when you can't get your arms above your  head




 
Found here
Found here















  •  Alternative Pants. I know, it sounds counter-intuitive to the blog title, but not all pants are evil, and there are times when skirts and dresses simply aren't appropriate. One major time when I don't want to be caught with any sort of bare leg is dusk in Mosquito Country. Pants are required. The key to good pants are movement, softness of material, and fastener type.You want something that flexes with your body, rather than doing anything to constrain it.One design that keeps this in mind is the yoga-pant. Yoga pants are built for maximum comfort, and usually just slide right on without any fastening. They come in a variety of prints, and some actually look pretty classy. They also make your butt look fantastic. Cotton dress pants are another good alternative. I look for them in the mens section, since the sizing there actually makes sense and they're usually cheaper than ladies dress pants. Snaps and hooks are good fasteners. 
 


Found here
Found here
























*I don't have personal experience with the articles of clothing pictured above, just with similar clothes. It's up to you to try it on and find out if it's comfortable for you or not!

1 comment:

  1. i know this post is super old but i love all the posts on this blog! ive been wearing only jersey-knit (that thin, flowy material) skirts and dresses for the last year b/c of nerve issues and skin issues. however! my mom intervened last week and made me try on a pair of "pajama jeans" lol and after being like "......" i tried them on and kind of love them. they feel like pajama pants! and if you have a little curve in your legs/hips i think they look pretty nice. they are, at the moment, the only acceptable pant i have found haha. i am weary to wear yoga pants to an office- some guys find them so sexual and that weirds me out in public ;_;

    its been a long time since this post, id love to hear if you found any other awesome pants or clothing items of maximum comfiness :)

    nik
    http://mednik.tumblr.com

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