10
May
2022
|
11:50 AM
America/New_York

Waist trainers: A waste of money and potentially harmful

The Washington Post discusses the risks of using a waist trainer, a shapewear product that compresses the waist, with experts including Dena Barsoum, MD, physiatrist at HSS.

According to Dr. Barsoum, the compression created by a waist trainer “can have an impact on your internal organs and how they function. All of our organs require room to work, and a waist trainer really limits that space.”

Dr. Barsoum added, that waist trainers can potentially squeeze the digestive system, which could lead to constipation by “blocking the normal motility and flow of materials through the intestines.”

Additionally, she added that muscles get stronger via activity, “so if a waist trainer is holding your waist in a certain position, the muscles aren't doing anything.”

Dr. Barsoum noted, “The muscles can sometimes get weaker because they’re not having to do any work.”

Read the full article at Washingtonpost.com. A subscription is required to access.