Expensive lingerie: how much could your bra be costing you

An article provided by the osteopaths at The Happiness Centre, London. Additional information provided by Rachel Knight, final year osteopathy student.

It’s a clothing item many of us don’t immediately relate to women’s health but the bra can be a major cause of musculoskeletal pain in women. According to a recent survey, a staggering 80% of women are not wearing the right size bra.

Ill fitting bras not only make you look shapeless, but they can also cause you to hold yourself poorly. Poor posture and an unsupportive bra can lead to; back, neck and arm pain, headaches, shoulder tension and even scarring under the breasts.
 
Think about the bra you’re wearing today for instance: How did you choose that size and type? Were you fitted? Or did it simply ‘seem right’ when you tried it on? Or maybe you were once fitted 10 years ago and you’ve grown since, lost weight or had a child and are still wearing that same size?
If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, then you are probably wearing the wrong sized bra:

• Does the strap at the back ride up higher than the underwiring at the front?
• Do your straps keep falling down? Keep digging in?
• Do your breasts keep falling out the cups? Or do you have 4 breasts instead of your god-given 2?
• Does your back / neck / shoulders hurt?
• Are the wires at the front lying flat against your body? Do they dig in? Rub?

If you weren’t properly fitted by a professional or advised by your Osteopath, you could be one of the majority of women wearing the wrong size.
Your breasts change shape and size not only with age, but also with your monthly cycle, so it’s important that you get fitted regularly.

Studies over the past decade have shown that a poorly fitted bra may cause back pain, spinal restriction, decreased lung function and even breast cancer, due to the restriction causing decreased lymph drainage around the area.

A recent study in 2006 at the British College of Osteopathic Medicine researched the effect of cup size on the range of movement in the thoracic spine (area of the spine where your ribs are attached) particularly around the level of the bra strap. The study found that subjects with bigger cup sizes and smaller circumferences were more likely to have back pain and spinal restriction at the level of the bra strap. The main culprit for the symptoms was that these women were not wearing correctly fitting bras.

It is essential that your bra fits well. If it is too loose, it is not supportive enough and if too tight and restrictive, it can lead to decreased lung function, back pain and loss of spinal movement.

The Osteopaths study also showed that the larger the cup size, the greater the incidence of spinal restriction. But have no fear, wearing a bra that is correctly fitted can help support the spine and the surrounding muscles reducing the likelihood of muscle tension that may contribute to spinal restriction. So it’s all about getting the correct support.

This message is not solely for larger busted ladies, the study showed it was the smaller cup sizes who did not take interest in being fitted correctly, showing that more than 50% of subjects below a B cup were incorrectly fit. Many of these subjects were also reporting back pain. Overall, 41% of subjects were incorrectly fitted, 59% of those incorrectly fitted were found to have reduced range of movement in their spine at the level of their bra strap.

If you are already suffering from back pain then this might be familiar. Typical pain may be mid-back discomfort and tension that you can never seem to get rid of no matter how much you stretch, move or massage. Or maybe it’s your shoulders that get sore due to the weight of the breasts bearing down on them since the cup and circumference measurement are incorrect and not supporting your back or breasts sufficiently.

If you don’t suffer from back pain but you haven’t been fitted recently, we strongly recommend a one-off consultation, which includes a correct bra fitting and a spinal check to examine its health. Book your session with an Osteopath who can help.

Just as we might have a health check-up at the dentist or optometrist, a session with your Osteopath can review and improve your physical wellbeing – particularly considering the unique back care needs of women.

Article Archive

Tags : back pain, headache, lung, muscle, posture, shoulder, spinal, spine, tension

RSS Feed :