Photograph by Frances Sutton
Research has shown up to 56% of women experience breast pain when exercising. This is due to the large displacement of the breasts, which in addition to the discomfort can cause embarrassment. Breast motion is hard to reduce, as the breast does not contain strong intrinsic structural support. The primary supporting structures in the breasts are the Cooper’s ligaments. With secondary support only from the skin, these can easily be stretched if repeatedly loaded, as occurs during physical exercise. This can cause the breast to sag. It is therefore important to reduce breast movement to limit breast pain and irreversible stretch of the Cooper’s Ligaments.
An Australian study tested a sport bra against a fashion bra, a crop top and bare breasted and found that the sports bra reduced pain and vertical movement by 50% compared to bare breasted exercise. The crop top and fashion bra reduced vertical movement and perceived pain but only by the half the amount of the sports bra.
Research to date suggests to reduce pain and motion of the breasts when exercising, adult females should wear a well-fitting sports bra.
References: Research studies at University of Wollongong and Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia.
Selaine Saxby
By ANNA HODGEKISS
A pdf [350k] of an article talking about the research below
NEW sports bra research from University of Portsmouth reinforces need to
wear sports bra
whilst exercising!
Breasts move far more than ordinary bras are designed to cope with, according to a study by University of Portsmouth scientist Dr Joanna Scurr.
The breasts are composed of mainly fatty tissue with the mammary glands and muscle. The muscle is deep so cannot help much in supporting the breast.
Coopers Ligaments help hold the breasts up. They are thin bands interwoven into the breast and are not very strong. If the breasts are not supported properly with a good sportsbra then repetitive bouncing from running can stretch the Coopers ligaments permanently
The main injuries affecting breasts are nipple problems (joggers nipple or friction injury), a direct blow to the breast causing a contusion and repetitive trauma caused by constant movement and bouncing whilst running.
Continuous running causes the breasts to move up and down and side to side. This not only causes pain resulting from the trauma of excessive movement but will result in permanent stretching of the Coopers ligaments resulting in drooping breasts. It is not just the larger breasted woman suffers breast pain when running but smaller breasted women can often suffer just as much.
It is also possible that breasts that are not properly supported can lead to tension and strain in the upper back and neck, particularly in the larger breasted woman. The excess weight at the front can mean the back muscles have to work harder to keep the shoulders in the correct position. These muscles will eventually become weak and stretched leading to back and neck pain.
Wear the correct sportsbra. This should give support and prevent vertical movement as well as side to side movement.
'Breast droop' is irreversible so prevention is better than cure.
For back pain, try to maintain correct posture with shoulders back. Also a regular sports massage is a great way of reducing the tension in the muscles.
Direct trauma can occur from being hit by a ball, a racket or even an opponent. A contusion (bleeding within the muscle or breast) may occur.
Apply ice and support the area.
Occasionally if the injury is bad you may need to see a doctor who will aspirate the injury (suck of the fluid with a needle).
Wearing the correct sportsbra which can include padding for protection. In some sports such as martial arts, a plastic cupped bra can be worn over the top.
This is a painful condition more common in men than women. It is in effect a friction burn caused by constant rubbing of a T-shirt on the nipple. It is often more likely in cold and wet weather.
Protect the injury from further trauma and allow it to heal. This should not take long.
Again prevention is better than cure. The correct sportsbra can help, as can applying petroleum jelly to the nipples or covering them with zinc oxide tape before running.
A good sports bra should have complete cups to prevent movement of the breasts in all directions. It should also have wide, non elastic straps. Any fasteners should be probably covered to prevent rubbing against the body.
