Do you experience bra-causing back pain? If so, you are not alone. Many women report discomfort from their bra causing back pain, leading to an abundance of online content on how to “fix” the problem. Some sites recommend specific brands and styles, while others advise going up or down a band or cup size. And yet, it remains a source of confusion for many women. If you experience back pain due to your bra, one (or more) of three possible scenarios is probably the culprit: You’re wearing the wrong style, the wrong size, or a broken-down bra. Here are some tips to help determine whether your bra is causing your back pain discomfort and how to resolve it if it is.
I am hanging out at a Starbucks in San Diego just before I head to the TT Summit.
It is going to be a great day. It will start with a great Bootcamp workout from Craig Ballantyne, Kate Vidulich, and Mike Whitfield.
Then it will be amazing to learn from Craig, Kate, Ray Ortiz, Bedros Keuilian, John Romaniello, Adam Bornstein, Jason Ferruggia, and Brian Kalakay.
Looking forward to it.
Before I go, I want to share a story that happened to me.
About two weeks ago, my wife came home from shopping and said, “Dear, I spent $140 on a bra.”
I said, “What?”
My wife’s mid-back has been bothering her for some time. She has been doing anterior chest stretching, upper thoracic extensor, and thoracic mobility work.
All have provided her temporary relief, so she decided to see if a new bra would help. She passed on a regular department store bra and went to a specialty bra store where they spent 90 minutes with her and everyone, fitting her with the perfect bra.
She said it was quite the experience, but she learned a lot, and they told her that she was wearing the wrong size and type of bra. I thought a better-fitting bra would help with mid-back pain, but I wanted to check the research. I looked in the reduction mammaplasty (breast reduction) area.
There is a lot of research on how it affects posture, patient satisfaction, and back pain. There was an article that looked at a group of women looking at breast reduction surgery and checked to see if they were wearing properly fitting bras.
They found that the majority did not, and they felt if they did have the right fitting bra, it would positively affect their symptoms, which often is a decrease in shoulder pain, mid-back pain, and lower back pain.
My wife was nowhere near looking at getting surgery but was looking at what else could help her with her mid-back pain, and a better-fitting bra was a piece of the puzzle and only cost $140.
Something to think about or a suggestion you can make to your clients, especially when exercise only provides temporary relief. That is it.
Off to the TT Summit.
Rick Kaselj, MS
P.S. – The new bra has decreased my wife’s mid-back pain.
