Breast Support During Exercise
Question: CrossFit Women, are you aware of the importance of good breast support during physical activity?
After a few ladies enquired about our Under Armour Sports Bras, I thought you’d all be interested to know a little more about the importance of wearing a sports bra during exercise.
A recent study of 413 women aged 20 to 35 years from New South Wales, Australia concluded that although encapsulating sports bras have been shown to effectively reduce breast motion and associated exercise-induced breast discomfort, these bras were not the breast support option most commonly chosen by young women during physical activity. It is recommended that all women, irrespective of breast size, be educated on the importance of wearing a well-fitted and supportive bra during physical activity to decrease excessive strain on breast tissue structures and related breast discomfort.
With growing concerns over increasing obesity in modern society, encouraging participation in physical activity is of paramount importance. Physical activity not only lowers obesity levels through changes in metabolic rate, but also positively affects cardiovascular fitness and overall wellbeing. It has also been suggested that physical activity can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, in turn leading to a better quality of life through enhanced psychological factors such as self-concept, self-esteem and mood. Physical activity also assists in injury prevention, especially in women, as oestrogen and weight-bearing exercise work together to increase bone strength.
Anecdotally, it has been suggested that some females refrain from physical activity due to the pain and/or embarrassment associated with excessive breast motion. In fact, one report found that up to 70% of female athletes complained of exercise-induced breast discomfort during exercises involving running and jumping.
Exercise and sports place our breasts under a lot of strain which means that the skin around the breasts can get irreversibly stretched. Excessive breast motion during exercise is a result of the female breast containing limited anatomical support. The skin covering breast tissue and the thin bands of fibrous tissue that divide the breast lobules (Cooper’s ligaments) provide this limited support, leaving breast tissue relatively free to move over the chest wall if unsupported, especially during movements of the torso. Even though the medical implications of excessive breast motion and resultant breast pain are not known, the fact that breast pain may be present during exercise suggests that some damage might be occurring to the internal breast structures.
Due to the limited anatomical support within the female breast, external support in the form of a bra is usually recommended to reduce breast motion and associated breast discomfort. Research studies have confirmed that well-designed sports bras, such as encapsulation bras (in which each breast is supported in a separate cup), are more effective in limiting this motion and associated breast discomfort than standard fashion bras or crop tops, which attempt to reduce breast motion by compressing the breasts against the chest wall.
Although fit (93%), stopping breast motion (71%) and the presence of underwire (45%) were current sports bra features classified by the respondents most frequently as “very important”, straps slipping off the shoulder (34%) and straps cutting into the shoulder (34%) were the main sports bra features respondents “extremely disliked”.
What to take away from this topic:
- As the female breast contains no supportive muscle or bone breast tissue is relatively free to move over the chest wall, especially during motion of the torso.
- The skin around the breasts can get irreversibly stretched.
- Research suggests that encapsulating sports bras can decrease excessive breast motion and related breast pain, during physical activity.
Another UK study concluded that a good sports bra curtails the amount breasts move around by 75%. A sample group of women aged 18-35 were monitored whilst running on a treadmill. The bra size of the women varied from an A-G cup. They were requested to run braless, with a normal bra on and with a specialist sports bra.
The study highlighted that unsupported breasts “bounced” independently of the body by 3.5 inches with each step.
When women wear a normal bra, the “bounce” is curtailed by 38%. Furthermore, when women wear a sports bra the bounce is reduced by 74%.
Basically the message here is that proper breast support prevents sagging!! And we can all do without that.
For more data and statistics relating to this research click here.
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