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A Bra Fitting: Why Every Woman Needs One
If you are suffering from shoulder tension, arm pain, headaches, chest or back pain then your bra choice may be part of the problem. In fact, many women wear incorrectly fitted bras that are actually causing their body damage.
Think about the bra you’re wearing today for example. How did you achieve your bra size? Were you fitted? Or did that size simply ‘seem right’ when you tried it on? Or maybe you were once fitted 10 years ago and you have grown since then, lost weight or had a child and are still wearing that same size? If you weren’t properly fitted by a professional you could be wearing the wrong size.
As women we love to think our cup size is larger and our chest circumference smaller than they really are. But by making this mistake the damages may be greater than we imagine. 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 new study by the British College of Osteopathic Medicine has found that women with bigger cup sizes and smaller circumferences are more likely to have back pain and spinal restriction at the level of the bra strap. The main culprit for the symptoms? Not being correctly fitted.
If your bra 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 study showed that the larger the cup size, the greater your chance of decreased spinal range of movement. But wearing a bra that is correctly fitted can help support the spine and the surrounding muscles reducing the likelihood of muscle spasm that may contribute to spinal restriction.
The study also showed that women with smaller cup sizes are also guilty of not taking enough interest in being fitted correctly, with more than 50% of women below a B cup being incorrectly fitted. Many of them reported back pain too. Overall, 41% of women were incorrectly fitted, and 59% of those were found to have reduced range of movement at their bra strap level in the spine.
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