My Bra is Causing me Pain - Why?

I know lots of women who struggle with pain and discomfort who blame not only their boobs but their bras too, but are they right to? Well in certain cases yes, however (and I must stress this), this is usually due to the women in question wearing the wrong size bra. Shock! So why do ill-fitting bras cause us so much pain?

Too much weight on the straps:

The main issue causing back and shoulder pain is the feeling that your boobs are pulling down on your straps and therefore pulling on your shoulders. This is a very common feeling but not one that needs to be suffered through. The best way to tackle this issue is to invest in a bra with a small band size, the main reason for this is because contrary to popular belief the band is actually the part of the bra that gives the most support as opposed to the straps. In fact the band gives a whopping 80% of the support the busts needs and the cups and straps help keep the bra in place, so having a properly fitting back band is more important than you think. With that in mind, the back band needs to be firm fitting and you need to only be able to just fit two fingers under the band - only when it fits like this is it giving you the correct support.

Riding up causing rubbing and irritation:

An ill-fitting bra can also cause pain not just in the back but it can also cause skin irritation. If a bra is too large then it is able to move around and therefore rub the skin. Similarly, if a bra is too small it will squeeze and dig in which may cause irritation. Think of a bra like a pair of shoes, if they slip around they’ll give you blisters and if they’re too small they squash your feet. A bra is just the same, it needs to fit you perfectly in order to do its job and be comfortable. 

Bad Posture:

This is one that isn’t necessarily directly affected by bras but it can exacerbate an existing issue. If you’re wearing an ill-fitting bra then the chances are that your breasts aren’t being properly supported and that can in turn pull your shoulders forward due to the weight. It can also not only do this physically but if you’re self-conscious of your bust then you can hold yourself in such a way that brings your shoulder forward. By getting a new bra this can help with the physical issues of the weight of your bust and also by addressing how confident the wearer feels. 

Wires digging in: 

Lastly wires digging in is a big no-no but it’s something that many women endure. Not only is this really uncomfortable but it can actually be quite dangerous having wires sitting on your breast tissue (it can cause blockages and/or cyst growths in severe circumstances). Please remember that wires shouldn’t ever sit on breast tissue, they shouldn’t dig into breast tissue and they certainly shouldn’t be compressing breast tissue. Wires should completely encase your breasts and the cups should be large enough that no tissue is trapped. If your bra cups don’t fit your breasts fully then make sure you try a new size. 

So there you have it, bras can definitely cause discomfort but really they shouldn’t be doing and that’s where the problem lies. Hopefully with more education surrounding bra fitting the “I can’t wait to get my bra off when I get home”s can become fewer and farther between.