17-05-2010, 09:32
Wearing the right bra could prevent breast operations
June 3 2008 at 7:31 AM Black Sheep (no login)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bra fitting clinics in hospitals could prevent thousands of unnecessary and expensive breast reduction operations every year, it is claimed.
A London hospital offering bra checks says so far, none of the women tested has been wearing the correct cup size.
This can lead to pain in the neck, back and shoulders, say doctors, sometimes so severe that women seek surgery.
A leading breast surgeon said women tended to over-estimate by up to three cup sizes when buying a bra.
Reduction surgery is frequently requested by large-breasted women who are suffering discomfort, and is available on the NHS in some areas, although many women opt to pay for the operation themselves at the cost of many thousands of pounds.
Approximately 10,000 women a year have breast reductions carried out privately in the UK.
However, Dr Alex Clarke, a clinical psychologist from the Royal Free Hospital in London, said that this could be money wasted, when all that was really needed was a better-fitting bra.
She said: "Women have the opportunity to be properly fitted by an expert bra fitter when they visit the clinic.
"This may be the first proper fitting they have had.
"To date, 100% of those fitted have been wearing the wrong size - this results in the weight of the breasts being carried by the shoulders rather than the chest and contributes to back pain."
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at St George's Hospital in London, agreed with Dr Clarke.
Last year he spoke at a British Medical Association conference calling for bra-fitting clinics to be routinely available on the NHS.
"Research suggests that women tend to underestimate the size of their back by up to four inches, and overestimate their cup size by up to three sizes.
"Many breast symptoms related to discomfort in the neck and back are caused by ill-fitting bras.
"Patients present to specialists requesting breast reduction to relieve their symptoms, and current guidance in the NHS is that, if the patient has symptoms, breast reduction should be offered.
"However, many patients could be spared what is in fact major surgery by having a bra which is correctly fitted and offering them the right support."
Author Reply
Unknown sheep
(no login) Re: Wearing the right bra could prevent breast operations October 13 2008, 8:18 AM
Pretty much every year, a magazine, newspaper or TV news show will do the "you're probably wearing the wrong bra size" story. Women shop, all is solved. But! A newsflash from the UK: Wearing the wrong bra could damage your breasts, researchers say. A smattering of articles are using scare tactics about a new study: Scientists at the University of Portsmouth claim that wearing the wrong type of bra can lead to ligaments becoming irreparably stretched. Up to 95% of women are thought to be at risk — because "they are ignorant or embarrassed about their true bra size."
The head of this study, Dr. Joanna Scurr, tested 50 bra designs on hundreds of women over the last three years. She believes the speed at which breasts move could be the key to preventing breast pain (duh). The Daily Mail has pictures of the high-tech testing process: A woman in a sports bra on a treadmill is hooked up to a computer; a chart shows body movement and nipple movement. But what's not in any of these articles is why a woman should care about damaged breasts.
I'm no bra-burner. Lord knows I need all the (double D) support I can get. And certainly for sports and exercise, it feels better when the girls don't bounce around. But for eons, women lived without bras. (Without shirts, even.) Nipples hung down because that's what they're supposed to do. They're for spawn, not for pointing into the air in Playboy pictorials. But seriously: Besides discomfort from not wearing the right size bra — in which case you don't need a study, you just need a shopping trip — what is the "damage" we're supposed to get worked up about? Sagginess? Is drooping a medical condition now? (Oh, right, there is a surgical procedure for it, so it must be!) Clearly, it's important to wear the right size. But it's confusing why Dr. Joanna Scurr doesn't elaborate on the "damage" caused and whether the effects have an impact on womens' health. We may not want our boobs to be "stretched," but is the consequence purely cosmetic? (And, as an aside: Do any of the women selling us bras these days seem to be wearing their correct size?)
June 3 2008 at 7:31 AM Black Sheep (no login)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bra fitting clinics in hospitals could prevent thousands of unnecessary and expensive breast reduction operations every year, it is claimed.
A London hospital offering bra checks says so far, none of the women tested has been wearing the correct cup size.
This can lead to pain in the neck, back and shoulders, say doctors, sometimes so severe that women seek surgery.
A leading breast surgeon said women tended to over-estimate by up to three cup sizes when buying a bra.
Reduction surgery is frequently requested by large-breasted women who are suffering discomfort, and is available on the NHS in some areas, although many women opt to pay for the operation themselves at the cost of many thousands of pounds.
Approximately 10,000 women a year have breast reductions carried out privately in the UK.
However, Dr Alex Clarke, a clinical psychologist from the Royal Free Hospital in London, said that this could be money wasted, when all that was really needed was a better-fitting bra.
She said: "Women have the opportunity to be properly fitted by an expert bra fitter when they visit the clinic.
"This may be the first proper fitting they have had.
"To date, 100% of those fitted have been wearing the wrong size - this results in the weight of the breasts being carried by the shoulders rather than the chest and contributes to back pain."
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at St George's Hospital in London, agreed with Dr Clarke.
Last year he spoke at a British Medical Association conference calling for bra-fitting clinics to be routinely available on the NHS.
"Research suggests that women tend to underestimate the size of their back by up to four inches, and overestimate their cup size by up to three sizes.
"Many breast symptoms related to discomfort in the neck and back are caused by ill-fitting bras.
"Patients present to specialists requesting breast reduction to relieve their symptoms, and current guidance in the NHS is that, if the patient has symptoms, breast reduction should be offered.
"However, many patients could be spared what is in fact major surgery by having a bra which is correctly fitted and offering them the right support."
Author Reply
Unknown sheep
(no login) Re: Wearing the right bra could prevent breast operations October 13 2008, 8:18 AM
Pretty much every year, a magazine, newspaper or TV news show will do the "you're probably wearing the wrong bra size" story. Women shop, all is solved. But! A newsflash from the UK: Wearing the wrong bra could damage your breasts, researchers say. A smattering of articles are using scare tactics about a new study: Scientists at the University of Portsmouth claim that wearing the wrong type of bra can lead to ligaments becoming irreparably stretched. Up to 95% of women are thought to be at risk — because "they are ignorant or embarrassed about their true bra size."
The head of this study, Dr. Joanna Scurr, tested 50 bra designs on hundreds of women over the last three years. She believes the speed at which breasts move could be the key to preventing breast pain (duh). The Daily Mail has pictures of the high-tech testing process: A woman in a sports bra on a treadmill is hooked up to a computer; a chart shows body movement and nipple movement. But what's not in any of these articles is why a woman should care about damaged breasts.
I'm no bra-burner. Lord knows I need all the (double D) support I can get. And certainly for sports and exercise, it feels better when the girls don't bounce around. But for eons, women lived without bras. (Without shirts, even.) Nipples hung down because that's what they're supposed to do. They're for spawn, not for pointing into the air in Playboy pictorials. But seriously: Besides discomfort from not wearing the right size bra — in which case you don't need a study, you just need a shopping trip — what is the "damage" we're supposed to get worked up about? Sagginess? Is drooping a medical condition now? (Oh, right, there is a surgical procedure for it, so it must be!) Clearly, it's important to wear the right size. But it's confusing why Dr. Joanna Scurr doesn't elaborate on the "damage" caused and whether the effects have an impact on womens' health. We may not want our boobs to be "stretched," but is the consequence purely cosmetic? (And, as an aside: Do any of the women selling us bras these days seem to be wearing their correct size?)