‘You’re so lucky you’ve got big boobs!’ – A line I’m sure every single one of you large breasted ladies out there has heard at least once in your life. And yes, we’re glad to be blessed in the bosom department, but no one thinks of the side effects large breasts can have on your body. Breasts and back pain go hand in hand for some of us. Not only do we have to worry about getting the girls into some well fitted bras, but we need to help combat the ache they can cause on our backs too. Upper back pain can alter the curvature of the spine and therefore have a significant impact on posture – yikes. We want to offer some relief to all of you out there who suffer with this, as we know you’re not alone!
So how come your boobs can affect your back? Having heavy boobs can place extra weight onto the chest and without enough support from other surrounding muscles and the rest of the body, the weight of your breasts can cause pain, making it harder to have good posture. Also if you don’t want to look like you’re pushing the puppies out, you may find yourself slumping forward, even without realising and this can worsen the pain.
Side effects of carrying around heavy breasts can be as severe as painful indentations from your bra straps or even scarring! That’s why it’s so important to get properly measured as the straps shouldn’t be doing the majority of the work, the back band should. The rule is the back band does 80% of the work and the straps do 20%. Wider back bands can further help with this support, and potentially take the strain off your back.
Make sure your bra's back band is doing the majority of the work, not the straps
Doing certain exercises such as mild stretching will also be a massive help in reducing back pain. Certain yoga poses are also great for this. Anything mild that doesn’t add extra strain is a good way of helping ease back pain. Be careful to ease in and out of different stretches, these shouldn’t hurt.
Image credit: healthylifevision
For people who sit down for long periods of time as part of their jobs probably don’t realise the damage they’re doing to their backs. You may think you’re sitting up straight but after a while you realise you’re slightly hunched or even sitting in a funny position – I’m definitely guilty of this. Sitting up straight and altering your posture will definitely help combat back pain. Chair supports or making sure your hips are as far back in the chair as possible with your feet on the ground is meant to be the best way of sitting. And who cares if that means sticking your chest out a bit? If that means your back is more supported we’re all for it!
I hope we’ve helped offer some insight into why your breasts can cause back pain, and some simple ways that could help to combat it. Do you suffer from back pain caused by large breasts and have ways you relieve it? Let us know in the comments, we always want to hear from you!
Grace x
