Breast Health for Runners

Boobs!! All women have them, no two are the same and we all have different relationships with our own. Love'em or hate them we can't ignore them.

Our breasts develop at puberty and are specifically designed to feed our offspring. The tissue in the breast develops into:

• glandular tissue - the breast lobes and breast ducts that carry the milk to the nipple

• connective tissue - the Cooper ligaments that support the breasts from the chest wall

• fatty tissue fills in the spaces between glandular and fibrous tissue and largely determines your breast size

Our breasts sag (ptsosis) as we age and genetics does play a big part in this but studies have found that the biggest indicator for sagging breasts are:

smoking, age. Body Mass Index, number of pregnancies and the size of the breast before pregnancy.

Breastfeeding was found to not have an effect of breast sag.

High impact activity such as running puts significant stress on the ligaments that support the breast and cause damage to them. So, as runners we must support our delicate breast tissue and make sure we add in some strength work to keep the muscles in our upper body strong. Many runners completely neglect strength training and especially upper body work. New runners are cajoled into spending a fortune on trainers thinking they'll prevent injury but they wont. However, a good supportive sports bra is vital to prevent damage to our breasts. Who wants a saggy boob?! (not me!!)

The first proper sports bra was designed in 1977 and was made from 2 jock straps sewn together. The design and technology has been developed through extensive research and

Research has been carried out at Portsmouth University where they have one of the worlds leading Breast Health Teams. Their research has shown that even an A cup can bounce up to 4cms while a G cup can bounce as much as 14cms.

During walking, a woman’s breasts move the same amount in and out, up and down and from side to side: about 33% in each dimension. Up the pace to a jog or a run, and the movement is split: 51% up and down, 22% side to side and 27% in and out. The overall pattern is a figure of eight (on it’s side, see above).

Breasts move as much during a slow jog as they do during a sprint, meaning no matter what your pace, you should always wear a high impact sports bra. Two ordinary bras will not stop the motion of that figure of 8.

High impact activity creates vertical bounce, this can be up to the weight of the breast x8. This can damage the connective tissue and ligaments and can also lead to problems in the back as your body tries to fix your upper trunk to limit the bounce.

The Research Group in Breast Health at University of Portsmouth suggests that breast pain affects half the female population of the UK and is aggravated by breast movement. By wearing the correct supportive sports bra you can reduce the bounce by twice as much as a normal bra.

As a physiotherapist and a runner I am still frustrated that there isn't more education for women on the importance of wearing a sports bra. There are very few specialist shops that allow you to go in and try on a variety of sizes. The team at Portsmouth found that the old fashioned way of fitting a lady for a bra doesn't give the best fit and they produced a criteria to follow when buying a bra.

1. Band – The band should fit firmly around the chest. It shouldn't slide around with movement, but it should not be too tight to be uncomfortable, affect breathing or make flesh bulge over the band. The band should be level all the way around the chest.

2. Cup – The breasts should be enclosed within the cups, with no bulging or gaping at the top or sides. If the cup material is puckering then the cup size is probably too big.

3. Underwire – The underwire should follow the natural crease of the breasts and not rest on any breast tissue (in the centre, underneath the bra or under the arms). If the underwire is resting too far down the ribcage (such as where the ribcage gets slightly narrower) the band size is probably too small.

4. Front – The front of the bra (the lower edge under the breasts and between the cups if a separate piece exists) should sit flat against the body and not gape away from the chest. If the front of the bra is lifting away the cup size may need to be increased.

5. Straps – The shoulder straps should be adjusted to comfortably give breast support without being too tight (such as digging into the skin). The main support for the breast should come from a firm band, not tight shoulder straps.

When I set up my breast health clinics for runners I found that shock absorber bras were the most research based products and they could prove scientifically that their products reduced bounce and supported the breast. I spent an interesting weekend in Portsmouth finding out how the research is conducted and being educated on breast health. My vision was to build a stock of every size available so that ladies could try on in a safe, educational environment and get exactly the right size for them. Sadly as a small business it didn't work financially and I had to stop the clinics. I still feel there is a lack of knowledge around breast health, especially in young girls.

Interestingly I also discovered that sport's bras should be replaced after about 30 washes. I was pretty horrified to admit I had some that were way past that (many years!!!)

So ladies, have a look in your underwear draw, dig out your sports bras and have a look at their condition. If they are older than a year I would suggest replacing them. Specialist running shops have a good selection and I would definitely recommend trying before you buy. You boobs change shape so you may have changed size, no two models of bra are the same and the sizes vary greatly. Try some on with a specialist bra fitter and go for fit and comfort using the point set out above by the breast health team.

I know I'm due for some upgrades as I run (alot) and its been a while since I've replaced them. My go to is the Shock absorber Fly bra - it's band size is more generous than the ultimate run bra but I like the soft fit and feel of the material.

In general, shock absorber is my go to but I haven't tried many others. If you have any recommendations then feel free to add a comment.

Happy running folks and remember ladies.....a supported boob is a happy boob :-)