Wearing a sports bra during exercise can help reduce breast pain, but could too much support actually hurt your back?
New research from the University of Portsmouth suggests that high-support sports bras—which are designed to stop breast movement during exercise—might come with unexpected effects on your spine.
Sports bras are everywhere in the fitness world, and companies often advertise “bounce reduction” as a major benefit.
But this new study, published in the European Journal of Sport Science, warns that bras which completely stop breast movement during exercise might place more strain on the spine, possibly leading to back pain over time.
The research team, led by Dr. Chris Mills from the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences, used high-tech equipment like motion capture cameras, force-measuring platforms, and a 3D scanner to study how breast movement affects the rest of the body during running.
They created a detailed model of the female body to see how different levels of breast support changed how the torso and spine moved.
The results were surprising.
While reducing breast bounce is important for comfort and pain prevention, completely stopping movement caused the spine to work harder. This increased pressure on the lower back, which may raise the risk of back pain, especially during high-impact exercises like running.
Dr. Mills explained that while sports bras are helpful, “excessive bounce reduction may place additional strain on spinal muscles, increasing the risk of back pain.”
The study suggests that there needs to be a balance—enough support to prevent pain, but not so much that it harms the back.
Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, also involved in the study, is a leading expert in bra science and often called the “Bra Professor.” She added that bra makers should consider the body’s full movement and not just focus on keeping the breasts still. The design of future sports bras could evolve to offer both support and better overall health.
This research builds on two decades of work by the university’s Research Group in Breast Health, which has tested over 700 sports bras on more than 8,000 women. Their findings are helping guide new ways to design bras that work with the body, not against it.
The team hopes this model can also be used to help women after breast surgery by guiding personalized rehab programs and supportive clothing. Moving forward, the key challenge is finding that sweet spot—supporting the breasts enough to prevent discomfort while also protecting the spine from too much strain.
If you care about pain, please read studies about how to manage your back pain, and Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to live pain-free with arthritis, and results showing common native American plant may help reduce diarrhea and pain.
Source: University of Portsmouth.
