The 2022 Uefa Women’s Euro will be remembered for Chloe Kelly’s celebration of her match-winning goal by taking off her shirt and running to her teammates with pure joy. The image of a women in a sports bra represented her power and skill, and not her body.
In elite sport, sports bras are now considered an essential component of a female athlete’s equipment. In a study of UK female athletes, 51% reported breast pain, and 29% stated that poorly fitted bras had an impact on their performance. Team GB athletes and para-athletes received a bra prescribing service before the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. They were fitted with a sports based bra based upon an assessment. Around 97% reported that the bras prescribed to them improved their comfort, fit, and support. 17% claimed it significantly improved their performance.
This article is a part of Women’s Health Matters – a series of articles about the health of women and girls in the world. This series of articles will cover the entire spectrum of women’s issues, from menopause and miscarriage to pleasure and pain.
The breast is a small organ with limited supporting structures. Breast tissue is made up of glandular and fat tissues. The adipose tissues contain a network that includes nerves, blood vessels, and Cooper’s ligaments. These are the only naturally supporting structures for the breast, along with the skin. When the body moves, breasts will also move independently. This can make it difficult to control.
Both structures can stretch during excessive movement. They cannot recover if they are stretched, and this can cause damage to the breast skin. However, it is believed to be the cause of breast pain.
It has been shown that excessive breast movement can also negatively impact physiological and performance measurements. There is evidence of a reduction in performance when comparing low breast support to high breast support. This includes running inefficiently and taking shorter strides.
Low support is reported to make the upper body work harder during exercise. The upper body has been said to work harder during training when wearing low support, making you fatigue faster. There is evidence to suggest that training in low breast support may increase ground reaction forces (the force with which you land on the floor), increasing your risk of leg injuries.
How to choose a good sports bra.
It has been proven that wearing the right level of support can improve performance red,uce breast pain, and reduce the risk of damage to the breasts. It also helps to minimize embarrassment felt by women when they are exercising and improves body image and confidence.
What makes a great sports bra?
Three types of sports bras are available: compression, encapsulation, and combination bras. The compression bra works by compressing breast tissue against the chest in order to reduce breast movement. Encapsulation Bras are designed to limit movement and support each breast separately, while combination bras combine the best of both encapsulation and compression bras.
Five characteristics that are linked to reduced breast movements should be considered when shopping for a sports bra with high support. The encapsulation style, the padded cups, the nylon material, and an adjustable underband all make for a desirable sports bra. High-support sportsbrees also tend to have a higher collarline. Breast bounce is reduced by 1cm for every additional cm of the neckline.
Fit is the key to finding a great sports bra. 70-100% of women do not wear the correct bra size. You may be a different size with different brands. The best way to ensure you’re wearing the right bra size is by following the best-fit criteria.
It has been proven that the traditional bra fitting method, which uses a tape to measure underbust and abovebust to determine cup and band sizes, underestimates cup and band sizes. The five bra components and their fit to your body are considered when determining the best-fitting criteria. The underband must be level and not too tight around your chest. It should also not move around when you move.
