Association between suitability of bra fit and pectoral girdle myalgia in Nigerian women

Abstract

Background/Aims: Bra cup size has been shown to be associated with shoulder–neck pain, or pectoral girdle myalgia (PGM), in women. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of PGM in a population of Nigerian women and investigate the association of PGM with the congruence of measured vs reported bra size. Methods: A total of 291 females aged 15–50 years completed a 31-item, closed-ended questionnaire, which collected information on biodata, prevalence of PGM, and bra use. Bra size was recorded as reported by the participants and as measured by one of the investigators. A chi-squared test was used to determine the association between age, cup size, congruence of measured vs reported bra size, and occurrence of PGM. Results: The 12-month prevalence of PGM was 44% (n=122). Having tightly pulled straps was the factor most commonly reported to worsen PGM (n=75, 58.9%). Removing the bra was the factor most commonly reported to relieve pain (n=94, 73.4%). Of the 252 respondents (86.6%) who claimed to know their bra size, only 63 (25%) were correct when their bra size was measured. Self-selection was the most common method for determining bra size (n=224, 77.3%). There was no association between age, cup size, congruence of measured vs reported bra size, and occurrence of PGM (p>0.05). Conclusions: PGM was found to be common among the respondents. The fact that the size of bra worn was largely dependent on self-selection might have been responsible for the high number of respondents wearing wrong-sized bras. Working with the arms elevated had a significant association with the development of PGM (χ2=4.12; p=0.040), a finding that requires further exploration.

Prevalence of Upper Trapezius Myofasical Pain and Brasserie Groove Deformity Due to Tight Inner Wear in Women: The Co Relational Study

“…UTMP was a binary variable of 'yes' (experienced Pain in the last 12 months) and 'no' (did not experience pain in the last12 months) responses. Bra size was also binary variable: it was considered 'congruent' when the participant's reported bra size was the same as her measured bra size and 'incongruent 'when reported bra size was different from measured bra size [2] Result 100 female participated in this study. Participants' ages ranged from 20-40 years, the mean weight 85.4 ±38.6 kg body mass index is 26.1 ± 6.2 kg/m2.…”

“…Therefore, upper trapezius was able to sustain this small load but with ischemia, which was below its pain threshold . [2,4] Upper trapezius myofascial pain was common among the respondents, with a 12-month prevalence of 54.8% and a point prevalence of 43.7% Bra sizing is traditionally done by determining two specific values: band size and cup size. The compressive effect of the bra straps can lead to narrowing of the arteries in the trapezius muscles.…”

“…Those female were college students, working professionals and housewife's in India. The questionnaire consists of 32 items which included [2] • Name • Frequency of factor reported to affect upper trapezius myofasical pain :-the variable are factor that worsen the pain, factor that relieve the pain, and reported that bra fit can affect the pain…”

The impact of breast support garments on fit, support and posture of larger breasted women

“…As larger breasted women (D+) also commonly present with elevated Body Mass Indexes , the measuring tape may migrate between skin tissue folds with no clear distinction between breast tissue and the upper abdomen (Pandarum et al, 2011). An absence of standardisation relating to the woman's position (Pechter, 1998), the breasts' position (Greenbaum et al, 2003) and the phase of respiratory cycle (McGhee and Steele, 2006) may also provide further reasoning as to why so many women fail to select the correct size bra, even when professionally fitted (Pechter, 1998 It has been proposed that consistent wearing of an ill-fitting bra may be a causal mechanism for the development of musculoskeletal pain amongst larger breasted women, due to the lack of external support offered to the breasts (Spencer and Briffa, 2013;Odebiyi et al, 2015;Coltman et al, 2018b). The shoulder straps of the bra were originally designed as secondary support to align the bra vertically on the body (Zhou et al, 2013;Coltman et al, 2018b).…”

“…The shoulder straps of the bra were originally designed as secondary support to align the bra vertically on the body (Zhou et al, 2013;Coltman et al, 2018b). If the bra's cups are too big, or the underband is too tight, the shoulder straps then absorb the weight of larger breasts, increasing compressive forces through the shoulders, resulting in the gradual onset of ischaemia within the trapezius muscles (Odebiyi et al, 2015). The continuous downward drag of breast weight through the shoulder straps may contribute to the development of pain within the posterior aspect of the lower cervical, upper thoracic and scapula region (Edward, 2000;Spencer and Briffa, 2013).…”