What
does the breast consist of ?
The breasts are composed of mainly
fatty tissue with the mammary glands and muscle. The muscle is deep so cannot
help much in supporting the breast however, ligaments do help in holding the
breasts up.
These ligaments are called Coopers
Ligaments and are thin bands interwoven into the breast. They are not very
strong and if the breasts are not supported properly with a good sports bra
during vigorous exercise, then the repetitive bouncing can stretch these
ligaments permanently.
The main injuries affecting breasts
are nipple problems (joggers nipple or friction injury), a direct blow to the
breast causing a contusion and repetitive trauma caused by constant movement and
bouncing whilst running.
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Repetitive trauma injury
Continuous running causes the breasts
to move up and down and side to side. This not only causes pain resulting from
the trauma of excessive movement but will result in permanent stretching of the
Coopers ligaments resulting in drooping breasts. It is not just the larger
breasted woman suffers breast pain when running but smaller breasted women can
often suffer just as much.
It is also possible that breasts that
are not properly supported can lead to tension and strain in the upper back and
neck, particularly in the larger breasted woman. The excess weight at the front
can mean the back muscles have to work harder to keep the shoulders in the
correct position. These muscles will eventually become weak and stretched
leading to back and neck pain.
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What can you do about it ?
1. Wear the correct
sports bra. This should give support and prevent vertical movement as well as
side movement.
2. 'Breast droop' is irreversible, so
prevention is better than cure.
3. For back pain try to correct
posture with shoulders back. A regular sports massage is a great way of reducing
the tension in the muscles
4. To check out what bra you need,
click on the logo on the right
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Injury resulting from direct trauma
Direct trauma can occur from being
hit by a ball, a racket or even an opponent. A contusion (bleeding within the
muscle or breast) may occur.
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What can you do about it ?
1. Apply ice and
support the area.
2. Occasionally if
the injury is bad you may need to see a Doctor who will aspirate the injury
(drain off the fluid with a needle).
3. Wearing the
correct sports bra which can include padding for protection. In some sports such
as martial arts, a plastic cupped bra can be worn over the top.
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Joggers Nipple
This is a painful condition more
common in men than women. It is in effect a friction burn caused by constant
rubbing of a T-shirt on the nipple. It is often more likely in cold and wet
weather.
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What can you do about it ?
1. Protect the
injury from further trauma and allow it to heal. This should not take long.
2. Again
prevention is better than cure. The correct sports bra can help, as can applying
petroleum jelly to the nipples or covering them with zinc oxide tape before
running.
A good sports bra should have
complete cups to prevent movement of the breasts in all directions. It should
also have wide, non elastic straps. Any fasteners should be probably covered to
prevent rubbing against the body.
supplied by:
www.realrunner.com in association with
www.sportsinjuryclinic.net
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