Upper Back Pain and Breast Size
It's a secret most women don't share other than with their closest partners. Women with larger breasts are often thought of as being lucky or gifted. But for women whose breasts are not proportionate to their frames, there is often pain associated with the extra weight they carry.
Those women often experience upper back pain as a result of abnormally large breasts. The human spine is not meant to support so much weight in an upright position. This is the reason so many woman with disproportion breast size seek relief from upper back pain by surgery. Luckily for those women there's a myriad of approaches to take before breast surgery.
The burden
While the female upper spine contains great strength, breasts weigh on that frame. The spine supports the upper body. When the spine has to support too much, upper back pain occurs
The pain results from muscles and ligaments that are strained or overextended.
Many doctors will say the woman has poor posture or even label the pain as due to a repetitive strain injury. That's an explanation of the problem, but not the cause. Those effects are caused by disproportionate breast size. Other effects can be bras that place too much pressure on the skin and restrict movement, while not supporting the body in the right places.
When untreated, the pain can be chronic, lasting a minimum of several months and causing excruciating pain for the sufferer. In worst case scenarios, permanent damage can be done to the spine when it is molded into unnatural positions or curves.
Remedies
A costly breast reduction surgery does not have to be the first option. There are a variety of alternatives that should be tried first.
If the pain has persisted for an extended period time, the first course of action should be therapeutic exercises involving posture and the spine. These can be given through a therapist or personal trainer.
Most doctors will tell overweight women that their breast problem can be a product of their obesity. Some doctors will recommend the women develop an exercise regimen that promotes weight loss, which should reduce breast size and pressure on the spine
Additionally a doctor may recommend prescription drugs. A variety of pain relievers, both prescription and over-the-counter, can help reduce the onset of pain while other methods are taken to address the problem.
A doctor may also prescribe a new bra that better fits a woman's body. Doctors typically prescribe sports bras because they support breasts better and more evenly, reducing the strain on the spine. Some sufferers switch to a custom-made bra that distributes breast weight better across the body.
As usual, surgery should be the last alternative, unless it's the only alternative. Some women find that breast reduction surgery is the only cure for upper back pain caused by disproportionate breast size. Breast reduction surgeries are proven to work. However, a doctor may recommend any of the above treatments in addition to breast reduction surgery to help reduce the effects created by years of spinal strain. Breast reduction surgery also carries an added benefit for many women. With reduced breasts, they find their breasts become less an object of undue attention, thus strengthening their self-esteem.
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