Does an alternative breast support garment provide symptomatic relief for larger breasted women with chronic non-specific back pain?
Lauren Haworth, Karen May, Jessie Janssen and 2 others
PMID 38595180WHAT IT FOUND
An alternative breast support garment significantly reduced pain prevalence and stiffness in larger-breasted women with back pain, outperforming a standard professionally fitted bra.
While both improved fit, the alternative design provided greater symptomatic relief and functional improvement after four weeks of wear.
Key findings
01The alternative bra significantly reduced the prevalence of thoracic pain by 36% and lumbar pain by 37% compared to the control bra, whereas the standard bra did not reduce thoracic pain prevalence.
02Participant-reported disability improved more with the alternative bra (35% reduction in Neck Disability Index) than with the standard bra (14% reduction), with both showing clinically significant changes compared to the control.
03The alternative bra significantly reduced back stiffness by 34% and continuous pain by 44% compared to the control, while the standard bra did not significantly reduce stiffness or continuous pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not blind participants to the intervention, which may have influenced self-reported outcomes. The sample size was small (n=24) and limited to women aged 18-50 without menopausal symptoms, restricting generalizability to older or post-menopausal populations. Only significant findings were reported in the text, potentially omitting non-significant trends or secondary analyses. The four-week intervention period is short, so long-term adherence and sustained effects are unknown. The alternative garment was provided by the manufacturer, which could introduce bias in design or fit preferences.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the University of Central Lancashire. The alternative bras used were provided in-kind by the manufacturer, Optifit.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of statistical significance in the primary numerical pain rating scale (NRS) as a failure of the intervention. The alternative bra still produced clinically important reductions in pain prevalence, stiffness, and disability, and the study's design focused on exploring multiple outcomes where significance was selectively reported.