Is Your Bra Giving You Shoulder Pain?

7th Jun 2016

Shoulder Pain

The woman in this photo wore her sports bra for 8 hours and wound up with an aching shoulder, nearly rubbed raw. Ouch! We see a lot of sore shoulders at Levana Bratique and we think we can help.

There are several reasons a woman's body could get these sore marks from bra straps. Usually, the simple culprit is the straps are too tight. Remember, the majority of support from a bra should come from the band, so if you're constantly tightening your straps trying to get more lift, chances are your band isn't doing its job to support your bust.

Your bra straps should feel snug and secure enough to stay up, but tightening them won't hoist up your bust. Only the band and cups can do this.

Another issue with painful straps could be the wrong size bra. Women with a larger bust tend to come to us wearing a larger band size and smaller cup size than they actually need, which can create all sorts of fit and shape issues. A snug band with properly supportive cups can make a world of difference when it comes to shoulder strap rubbing!

Sometimes, though, bra straps dig into shoulders because a woman's bust is just very heavy. Large breasts weigh more than small breasts, and many women really experience aches from their bust. We have a number of supportive styles for very large breasts, and many of these feature wider straps that help spread the weight of the bust.

Even if you have very large breasts and a properly fitting bra, some women find that shoulder cushions really help to make their bras more comfortable!  These cushions have two major functions - to spread the weight of your strap, so that it isn't digging in - and to keep your bra straps from slipping off of your shoulders.

We don't want anyone to suffer sore shoulders. If yours look like the shoulder in this photo, we hope you'll come in for a fitting or consider a virtual fitting. Let us help you feel better!