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Back Pain Could Really Be Bra Pain

Under Wire Should Support Breasts, Not Straps

UPDATED: 8:01 am CDT May 15, 2008

A doctor said women are getting it wrong when it comes to wearing the right bra, and that can lead to unnecessary neck and backaches.

He told Philadelphia television station WCAU that women may think they're getting the right fit when they buy a bra, but they often miss an important point, no matter what the bra size.

"They will complain of a deep achy soreness," Dr. Seth Scholl said. "It's not a burning or stabbing pain, it's a deep pressure, achy pain."

It is something that can be fixed, if women stop making bra-buying mistakes.

"A woman should not rely on the shoulder straps to support her chest," Scholl said.

Scholl specializes in physical and rehab medicine and said it's the under wire that's important.

Support should come from below and, if you want to prevent pain, pay attention to the back strap, too.

"(The straps) should not be too tight and should not be too loose, as well," Scholl said.

He said you can be pretty sure it's bra pain if you feel better when the bra's off and you lie down.

"If you take the bra off and you have these big indentations in the shoulders, that's a perfect sign that you are relying on those straps for support, which is what you are not supposed to do," Scholl said.

Halter bras are a no-no because they put too much stress on the neck.

"A bra like this is mostly for fun," Ruth Ortlinghouse, of Touchables Bra Store, said.

Ortlinghouse said she has been fitting bras for years in her store.

She said to get the right size, measure under the breast.

"Take your measurement and you add 5 inches," Ortlinghouse said.

"Buying the boring stuff," Carinne Monkaeiber, of Touchables, said. "When they always want to buy the plain nude one. I tell them buy one that's fun. It's OK."

Scholl said you may want to consider a sports bra, even for everyday use, and he said a bra is like a pair of jeans, one size doesn't fit all.
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