Breast injuries

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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.

What holds the breast up?

Coopers Ligaments help hold the breasts up. They are thin bands interwoven into the breast and are not very strong. If the breasts are not supported properly with a good sports bra then repetitive bouncing from running can stretch the Coopers Ligaments permanently.

Main injuries

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.

1. 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 who 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 larger breasted women. 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.

What can you do about it?

  • Wear the correct sports bra. This should give support and prevent vertical movement as well as side-to-side movement.
  • 'Breast droop' is irreversible so prevention is better than cure.
  • For back pain, try to maintain correct posture with keeping your shoulders back. Also, a regular sports massage is a great way of reducing the tension in the muscles.

2. 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.

What can you do about it?

  • Apply ice and support the area.
  • Occasionally if the injury is bad you may need to see a Doctor who will aspirate the injury (suck out the fluid with a needle).
  • Wear 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.

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 to occur in cold and wet weather.

What can you do about it?

  • Protect the injury from further trauma and allow it to heal. This should not take long.
  • 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 covered to prevent rubbing against the body.
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