*Editor’s note: This blog post was sparked by one of my clients who has dealt with serious back issues likely exacerbated by her large breasts. She said she wanted to help spread the word about how Pilates can help those in her boat.
If you’re not a big-busted female, consider reading this anyway to enhance your empathy for these women — you may be surprised how this posture issue also applies to you!
I’d stick to using “ladies” if it weren’t for the fairly young girls wondering how to navigate the world with breasts that are notably large. The client acknowledged in my editor’s note at the top of this blog post said she decided to ask me to write this after crossing paths with a 17-year-old family friend exasperated with her breasts that seemed to “just keep growing” according to the young friend.
My client said during her young life her older sister would try to get her to stand up straight. My client confessed to me that she used her lower back and spine to lift her chest and stand erect. She’d been the second girl in her class to wear a bra — way back in the fifth grade.
By the time she was in her mid-20s, her family doctor suggested breast-reduction surgery. She declined out of fear and concern about breastfeeding a baby she might have someday. She had that baby, and a few years later her new doctor told her she’d be a “good candidate” for breast-reduction surgery. The doc added that insurance would pay for anything larger than a D cup—and my client was a G (she says “for gargantuan”).
Although the surgery was a huge success and took my client down to a C, it only took a few years for her to settle into a D, where she has stayed for a decade. Earlier this year she started to have back pain. She has been a chiropractic patient for 25 years, but her back pain didn’t seem to be getting better. Her family doctor sent her to physical therapy for a few months. She’s much better, but not at 100%.
We modified her Pilates moves but the bottom line is she had to address her posture. She needed to understand which muscles she should be using to maintain her proper posture thus I decided to focus on the way she lifts, and supports, her breasts when she does everything from sitting and standing to bending and reaching. I’m convinced all those years of carrying around large breasts have taken their toll. When I started training her to pay attention to lifting from underneath her breasts by using her upper abs, she confessed she’d never done it that way.
How many women toss their shoulders back, or squeeze their shoulder blades together (as they’ve been often told) and arch their back to lift their breasts? Almost all of them (unless they are in some sort of training with someone who knows how to help them do it to get the same effect and not hurt their back). Here’s what I (well, we) want the world to know:
Women with large breasts need to focus on their upper abs when “lifting” their chest – the often overlooked muscles that pull your ribs together. You can feel these muscles as you exhale!
Lifting comes from inside the body, underneath the breasts, while the rest of the abdominal muscles support this breast and upper body weight. The back muscles then can function the way they are meant to be used, to support your core – the organs,bones and muscles that keep you alive.
It’s helpful to envision the ribs coming together, as though you are being shrunk-wrapped (place your hands on your ribs and you can feel them). Then envision your spine lengthening, from your tailbone to the crown of your head, so you can create space, however minute, for those abs to come together. As you envision your lengthening spine, create a loosening in your waistband (we use these muscles everyday). Many folks call this pulling your belly button towards your spine. Using ALL of your abdominal muscles, even just a little bit, helps the entire core work together — instead of just the back.
When I first taught my client this she said, “I wish you could reach out to every 10-year-old girl and teach them how to do this before it’s too late.”
It’s unlikely this post will go viral, but if you know of a parent or coach of a young girl with large breasts, please share it with them.
If you’re already a bit busty, try my tips and let me know if you have any questions.
