Has breast health been overlooked in the past by sports medicine practitioners? 

If you’ve worked with female athletes or with women who exercise, how many conversations have you had around breast health? Historically, this topic has received very little attention in the pages of scientific journals, however this is now being addressed. However, the fact that two recent podcasts on the topic have garnered over 15,000 listens shows that there is appetite to know more about the topic.

Given this topic typically may not have been covered in formal educational courses, and as such practitioners may not be abreast of the latest research (pardon the pun), we thought we would put together a list of resources to help guide conversations on the topic. We’re hugely grateful to all who have provided their time and expertise in the below podcasts & resources:

It’s also great to see some of the BJSM’s member societies providing some guidance in this area. Sports Medicine Australia have put together this easy-to-understand fact-sheet on how to choose a bra suitable for physical activity that also shows athletes how to check if it fits properly https://sma.org.au/resources-advice/injury-fact-sheets/exercise-and-breast-support/

The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine also recently published a cross-sectional, multi-center study that characterised the usage and preferences of specific sports bra characteristics in an active female cohort https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2325967121S00110

Are there any other papers or resources you’d like us to mention here? Get in touch with us via social media if so and we’ll be sure to add it to this list of resources

Featured Photo by Morgan Petroski on Unsplash