About Claire Webster

Great, Healthy Boobs!

If you see me as a patient, or viewed any of my previous blog postings. You may have heard me talk about posture once or twice? Supporting your boobs in a well fitted bra can contribute to good posture and is important for ladies. The purpose of a well-fitting bra is to offer support of the breasts for comfort, wellbeing and appearance. It is estimated that 80% of women in the UK are wearing the wrong size bra.
Sometimes problems that I deal with as an Osteopath, can be caused by, or contributed to by a poor fitting bra.

Problems that can result from an ill-fitting bra
  • Pain from direct pressure.
  • Postural problems related to poor support, this may then cause pain.
  • Alongside changes in posture, you may get a knock-on effect on the internal organs/structures. Then possibly changes in breathing, circulation and digestion. Heartburn, indigestion, IBS have all been documented.
  • Skin rashes from direct pressure.
 
A well fitted bra can contribute to better posture and wellbeing
 

 

How to fit your bra – what to look out for
Look at the band around your torso. It should fit securely. You should be able to slide 2 fingers underneath the band at the back, and one under the middle part at the front, “the gore”.
If the band at the back of the bra rides up, then it is too big. In this scenario, you would tend to compensate by tightening the shoulder straps. So other signs that this may be the case are indents on your shoulders from the straps. Or maybe pain in the shoulders.
The central part, “gore”, at the front of the bra should also sit on your body. You should be able to raise your arms up above your head and for this to remain the case. If this doesn’t happen it maybe the case that you should increase the cup size and reduce the band size.
Another sign of an ill-fitting bra is the “quad boob”. So this is when breast tissue bulges over the top of the bra. The bra needs to encapsulate all the breast tissue.
To measure:
Measure with a fabric tape measure underneath the bust where the band should be. The tape measure should be tight, ideally you should do this naked. Make sure the tape measure is parallel. This is where 90% of the support from your bra comes from.
Bra sizes come in even numbers, round it up if necessary. This is your band size.
Next measure around the fullness of the bust. Do this naked and bending forward. This is so all your breast tissue moves forward and can be incorporated in the measurement. The tape measure should be looser on this measurement.
Then take the difference between the two measurements to get the cup size. SEE CHART.
 
Difference between 0″    <1″    2″    3″    4″    5″    6″    7″    8″    9″    10″   11″    12″
2 measurements
 
Cup size                  AA    A      B     C     D    DD   E     F     FF   G     GG    H      HH
 
So this is a basic guide. There will be variations between brands and so your bra size may alter between styles and brands. Remember that the band size is proportionate to the cup size, so if you reduce the band you will likely have to go up in the cup and vice versa.
In conclusion, if your bra doesn’t fit snugly and encompass everything, and/or causes pain. Then it is best to take the advice offered here today.

NOVEMBER FOCUS – WORKSTATION POSTURE

Please read this! I know it’s not the most stimulating of subjects. If you pay a little attention to your set-up at your computer/desk, both at home and work. Then it can make an enormous difference to your daily comfort. Trying to prevent the accumulation of an issue, which may result in pain. Everyday of my working life I spend talking about this! Believe me its a worthwhile practice, so I urge you to take note.

The basic set-up

Image supplied by Google

Start by looking at your seat. You should sit right back into your chair, so have your bottom to the back of the seat. When you’re sat up straight, the chair should be supporting the curve of the lower back. Office- style chairs may have an adjustable lower back support. You can buy lower back/lumbar supports if necessary. Cushions and pillows perhaps will offer temporary assistance.

So you should be sitting well in your chair. Keeping your shoulders relaxed, bring your elbows into your side and your forearms out horizontally. The level of your forearms should indicate the ideal height of the desk. So you may now need to adjust the height of the chair? You need to try and keep a flat wrist and hand to avoid overstrain of these areas. It’s personal preference if you use an armrest, and sometimes whether it is practical. Some people like them to keep their upper limb relaxed. Sometimes they prevent you pulling yourself close to your desk. If this is the case they maybe aren’t appropriate as you should be able to do this.

You may have to adjust the tilt of the seat base of the chair. The ideal is to have an angle of 90 to 120 degrees at the hip. So really this means that your knees should be level with or just below the hips. Feet should be flat on the floor, or on a footrest if preferred, or necessary.

So you should be sitting tucked in close to your desk. We now need to look at how the desktop is arranged. Your monitor needs to be set straight ahead of you, at an arm’s length away. The top of the monitor should be level with your line-of-sight. The keyboard should be straight ahead of you, and within easy reach. Everything you use regularly should be within easy reach. So the mouse, the phone any documents…

If you spend a lot of time on the phone, then a head-set may be a wise purchase to avoid the tendency to tuck the phone between your ear and shoulder. Or using a hands-free function on the phone. There are different style mouses which change the digit and position they are worked by and in. This may be helpful if you’re suffering any strains through the upper limb. Document holders may be useful if it’s necessary to constantly be referring to paperwork.

Above describes the very basic points to consider. There can be many different configurations depending on the nature of the work.  Feel free to email me with any queries.

It’s important to make sure you get up and move around regularly, try every 30 to 45 minutes.

The bits that caught my eye in the news

Musculoskeletal pains, like chronic back or neck and repetitive strain injuries. Account for half of absences from work, and 60% of those who are permanently unable to work due to their pain. This costs the European Union €240 billion every year in benefits, treatments and lost production.
Office workers, who often average around 40 hours a week sat at a desk, and on the computer and phone, commonly suffer problems. There is a tendency to hold a phone between the ear and shoulder whilst they attempt to multitask.
In 1983 the first call centre head-set was developed. This has now evolved into a lightweight, ergonomic and wireless device. The innovator company of the headset – Plantronics, and the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, have carried out a study on pain reduction in headset users. In 4 weeks, half of the subjects who suffered neck ache and headaches at the start  of the study (54% and 44% respectively) reported no pain. Shoulder and upper back pain was also reduced. 60% of the users found the headsets “very useful”.

A common practice 200 years ago was bodysnatching. An article I read recently made me think of everything that may have gone before, in order to create the anatomical textbooks I studied from. Cambridge scientists have claimed that bodysnatching has had a greater influence on medical science, than advances made in World War I. Both gave medical students a vital insight into the affects of disease and illness on the body.
Apparently bodysnatching became so prevalent, relatives would watch over their deceased, and even over the grave after burial.

 

 

 

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