Can Breast Reduction Alleviate Back Pain?

Pain in the back, neck, and shoulders is a common symptom of overly large breasts — a condition medically referred to as “symptomatic macromastia.” In general, heavy breasts that are disproportionate to a patient’s body frame can cause a host of symptoms that range from moderate inconveniences to debilitating medical problems. Back pain is a major concern that affects countless women with an excessive breast size, often making it difficult for one to exercise and live an active lifestyle. Consequently, large breasts can also be a contributing risk factor for obesity.

While there are non-surgical remedies that can help improve back pain in the short-term — such as chiropractic therapy, pain-relieving medications, supportive bras, and ice packs — these solutions cannot reverse the pull of gravity, which often makes heavy breasts more pendulous (droopy) over time and worsens back pain. For the same reason, weight loss is usually only marginally effective in improving back aches. Breast reduction is currently the only treatment capable of removing excess breast weight to provide long-term relief from the symptoms of macromastia. In addition to reducing back pain, breast reduction has also been known to improve other physiological issues such as:

• Poor posture
• Numbness in the extremities
• Limited mobility

By extension, the procedure can also reduce — or even eliminate — skin chafing, shoulder grooves, headaches, and skeletal instability, among other symptoms of large breasts. Board-certified plastic surgeon Jon Paul Trevisani, MD would be happy to evaluate your concerns to help you learn whether breast reduction can achieve your goals. Please don’t hesitate to contact The Aesthetic Surgery Centre today to schedule a consultation or to learn more.