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One of our favorite feelings is the relief right when the bra gets taken off after a long day. It’s almost always followed by a back stretch and when the backbone pops, it feels like all is right again.
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Reviews of the Top Bras for Back Pain
We’d been wearing bras for years. You’d think by now back pain would be the least of our worries. It’s still a very real pain women deal with. It can be less of a hassle nowadays with bras like these to counter it.
When it comes to our top bra for back pain, the Fancies Underwire Longline Bra from Freya is our favorite. It combines style with support, allowing you to be comfortable all day while wearing a bra.
As a recent honorable mention we’ve found, we want to compliment the Smoothing V-neck Wireless Bra from Third Love as an excellent option for the best bra for back pain. Its easy pull-over design and smoothing v-neckline design is smoothing throughout, this wireless bralette style fits you just right without ever pinching, squashing, or squeezing.
Freya Women’s Fancies Underwire Longline Bra
Freya Women’s Fancies Underwire Longline Bra is the bra with the most coveted features for preventing back pain. For years, the brand has been known for its brilliant longline bra creations. Longline bras are known to be a wise choice for women that have bigger breast sizes than most.
They are also great for back pain, because they provide more support along your back than a standard bra.
This underwire bra boasts a gorgeous nostalgia styling with its scalloped trim at the cups and bottom band. Their soft foam cup gives your breasts the much needed definition, shape, and uplift to lessen the strain on your back.
Freya Fancies are structured with multiple hooks and eye rows for a smooth back, which instantly gives you a seamless inner-wear. This is perfect for your form-fitting clothes. Mix and match with Freya Fancies, as the collection comes, not just in basic colors, but in bold color options as well.
It’s perfect for all occasions, whether you’re wearing formal wear or casual clothes. For ladies that have fuller breasts, it is important to make sure to try one cup size larger than your regular cup size, as the top panel can cut in.
It comes with an adjustable strap, which is a great feature to accommodate different shapes.
Highlights
- Lace underwire bra featuring scalloped trim at cups and bottom band
- 78% Nylon, 22% Elastane
- Hook and Eye closure at the back
- Adjustable shoulder straps
- Soft foam-padded cups for definition, shape, and lift
- Lace underwire bra featuring scalloped trim at cups and bottom band
- Soft foam-padded cups for definition, shape, and lift
- Adjustable shoulder straps
Warner’s Easy Does It No Bulge Wire-Free
One of the most surprising things about the Warner Easy Does It No Bulge Wire-Free Bra is it can be supportive enough to wear to the gym. Low impact activities have nothing on this bra because it can support you through jogging or any workout that requires simple jumping.
It’s the epitome of comfort in a bra, despite having none of the rigidity of other regular bras. It’s all in the smart construction and use of materials that make this as supportive as it is.
Its main function that appeals to women is the promise of no underarm bulge, thanks to the extra side panels that smoothen out the side of your breasts. It also eliminates the side boob, which means it provides full coverage.
Immediately this checks out being supportive of your breasts as one of its qualities. Simultaneously, this bra doesn’t fit too tight around your rib cage area or squeeze your back. The narrower band is made up of the length of the center gore.
Like the Bali bra, this one has what looks like some knitting and seaming at the center which separates the cups and provides encapsulation. Even without wires or rigid foam cups, it’s still able to maintain a prominent rounded shape whereas other bras would probably flatten your chest.
It’s made without wires that poke your skin and with a soft seamless fabric that almost feels like nothing. Though the straps are thinner, they’re also adjustable so you can set them to a length that perfectly aligns your band, and helps your back feel less strained.
Most bras that target back pain are targeted toward women with big breasts. However, this bra is more suited to women with small breasts who are just as susceptible to incurring back pain from wearing an uncomfortable bra.
At least this bra has the same kind of simplified sizing as the Bali bra to better accommodate women of any breast type. The Easy Does It bra truly eases the pain from your back and replaces it with the comfort that comes from having well-supported breasts.
Highlights
- Full coverage sports bra top
- 94% Nylon, 6% Spandex
- Hook and eye closure at the back
- Wide, adjustable shoulder straps for a custom fit
- Smooth, seamless cups for comfort
- Extra side coverage panels and u-shaped back for smoothing
- Side-smoothing panels
- Seamless comfort
- Simple, easy sizing (S-3XL)
Playtex 18 Hour Ultimate Lift and Support
By the fanciful look of the Playtex 18 Hour Ultimate Lift and Support Wire Free Bra, you probably wouldn’t think of it as an option if we hadn’t indicated it immediately. This is the kind of bra we would pay a lot for.
Playtex is a brand that advocates for bras that are both comfortable and pretty. Their 18-Hour Ultimate Lift and Support bra doesn’t disappoint. Made for average to big breasts as large as triple D cups, this bra is equipped with an unwavering TruSupport design.
This design delivers support in 4 ways: a higher frame on the sides, wider straps, rounder cups, and smoothening back. Sans the extra side panels, the width of the band at the sides is similar to the Warner bra.
This focuses on support of the breasts in front, so they won’t spill into a side boob, also removing any chances of underarm bulges. The round cups are the ones incorporated with lifting panels to make sure your breasts are not falling off their own accord.
However, they only enhance the natural shape of your breasts. The seaming around the cups, though they’re the opposite of the recommended seamless construction, is what makes up for the lack of underwire.
It’s for the better as they’re more comfortable than the underwires which tend to poke your skin and add more pain. The thick straps are cushioned. First of all, it’s to avoid them from slipping.
Second, the thickness and the adjustability at the back make for a proper fit around the shoulders. They won’t dig into the skin and won’t pull up your band unnecessarily high and cause back pain. Like the previous two bras, this one has a low back.
We’ve yet to see a bra that has high back support, but this one like the other two has smoothening back abilities which can also help prevent any further back pain to affect you. The beautiful jacquard cups of this bra are enough to entice us.
The collectively supportive features and great value are what will drive us to purchase.
Highlights
- Full coverage balconette style bra
- 81% Nylon, 9% Spandex
- Hook and eye closure at the back
- Wide adjustable straps that taper at the shoulders
- Cup lift panels provide sexy push up with support
- Tapered back closure for back smoothing
- BUILT-IN COMFORT AND SUPPORT - TruSupport 4-way wireless support system with higher sides, fuller...
- NATURAL-LOOKING LIFT - Magic Ring construction with panels that support from the bottom up.
- A HERITAGE OF SUPERB SUPPORT - Built around the Playtex 18 Hour M-Frame, supporting women in comfort...
Olga Signature Support Satin Bra
Despite just seeing the jacquard Playtex bra, we’re all set for the fresh looks of the Olga Signature Support Satin Bra. It’s our pick for the most elegant bra for back pain. For its simple purpose, the delivery of aesthetics is beyond satisfactory.
The satiny appearance of the bra all over instantly makes us fall for it, though it’s the promising features that intrigue us more. This is the first bra we’ve featured that has underwires. We don’t shun it altogether though because they’re cushioned for comfortable support.
This is actually what the name Signature Support signifies: underwires minus the discomfort. The underwires only reinforce the support given by the huge cups. After all, this was designed for the woman with D cups or larger, though C cups are available for some band sizes too.
To counter the stiffness of the underwires, the cups are inserted with only light padding to prevent them from compressing against your chest too much. You won’t miss the satin center gore. It’s in-your-face shiny and thick, separating the cups to provide encapsulation.
These three features provide an ample amount of support for your breasts and chest without going overboard to the point of being uncomfortable. The fabric inside of the cups is also made of a soft fabric. It doesn’t chafe or irritate your skin when you move.
This extends up to the fairly thick straps that are meant to not slip. They’re adjustable at the back and positioned right beside the shoulder blades to prevent you from restricting your back and forcing you to slouch.
The band at the back is not too high. The brand calls it Comfort Back which provides comfort and support for your spine and shoulders through the connected straps. Some women who’ve sworn off bras have included Olga’s Signature Support bra in their exceptions.
That says something, if only for the overall comfort. We can vouch for this to have additional support for back pain that you won’t regret.
Highlights
- Full coverage cups
- 75% Nylon, 25% Spandex
- Hook and eye closure at the back
- Thick, adjustable shoulder straps for custom lift
- Underwired and lined cups for added shaping
- Wide, comfort band back for smoothing
- Underwire bra with lightly padded cups and adjustable shoulder straps
- Comfort Back
- Hook-and-eye back closure
DELIMIRA Full Coverage Support Bra
We can’t end this list of bras for back pain without actually including one with high back support. The Delimira Full Coverage Front Closure Wire Free Back Support Bra is the best to end with solely for that feature.
This works like a posture bra with its X-shaped reinforcement at the back for back support and posture correcting. The racerback style allows it to enforce your shoulders and shoulder blades back, so you’re not slouching even unconsciously.
This is the first bra in our picks to have front closure, as the panels make it impossible to have a back closure. It’s not the most groundbreaking feature for preventing back pain, yet we can’t deny its helpfulness.
This is true for big-breasted women who don’t have enough mobility in their arms to fasten their bras and end up hurting their backs in the process. The front closure also acts as the tall center gore that separates the support of the cups.
They’re individually placed for each breast, are wire-free, and non-padded for the ultimate comfort that any woman won’t refuse. This also provides full coverage, which is common among posture bras.
Despite the racerback-like style of the bra, it’s not lacking in adjustability as the thick straps are still equipped with adjustment hooks you can put in three possible positions. This allows for the perfect fit, as the brand would boast itself.
If there’s something this bra offers that the others can’t, it’s the simultaneous support on the back and the shoulders. It’s the only bra that offers direct support on the back.
All the while, it’s also working to straighten up your shoulders and your overall stance, preventing back pain in a natural way. With the use of sturdy and ergonomic fabrics, it’s perfectly qualified for these promising functions.
Highlights
- Full coverage sports bra top
- 94% Polyamide, 6% Spandex
- Front hook and eye closure for easy access
- Ulta-wide, 3-position adjustable straps for customized support
- Wirefree, soft, non-padded cups for comfort
- Cross back design for posture support
- X-shape back reinforcement for back support and correct posture
- Front hook and eye closure for convenient wear
- Wirefree design, non-padded soft cups with thin elastic lining, for more comfortable & free
Features to Consider for Bras for Back Pain
Beyond the bra types that are considered preventive for back pain, there are specific features you need to be looking for that collectively work for the same purpose. We’ve distinguished the most common denominators of bras that target back pain.
Here are the features and qualities in bras that might ease the tension off your back.
Comparing Bras for Back Pain Features
| Bra | Style | Back Design | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freya Fancies | Longline | Wide band with a single closure | Padded cups and underwire |
| Warner’s Easy Does It | Sports | Narrow band with a single closure | Wireless with thinly lined cups |
| Playtex 18-Hour | Full coverage | Wide band with a 3-row closure | Wireless and cups with lift panels |
| Olga Signature | Full coverage | Wide band with a 3-row closure | Wireless with lightly padded cups |
| DELIMIRA Women’s | Posture | Full crisscross back | Wireless and non-padded cups |
Wide Band
It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out the role of the band in supporting the breasts. This is why strapless bras can lift you without the help of straps. As a simultaneous effect of this, it also lifts responsibility off your back muscles to carry your breasts’ weight.
Specifically, a wide band is more equipped to handle big, sagging breasts, which are more likely to cause back pain from their heaviness.
Encapsulation
Furthering the support of a wide band, encapsulation equally distributes the weight of your breasts across your chest. It does so by having each of your breasts separately supported by individual cups.
Encapsulation is usually common but not limited to sports bras because it offers more stability, especially when working out. Think of it as your compression pants for the breasts.
In regular bras with this feature, encapsulation is usually incorporated to provide maximum support up front and spare your back from the pain that would occur otherwise.
Tall Gore
The center gore is the fabric material in the middle of your bra that connects the cups. A tall center gore means there’s more separation in your bra cups than normal, hence the encapsulation.
This can also mean that your bra won’t just carelessly push your breasts to the center, reducing the strain on your back.
Flexible Foam Cups
It’s almost impossible to have supportive bras without there being padding in the cups, especially for big breasts. It also can’t be just any cups. Flexible foam ones are the most recommended to accommodate every breast’s shape and size, which are not the same in different women. When your breasts are properly supported, your back can relax in its natural form and not get dragged down in the front in a slouching position.
High Back Support
Since this is about supporting the back, the back band is what you should be looking at because it could directly affect it. Having a high back band seen in back smoothing bras is what’s recommended. It directly supports your upper back, which is the part that hurts the most when it’s strained by the breasts’ weight.
Racerback style bras are popular for their high back support. The straps meet at the center of the upper back, the fabric forming an X on the inside of the shoulder blades. It’s the perfect spot to provide support on, making the upper back almost free from the strain of carrying the breasts’ weight.
Soft Fabrics and Construction
Bras are already innately restrictive. Stiff and rigid materials only add more to the pain of their tight fit around the chest. To lessen the blow, soft fabrics and a gentle construction are more protective of your upper body. Hence, the reason why women have been making the switch to bralettes.
Your back specifically will benefit from this posture bra construction because there will be fewer instances of you slouching or changing your natural posture just to find a more comfortable stance.
As an example of each, wire-free fabrics and a seamless construction are two of the most coveted qualities in a bra.
Wire-Free
Underwires are an example of stiff and rigid materials commonly used in bras you’ll want to avoid if you don’t want back pain. Having no underwires is a common feature among most of the best bras we picked out for back pain.
It’s no coincidence because wires have long been associated with restriction and discomfort. Ever since wires were put in bras, they’ve always just been to reinforce the bra’s lifting abilities. Although it affects the breasts and the underside of your chest the most, it also has a significant effect on the back.
Having no wires, on the other hand, almost always equates to comfort. Underwires are usually unforgiving. They won’t adjust according to your body, thus pulling the band and your body towards the front.
Losing the underwires has no significant negatives except the loss of cleavage and the illusion of bigger breasts. Other than those, choosing a wire-free bra will do wonders for your back.
Seamless
The seams are what thickens and stiffens the edges of your push up bra. This in turn leaves marks on your skin after wearing them tightly around your chest for hours at a time. When a bra is seamless and is not as stiff as seamed bras, it allows your upper body more mobility.
It makes you free to stand as straight as you want without feeling uncomfortable.
Size
It’s no secret that women wearing the wrong size bras is one major cause of pains around the breast, chest, and back areas. It happens way too often. This is because women don’t get themselves measured regularly or bras don’t carry the exact size appropriate for them.
A wide range of sizes is more inclusive for women of any breast type, especially those larger than D cups who are more prone to having back pain from wearing the wrong size bra.
Thick Straps
Straps don’t have anything to do with supporting your breasts because they don’t function to lift them, contrary to what most might believe. However, they help in aligning the band. The straps are not supposed to dig into your shoulders, and you should adjust them if they do.
This is usually an indication the band is doing its job to support your breasts and not get dragged down by them. When this is fulfilled, you know your bra’s band is sufficient to not cause any back pain. A great bra with thick straps is also less likely to strain your shoulders.
Back pain ensues not only because of the band but also when the straps force your shoulders to slouch forward. Thicker straps will prevent this and back pain from occurring.
Related Questions
Why Does My Back Hurt Where My Bra Is?
A bra with a lousy band, cups, and straps cannot fully support the bust, causing the back, neck, and shoulders to carry some weight. An excessively tight band can also feel uncomfortable in the back.
Can Large Breasts Cause Pain in the Upper Back?
Large, heavy breasts can pull the upper body forward, causing tension in the back, shoulder, and neck muscles. The pain may worsen if you’re wearing an unsupportive bra.
What Should I Do When My Back Hurts Because of a Bra?
Change your bra if it’s causing back pain. Likely, the cups can’t properly elevate the breasts, the band is too small, or the straps are too thin.
Conclusion
With a garment that fits too close around the chest and only works when it fits snugly, back pain can be inevitable. Good thing is, it’s nothing these bras or set of features can’t beat. If you know what to look for, you can be comfortable practicing in any position.
