Secret support: Did prescription bras help the Lionesses win Euro 2022?

This might be one of the most iconic images in English sporting history: Chloe Kelly twirling her England jersey above her head as she sprints over the pitch in a white Nike sports bra.

But if these cuts could talk, they could claim a piece of the Lionesses victory for themselves.

Ahead of the Euros, breast biomechanics experts provided England players with personalized bra prescriptions to improve their comfort and ensure they received the good support. According to their latest data, bras may also have improved sports performance in gamers.

"Evidence suggests that sports bras have benefits in terms of performance, comfort and health, so I would say they are just as important to women's exercise as trainers,” said Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scurr from the University of Portsmouth, who led the project.

Ongoing - through to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Wakefield-Scurr and colleagues have provided similar prescriptions to 112 UK athletes, in collaboration with the English Institute of Sport (EIS).Prior to their procedure, most athletes wore bras that were loose and ill-fitting, offering limited support, and many reported breast discomfort or pain.Four weeks later, 87% of athletes said they benefited from the pr escriptions and 17% said it improved their athletic performance.

"We were thrilled because it meant the athletes noticed a difference in their performance on the field, on the field or elsewhere, and that difference was a result of their bra changing,” Wakefield-Scurr said.

Sports bras in general belong to one of two categories. There are compression bras, which help reduce breast movement by pressing them flat against the chest, and encapsulation bras, which support each breast in individual cups. sports bras are very common in football,” Wakefield-Scurr said. “They can be reasonably effective for athletes with small chests, but there are also hybrid bras that look like a crop top but have a bit more support, which Chloe [Kelly] used to wear. It looks like a crop top when viewed from the front, but it contains more structured support.

This support is important. Previous research has suggested that wearing an ill-fitting bra can create multiple problems, ranging from breast pain and sagging tissue to irritated skin. Running in a low-support bra has also been found to shorten women's strides by up to 4cm, which could add up to an extra mile over the duration of a marathon.

"Some of our research has also shown reductions in upper body muscle activity due to wearing a well-fitting bra, meaning you could potentially last a little longer long into your workout before you get tired," Wakefield-Scurr said. "If you're exercising and your breasts are moving around a lot, you're basically working harder in your upper body to try to stop this move."

Ahead of the UEFA European Women's Championships, Wakefield-Scurr provided general breast and bra training to the Lionesses, followed by individual sessions." We looked at their bra needs and the issues they were having with their sports bras, and then we prescribed them sports bras, including the sports bra that we saw Chloe show everyone," he said. - she said.

< p class="dcr-xry7m2">“These were ready-to-use bras, but we found that players really appreciated the information on how to fit them , on the styles that would suit them best. There are some great products out there that can work for elite athletes, but it's all about helping them navigate the market.

Dr Pippa Bennett, Acting Director of Medical Services at the English Institute of Sport and the Football Association Medical Officer for Women's Professional Play, said "While the EIS has not worked directly with the Lionesses, it is great to see that the FA has - like the EIS - prioritized work on female athlete health, including adjusting the bras."

As well as inspiring more women to get into football, Kelly - who said she was going to frame her bra - has may have inadvertently sparked a boom in sports bra purchases. John Lewis said sales jumped 140% over the weekend, while Google searches for "Nike sports bra" increased almost tenfold after Saturday's game.

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