Warning!! Your big bust can break your back

The wisest man in history, King Solomon, referred to breasts as “twin fawns of a gazelle.” 

A while back, we were taken aback by the story of a man who ended it with his wife because of a missing breast. But breasts, much as they could confuse men to walk into open ditches, could be burdensome. This has nothing to do with ailments like breast cancer, but rather with the weight of these organs that house the mammary glands. As men ogle and make fools of themselves over a woman’s ample bust, the poor woman could be suffering too much pain and discomfort because of her big breasts.

Do you have breasts larger than average? Do you suffer frequent back pains and struggle to keep an upright gait? Do you suffer arthritis-like symptoms? Do you find it extremely difficult to take part in jumping, or in activities that go with or against gravity? Do you struggle to find bras that match your size and do the straps dig into your flesh creating sore ‘pits’? If the answer is ‘yes’ to all these questions, then you may need to see your a specialist sooner rather than later.

Breast reduction surgery (like what actress Queen Latiffah of United States opted for in 2003) is a procedure that is performed on women who don’t match symmetry between their busts and their body sizes as well as length. “We perform breast reduction on women with gigantomasia – breasts that are too large for their bodies to bear. For these women, their breasts are bigger than normal for their body sizes and heights. They will suffer back pain and difficulty in keeping a straight gait,” Dr David Thuo, a consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist at Velvet Healthcare in Nairobi, says.

Dr Thuo explains that for some women, the effects of large breasts may not only be physical, but psychological as well.

“Some women may be uncomfortable with their large busts and will avoid interacting with people for fear of being judged and personal insecurities. Beauty, for women, is an integral part of existence, we have to recognise that too,” he adds.

According to the doctor, some patients may not have health problems emanating from the sheer weight of their breasts. “They may just want to undergo breast reduction purely for aesthetic reasons.”  But issues of aesthetics don’t constitute medical emergency, like say, back pains and general discomfort in the bone structure.

In extreme cases, the doctor adds, large breasts may exert too much pressure on the spinal cord, tampering with motor nerve function. “That is why it is good to see a doctor for this kind of problem,” he advises. Breast reduction (also known as mammoplasty) may actually improve one’s quality of life and health prospects.