The impact of sports bra features on measured and perceived pressure for torso movement of the upper body

Abstract

The interpretation of pressure between a sports bra and the skin is highly significant to females, marketers, and designers because it helps reduce discomfort. So far, many studies on sports bras pressure have focused mainly on static activities such as standing or sitting and dynamic activities such as jumping, walking and running, skipping, and jogging that cause vertical movement of the body. Therefore, this study focuses on upper body torsion rather than vertical or horizontal motion. The objective is to identify and compare factors that restrict females with large breasts from playing golf using two types of sports bras, an Encapsulation and Compression sports bras. The Novel Pliance-X® pressure system assessed the contact pressures from the shoulder straps, underbust, and backband. The results demonstrated that the underband of both sports bras generated less pressure than other features, while the backband of sports bras produced more pressure. It was concluded that the encapsulation sports bra with a racerback design has acceptable results for females with larger breasts when playing golf.