The focus of the seminar series is to call for experts related to academia and research in the areas related to biomechanics, variability, motor disorders, physical therapy, and related studies.

Presentation Title: Sports Bras and Running Performance: Mechanisms Underlying Improved Bioenergetics

Presentation Abstract:

Running is a common form of physical activity shown to benefit cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal and mental health. Moreover, running has few barriers to participation making it a readily accessible form of physical activity. Conversely, breast pain is a significant barrier to exercise for many women with up to 72% of women experiencing exercise-induced breast pain. Mechanically, exercise-induced breast pain is the result of high tissue strains and strain rates as a function of the passive nature of breast tissue. For example, A D-Cup breast can experience more than 20 cm of vertical breast displacement with velocities over 100 cm/s during running. To combat large magnitudes of breast displacements and velocities during running, external breast support is used, typically in the form of a sports bra.  Recent research has demonstrated that greater levels of breast support are associated with improved running performance, specifically an average of 7% reduction in oxygen consumption at a given running velocity. This presentation will discuss data related to the potential underlying biomechanical variables associated with the observed reductions in oxygen consumption associated with greater levels of breast support including positive joint work bias, trunk and pelvis coordinative patterns and regularity of breast motion. The aim of this presentation is to invoke discussion of an under-studied topic area to benefit the application of biomechanics in women’s health.

About the speaker:

Dr. Powell is the Director of the Breast Biomechanics Research Center (BBRC) at the University of Memphis. He holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Memphis and in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He received his PhD in Biomechanics and Sports Medicine from the University of Tennessee and master’s degrees in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering from East Carolina University and the University of Memphis, respectively.

As the Director of the BBRC at the University of Memphis, he leads an interdisciplinary team to address the mission of the BBRC which is to improve women’s health through the science of biomechanics and biomedical engineering. While a vast majority of research on the female breast has focused specifically on breast anatomy or breast support, researchers at the BBRC also consider the secondary influences of breast motion and biomechanics on whole body movement patterns as well as metrics of human performance.  Further, BBRC researchers partner with colleagues around the world to conduct research with the goal of improving women’s health. Current BBRC projects investigate novel methods of performing breast anthropometry, the interaction of breast biomechanics and support on sport performance and injury, the influence of breast support on posture, spinal health and degeneration and the development of an automated three-dimensional breast ultrasound system to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer rates and outcomes. Dr. Powell’s research has been funded by the Department of Defense, Nike, SheFit, and Bayer (among others).