Can a Breast Reduction Make My Back Pain Go Away?

Although having large breasts is often desirable, overly large breasts often cause a myriad of issues, including lower and upper back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain. It can even lead to emotional or psychological distress, especially if it leads to trouble with exercising comfortably or finding bras that fit correctly.

Thankfully, breast reduction surgery is an incredibly effective procedure that many women find helps with their back pain and boosts their quality of life.

At Ayewah Aesthetics, our team, led by board-certified cosmetic surgeon Martha Ayewah, DO, offers breast reduction surgery to help reduce your back pain caused by large breasts. We examine why large breasts often cause back problems and how breast reduction surgery can help in this month’s blog. 

Large breasts and back pain

Breast growth is influenced most often by changes in hormones, which is why your breast size changes during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. If you’re on any medication that impacts your hormones, your breast size might also be affected. And while weight can occasionally influence breast size, losing weight doesn’t typically make your breasts any smaller. 

If you have heavy breast tissue and sagging breasts, gravity is going to take its toll, causing your shoulders to slump forward. This poor posture position can wreak havoc on your spine and cause all sorts of pain in your back, shoulders, and neck. 

So, when you have a breast reduction, not only is all that excess breast tissue removed, but your breasts are also placed higher on your chest to relieve all that pressure on your spine. Your back pain should disappear once you can effectively change your posture and wear bras that fit you correctly. 

What to expect during breast reduction surgery

Before going through breast reduction surgery, Dr. Ayewah sits down with you to discuss your goals and what you want from the procedure. She also reviews your medical history to ensure you’re a good candidate for surgery. 

To prepare for the surgery, you need to take some time off of work and prepare your home for surgical recovery. You need to avoid smoking, and our team can review which medications you may need to stop taking before the surgery.

On the day of your breast reduction, we start by administering general anesthesia. Dr. Ayewah then makes an incision on your breast to allow access for the removal of all the excess breast skin and tissue. Next, she repositions your nipple higher on your breast before stitching the surgical site closed. 

Recovery time for breast reduction surgery is about 2-4 weeks. 

To learn more about how breast reduction surgery can effectively address back pain, schedule an appointment by calling our office in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York, New York, or using our online booking feature today.