I'm Susan, 55 year old high-school math teacher for the last 3 decades, but I'm here to talk about rotator cuff injuries and what type of bra you'll need. As I prepared for my surgery, a few friends of mine said, "just go bra-less, Susan!"
As a 38DD, let me tell you, that's not possible!
Here's what you need to know before shopping for your bra then I'll walk you through my favorite bras for rotator cuff injury (or any shoulder injury for that matter!).
I tried 4 bras and found 1 winner! I've ranked them all with photos.
But, first! My criteria!
- FRONT-CLOSURE: Absolutely no pull over bras or hook in the back bras. Trust me, it doesn't matter how hard you try to buy something 2 sizes bigger, it's a nightmare to have to pull on over your head.
- EASY TO PUT ON: You'll have one arm that's immobile for up to 12 weeks. you'll need the absolute easiest to put on
- WIDE ARM HOLES: You'll be putting your bra on with your elbow just out of the sling. Squeezing to put your arm through a small arm hole (while it may allow for smoothing sides!) will not be easy.
- WIDE FABRIC STRAPS: no thin straps allowed! It will dig in and cause pain!
1st Bra I Tried: Fruit of the Loom Women's Front Close Builtup Sports Bra - $23.00
★★★☆☆
This was the first bra I saw and I bought it on Amazon. I must be honest, this is a sleep bra at best!
I'll give it to them that it's soft, well made, but very thin. I didn't feel like it held any of the girls up. The real issue is that because it's so soft with no structure or cups, it's difficult to pull around with just one hand. Each side of the bra would be swinging as I tried to grab the other with one.
Once I finally got it closed, the hooks were impossible for me to do with one hand! While I might have worn this not for rotator cuff injury, this was too hard to put on and not enough support.
2nd Bra I Tried: SAYFUT Women's Shirred Front Zipper Closure Sports - $10.99
★★☆☆☆
Let's just say you get what you pay for! For $10.99 this bra was very flimsy and the zipper was so align and then kept coming undone. I tried another zipper bra from Florata (not pictured as I returned it immediately) and it was the same. It had slightly more support but had this awful synthetic feeling.
Ultimately, zippers are too hard to do with shoulder injuries for me! At this point, I was ready to give up as for front-closure bras goes, that's all I could think of.
3rd Bra I Tried: Glamorise Front-Closure Cotton T-Back Comfort Bra - $43.00
★★★☆☆
I have heard good things about Glamorise and this is probably my second favorite on the list, but frankly it was still pretty difficult to put on. It has much more coverage which I really needed!
I had the same issue with the Fruit of the Loom bras that it was difficult to put on with the hooks. One side just kept swinging open, I tried with my immobile arm to hold the other side and use my other hand to hook it. A disaster. You will understand as soon as you have only one arm.
It fit well and I do like cotton so it was a shame. But I was in the business of needing bra I can wear for the next 12 weeks for this rotator cuff injury.
But I was in luck soon enough.
The Winner: Liberare Comfort Sculpt Bra - $54.00
★★★★★
I had seen this bra early on in my preparing for shoulder surgery but at $54.00, I couldn't rationalize it. I ended up trying it after I saw free 60 day returns and thought, "Well Susan, just try it and make your husband return it if you need to."
It has a magnetic front closure, which I had never seen before! I was so skeptical of the front-closure as a DD bust woman. I ordered it and let me tell you, it works just like the videos.
Because it has these magnets in it, it just aligns itself! Then it has these nifty little latches that lock. I'm not sure exactly how to explain it but I found a video of a young woman putting it on with one hand that I linked below (which is essentially what you'll need to do with this bra with shoulder surgery.)
Now, I could finally put a bra on! But now it was time to evaluate for comfort and fit.
While this bra is not the most supportive (I've since tried others from them that are more supportive, like the Everyday Easy-On Bra and this one) it certainly does the job post surgery.
I'm now on week 10 post-op and have been wearing this brand any time I need to go out. I'm very impressed with the front-closure and how easy it is for me!
