"Learn to undo bras," say plastic surgeons

Men should spend more time learning how to undo bra straps safely, according to doctors at St George's Hospital in London.

The team of plastic surgeons, led by Mr Andrew Fleming, has described a case where a young man needed surgery after catching a finger in his partner's bra while undoing it.

Mr Fleming, who cites the case in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery,¹ said: "[We] advocate patient self-education (during the adolescent years) on the mechanism of external female mammary support, and postulate that it may be important in reducing the incidence of other such injuries."

The 27 year old male patient had presented to casualty after catching his left middle finger between the double straps of the bra of his "attractive female companion" and sustaining a forced ulnar abduction rotatory injury of the proximal interphalangeal joint.

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Mr Fleming operated on the finger after an x ray film identified a fracture of the volar lip of the middle phalanx. The ruptured radial collateral ligament was also repaired. The finger was noted to have regained almost complete function at the patient's six week follow up appointment.

Although this type of injury is not uncommon, no previous cases have been described that were caused by bra removing activity. Most such injuries are either work related or caused by hyperextension while playing ball handling sports.

As many as 40% of young men have problems removing bras, and, given that not all injuries repair as satisfactorily as in this case, Mr Fleming and his colleagues suggest that patient education could prevent such injuries in the future.



studentBMJ 2002;10:215-258 July ISSN 0966-6494

1. Rose V, Moloney D, Fleming A. The bra-strap injury: should men have lessons? Br J Plastic Surg 2002:55:179-80.