I have arthritis, muscle spasms, degenerative discs, scoliosis, and according to the chiropractor subluxation in my spine.

Question

I do the recommended stretches and exercises regularly but still have lower, mid and upper back pain. I'm a 34G, 5'4", weigh 135. I have seen a chiropractor for years and recently started going to a physical therapist for back pain. Would a breast reduction help, and would I have trouble getting my insurance to pay for the surgery?

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Based on your description of breast size, spinal anatomy as well as symptoms, breast reduction surgery can only help when it comes to alleviating symptoms. Of course, no one can predict exactly how much relief you can expect from the breast reduction procedure.“Typical” patients who present for breast reduction surgery are women who have disproportionately large breasts, causing problems such as neck/back/shoulder discomfort, postural changes, bra strap grooving, skin irritation/rashes under the breasts, and/or difficulty with activities of daily living and/or exercise etc. There may be both physical as well as psychosocial “stress” caused by the disproportionately large breasts.
Reducing breast tissue mass and elevating the breasts on the chest wall tend to improve or alleviate many of the symptoms associated with the disproportionately large breasts.
Patients considering breast reduction surgery should also consider the potential downsides (risks/complications) associated with the procedure as well. Poor scarring, for example may be associated with the procedure.  Additional surgery may be necessary in the short or longer term for a multitude of reasons.Best to check directly with your insurance company to see whether breast reduction surgery is a “covered” benefit with your specific policy. Then, given that every insurance company has different “criteria”, best to identify exactly what your specific insurance company considers criteria for approval. Generally, the more documentation you have (for example, from your primary care doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor etc.) the better when it comes to obtaining insurance “authorization” for the procedure.  
When the time is right, I would suggest starting with the American Society of Plastic Surgery and/or the Aesthetic Society of Plastic Surgery to obtain a list of well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons.
Then, I would suggest you visit a few surgeons whose practices concentrate on aesthetic surgery. Ask to see lots of examples of their work and preferably speak/see patients who have had similar procedures done.
Then, it will be important that you communicate your goals clearly with your plastic surgeon and make sure that you have realistic expectations prior to proceeding with any type of surgery. In regards to breast size desired, also communicate carefully. In my practice the use of goal pictures are helpful in this regard; a discussion of cup size can be confusing and imprecise.   Therefore, I would not suggest that you communicate your goals and/or base your satisfaction with the outcome of surgery on achieving a specific cup size.  I also find that the use of pictures is more helpful than the words “natural” or "proportionate” etc., which can mean different things to different people.
 
I hope this helps.

I have arthritis, muscle spasms, degenerative discs, scoliosis, and according to the chiropractor subluxation in my spine.

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I have arthritis, muscle spasms, degenerative discs, scoliosis, and according to the chiropractor subluxation in my spine.

Answers (1)

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Breast Reduction

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.