I know that exercise generally doesn't make gynecomastia go away, but are there any risks that running, swimming, or other forms of exercise can make it worse? I like to run a few times a week, but I find that my chest can be a bit sore afterwards. Not a big deal - more of a mild ache than anything. But I'm worried that all the up and down motion might be aggravating the condition.
Working out is good for your entire body. Being leaner might make the gyne more noticeable, but it doesnt "make it worse".
It sounds like you may be having a support problem (the reason women wear a sports bra/sports top). You might want to take a look into trying one, if its currently bothering you. There are plenty of options that are not super noticeable, especially under another shirt.
The benefits of being more fit definitely outweigh any self-consciousness of wearing something..
I work with many
Athletes and Bodybuilders with Gynecomastia. Toning the body is great for shaping the muscles. However, many complain that as they build their muscles, what sits on top gets pushed out further. This is not gland growth, just making it more noticeable as the muscle gets bigger and the surrounding fat lessens making gland stand out more.
While tenderness and discomfort are
Symptoms of Gynecomastia, they can also be the result of topical trauma. This has been another factor I have seen in many athletes. One of the consequences of the contour of gynecomastia is that the protrusion can be a source of irritation from fabrics. I have seen marathon runners with bloody shirts from the wounds that the friction caused:
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=marathon+bloody+nipples+shirt&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1613&bih=826I have seen other forms of trauma such as my weight lifter patients who were traumatizing their gynecomastia when resting the bar on their chest. There are many such examples I have seen over the years. Sore muscles after exercise are not the same issue and are an expected result of pushing muscles to build them.
When such tenderness is due to mechanical trauma, it is not the same as a red flag for hormonal forms of tenderness. Many of my patients have then tried
Body Shaping Garments that eliminated the mechanical trauma issue by stabilizing the tissue.
Hope this helps,
Michael Bermant, MD
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