Whether you’re a football star or new runner, your boobs need support

When the Matildas run onto the pitch, with luck and planning, they will all be wearing one particular form of protective equipment. And so should the rest of us, even if we aren’t competing.

This one stops pain, supports us in our bid to exercise and makes running more efficient. Hell, it even protects our tricky anterior cruciate ligaments, which support our knees as we run and kick, jump and stop, or even just walk. Yes, new research tells us a well-fitting sports bra lessens the risk of injuries to the ACL.

Wearing a sports bra reduces the energetic cost of running (yes, you conserve energy which means you can put more effort into running) and may allow you to run faster at the same level of effort.

Researcher Doug Powell from the University of Memphis says some of the coolest running shoes claim to reduce oxygen cost by 4 per cent. A good sports bra does nearly double that and, if you shop well, won’t cost anything like those sturdy Hokas you love.

This is all great news for serious athletes. But it took Powell’s junior research student Hailey Fong, now on her way to a PhD, to explain to him why sports bras really mattered for those of us who don’t compete. Bouncing breasts hurt.

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“And if breast pain stops you exercising, you don’t get the benefits of exercise,” Powell says.

When Anna Spargo-Ryan first wore a sports bra, it changed her life. Today, the Melbourne-based writer can run 14 kilometres without dying. But two years ago, when she saw her 40th birthday on her horizon and an utterly sedentary life in her every day, she bought herself a smart watch and an even smarter sports bra.

Spargo-Ryan knew she needed to get fit, but it had been two children and a lifetime ago since she’d done any regular exercise. Her whole body was floppy. Now, she runs and runs, the fittest and healthiest she’s been since high school.