I bound all day yesterday. I usually don't bind much, I just wear tight sports bras. Today I am having pain when breathing even though I am wearing a sports bra. It is especially bad when I am using the backpack blower at work. I don't really have any other cold symptoms. It is really humid today. You guys think it is from binding?
Thanks,
Pao
If you usually don´t bind, then I think yes it´s possible. Perhaps they were too tight/small?
Be careful, I walked around with months of rib pain due to binding too tight for a while.
One of the things that doesn't get brought up much is that you can actually injure yourself putting a binder on/off, even when the binder is the right size to wear all day without issue. This happened to me quite a few times when I was first figuring out the best method for me. So if you got stuck or it rolled up on you or something, that's a possibility.
But yeah. It could also be that the binder was too tight. Consider trying one size up, which may be worth it just for the sake of comfort if you have a physical job.
I've had pain from both yanking at the back of a binder to put it on quickly (lots of tendon stress there, a little powder can help prevent sticking), and from wearing binders that were too small and/or the wrong type for my body. I've found that firm front panels with more flexible lightweight backings work best for me, leaving me able to move around, and I always choose the "right" size by the measurements of the manufacturer--a too-small binder won't give you much more actual chest compression, kind of like too-tight jeans...but it will compress your ribcage.
The general recommendation is that you don't bind for more than 6-8 hours...but I definitely bind for longer than that, often 16 hours a day. To balance it, I compromise by using binders that reshape my chest without over-compressing it (ones that are made by/for transmasculine people tend to work best, though one of the most popular ones I find is very, very stiff and compressing of my ribs...I'd name names but I'm not sure we're allowed to?) and try to have 1 - 2 days (or mornings) a week where I use my full range of motion without the binder to give my muscles a break, usually working around the house.
Another thing to balance is that binding very tightly on the regular can cause your chest tissue to lose elasticity, which looks super flat/great in a binder but can affect the results of top surgery negatively. That's a deeply personal choice, and I'm not advocating one way or another here, just something good to know. I don't plan to bind for more than another 12-18 months (I'm going for top surgery as soon as I can get approval), so I'm trying really hard not to bind too tightly.
Try stuff out, do what works, and be as safe as you can manage! :)