Researchers from the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth tested about 50 bra designs on hundreds of women over the past three years and found that a woman’s breasts could be damaged and fragile ligaments permanently stretched by wearing the wrong bra.

The researchers found that women may be buying the wrong size because they are embarrassed by their bust and/or ignorant to what the perfect bra is really supposed to feel like.

"There’s a social stigma about certain sizes; many women don’t want to be seen as too small or too big and buy a bra that doesn’t fit well in order to be what they consider to be a normal size," said Dr. Joanna Scurr, the study’s lead researcher and biomechanics expert. "Many other women are unaware that they are wearing a badly fitting bra or unknowingly wear the wrong bra size because they are routinely being sold ill-fitting bras."

Dr. Scurr also found that during exercise breasts can move up to 8.26 inches, up and down, in and out, and side to side — and, contrary to popular belief, most sports bras are designed to limit just vertical movement.

Researchers told the BBC news that many women wear sports bras to exercise, thinking they provide more support than traditional bras. However, the reality is just the opposite, according to scientist Wendy Hedger. The researchers also warned women against wearing crop-top sports bras.

"In sports bras, for example, many women won’t buy a bra that resembles their everyday bra and does up at the back — they think if it can’t be pulled over their heads like a crop top, then it’s not a real sports bra," said Hedger. "But this is not true and many sports bras do up at the back in the same way as a traditional bra and do a very good job of supporting women."