The breast and sports: issues for the clinician.

Although a number of recent reviews have focused on the effects of exercise and sports on menstrual function, minimal emphasis has been placed on how the breast is affected. Increasing numbers of female athletes are participating in previously male-dominated contact sports; the effect on overall breast health from medium-to-high impact activities remains to be seen. This article reviews the basic anatomy and embryology of breast tissue, outlines various problems of the breast that the adolescent athlete may encounter, and offers management strategies for such problems.