One Armed Dressing

The writing below is the answer I sent to someone who needed help following a shoulder surgery.

Regarding difficulty putting your bra on, me too! I had difficulty with that but I finally figured it out. I'll try to explain, though seeing it done would be better, but I'm not inclined to send pictures. lol

My left shoulder was broken so I cut the left strap neatly at the front bottom edge where it joins to the cup. I attached two sticky back Velcro strips about 2 inches long, one to the inside of the strap and the other to the outside of the cup. I took the Velcro strips off when I laundered the bra and stuck them back on later. They lasted for 2 or 3 re-applications before they lost stickiness and had to be replaced. WalMart sells the Velcro strips in the sewing notions department.

Putting on the bra: Wrap the bra around your waist with the back hook closures at the front, about belly button height. Close the back hooks.

With your good arm, twist it around until the back closure is where it's supposed to be. Then shimmy it up your midriff until you can put your good arm through the strap. With the good arm, slowly ease the whole bra up higher, under the sling.

Here comes the good part. I used my kitchen tongs to grab the left dangling strap from behind my back and I brought it to the front. The strap needed to be attached and that's where the Velcro fix came in. It did the job.

Another option is to wear a strapless one. You can buy bras with detachable straps.