For this reason, you should always have breast pain evaluated by a healthcare provider before considering other causes.
Angina
Anginais chest pain brought on by a lack of oxygen getting to the heart.
If angina becomes worse, it can lead to a heart attack.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
Angina pain may last a few minutes but should go away with rest.
Unfortunately, the often vague and subtle symptoms lead women to overlook the signs.
Too often, that’s a fatal mistake.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
This condition can cause sudden, sharp chest pain that worsens if you lie down or breathe deeply.
It may feel like a heart attack, but it’s not life-threatening.
This may be combined with another anti-inflammatory medication,colchicine, which helps reduce the chances of pericarditis recurring.
However, the underlying reason for the inflammation needs to be treated as well.
It can be hard to pinpoint the source.
You may feel the pain in your left breast while it actually comes from beneath it.
The location of pain isn’t always the same place as the problem.
Some nerves are very specific.
Other nerves aren’t as specific.
They alert you to the general area of a problem, not the precise location.
It’s common not to know whether your pain is in your breast or in something close to it.
They include:
You should notice an improvement in your pain once the digestive problem is under control.
If you don’t, let your healthcare provider know.
Lung-Related Causes
Your lungs sit behind your breasts.
A few lung-related conditions can cause pain that’s mistaken for breast pain.
They include:
Pulmonary emboli are medical emergencies that require immediate treatment.
Other symptoms to be aware of include sudden shortness of breath and coughing.
If the pain doesn’t improve despite taking a painkiller, let your healthcare provider know.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgiais a chronic pain condition.
It can cause pain anywhere in your body, including the chest.
Fibromyalgia paincomes from a disordered nervous system.
It affects not only nerves, but muscles, joints, and connective tissues.
The pain is usually:
Very often, fibromyalgia pain is made worse with gentle pressure.
This is calledtactileallodynia.While there is no cure for fibromyalgia, several medications are available to help with pain.
The condition is brought on by a reactivation of the virus that causeschickenpox(thevaricella-zostervirus).
It can come on years or decades after you have chickenpox.
The initial tenderness is generally followed by a painful rash.
Because the rash is the more recognizable symptom, shingles can be hard to recognize early on.
Treatment for shingles involves taking antiviral drugs.Pain and other shingles symptoms should resolve once the infection is treated.
Sometimes an injury to the breast causes scar tissue.
Scar tissue can cause pain andfatnecrosis, a breakdown of fatty tissue.It may appear as a hard lump.
These lumps are hard to distinguish frombreast cancer, even on amammogram.
Can Your Bra Cause Breast Pain?
A poorly-fitting bra can cause breast pain.
see to it you wear the appropriate size with proper support.
Incorrect fit can cause sagging and pulling, which causes breast discomfort.
As with scar tissue from an injury, pain can come and go long after your surgery.
They may also provide instructions for hot and/or cold compresses to help relieve breast pain and swelling.
Take care to follow their instructions carefully.
If you still experience pain despite taking painkillers, let your healthcare provider know.
Your provider can prescribe medication to help with nerve pain.
You may need antibiotics or other prescription medications.
Hormonal Causes
Reproductive hormone changesmay cause breast tenderness.
You may feel pain in one or both breasts.
It may be worse on one side.
You might also feel it in your armpit.
The nature of the pain along with how it’s treated depends on the specific breast changes.
Thyroid diseasescan lead to benign (noncancerous) breast changes that cause pain.
Treatment will likely entail thyroid medication (e.g.levothyroxinefor hypothyroidism) to return your thyroid hormones to a healthy level.
Lumps
Breast lumpscan show up at certain stages of your menstrual cycle.
If you find lumps at other times, see your healthcare provider right away.
It’s even a good idea to get lumps that are related to your cycle checked out.
Your provider can take the steps necessary to see whether a lump is benign or malignant (cancerous).
They’ll likely use imaging tests and possibly a biopsy.
Many people find that applying a cold compress to sore breasts is helpful.
Wearing loose clothes and a well-fitted bra for extra support is also recommended.
Left-Sided Breast Cancer
Breast canceris usually (but not always) painless in the early stages.
A notable exception isinflammatory breast cancer.
This is an aggressive breast cancer that usually begins with:
This cancer often resembles an infection.
Most of the time, you’re free to’t feel a lump.
The only early symptom may be pain in one breast.
Breast cancer in female breast tissue occurs slightly more often on the left side than the right.
It occurs equally on both sides inmale breast tissue.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Left-sided breast pain has many causes.
Some are more serious than others.
The only way to know for sure what’s causing your pain is to get medical attention.
Don’t ignore it or assume it’s harmless.
If your healthcare provider doesn’t find an explanation for your pain, keep pushing for one.
If pain persists, consider getting a second opinion.
It’s not unheard of to have more than one cause of left breast pain.
For example, you may have a breast cyst along with costochondritis.
Pain under the left breast can come from injuries or conditions that affect the breast tissue and milk ducts.
Breast cancer isn’t usually painful early on.
An exception is inflammatory breast cancer, which also causes redness and swelling.
Nerve pain in the area can be from fibromyalgia or shingles.
See your healthcare provider about left breast pain so you’re free to have it diagnosed and treated.
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