In women, it may be linked to breast changes or, less commonly, heart attacks.
Infections like pneumonia or pleurisy can also cause sharp discomfort in this area and may require medical attention.
Sharp chest pain can be a sign of something life-threatening.
Verywell / JR Bee
Mastitis
Mastitisrefers to painful swelling in the breast that is usually resulting from infection.
The infection often occurs during breastfeeding due to blocked milk ducts or bacteria that enter through cracked nipples.
Mastitis is known to cause sharp or aching breast pain and tenderness.
Some people also experience signs of infection, including fever and flu-like symptoms.
Fibrocystic Breasts
Painful, lumpy breasts are calledfibrocystic breasts.
Breast Cancer
A breast tumor may cause pain, but not always.
In most cases, abreast tumorfeels like a painless, hard mass with irregular edges.
Sometimes, all or part of the breast swells.
The nipple may also be painful.
Some people may also feel a hard lump or knot in the breast.
Clogged milk ducts typically only affect one breast at a time.
It can be because of infections, heart attack, heart surgery, and some medical conditions.
Pericarditis pain typically affects the left side of the chest but can occur on the right.
This condition causes severe, sudden, and sharp pain that can occur anywhere in the chest.
It is often described as a tearing sensation and can lead to unconsciousness.
It can result from trauma, high blood pressure, or connective tissue disorders like Marfan syndrome.
The pain may also radiate to the shoulders, shoulder blades, or between the shoulder blades.
Causes of a collapsed lung include a chest injury andlung disease.
It can be triggered by heart failure, blocked blood vessels, infection, lung injury, and tumors.
This pain often increases with a deep breath or coughing and may also be felt in the shoulder.
Pleurisy can be brought on by a pleural effusion, as well as pneumonia or severe flu.
If the LES doesn’t work properly, you could get heartburn or acid indigestion.
You may also feel pain in the right side of the chest alone.
In some cases, the chest pain may resemble a heart attack.
Gallbladder Disease
Bothgallstonesandcholecystitis(infection of the gallbladder) may be felt as right-sided chest pain.
This pain often travels through to the back and may also make its way to the right shoulder.
The radiating pain may also lead a person to suspect a heart attack.
Pancreatitis
Inflammation of the pancreas is calledpancreatitis.
The pain associated with pancreatitis can be worse when lying down and better when sitting up.
People with excess alcohol intake orgallstonesare at an increased risk.
Some people with severe gastritis compare the experience to having a heart attack.
Liver Disease
Liver diseases such ashepatitisandcirrhosiscause pain that is felt on the right side of the chest.
The pain mostly arises when the inflamed organ presses against the diaphragm.
The pain is sometimes associated withjaundice, a yellowish discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes.
This throw in of pain can sometimes be mistaken for heart pain.
Muscle Strain
Muscle strainsare one of the more common causes of right-sided chest pain.
It causes pain that worsens with activity or deep breathing and is tender to touch at the rib junctions.
Osteomyelitis
Inflammation of the fatty tissue in bone is calledosteomyelitis.
Very severe cases of osteomyelitis can lead to bone deformity.
If you have a broken rib, there might also be visible swelling or bruising around the affected bone.
It is not uncommon to hear an audible crack when the injury occurs.
Shingles
Also called herpes zoster,shinglesis a condition that triggers when the chickenpox virus is reactivated.
Other symptoms includecoughing up blood, night sweats, and shortness of breath.
Anxiety and Panic Disorders
Chest painis one of the physical symptoms that often accompanies a panic attack.
Others include rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
These symptoms can also occur with other life-threatening issues.
If you experience them and are not sure why, get medical attention right away.
Then, they will review your medical history and symptoms and then do a physical exam.
Some conditions, such as shingles, can be diagnosed during a physical exam.
Others require a more intensive investigation.
For example, anechocardiogrammay be done so a practitioner can see a moving image of your heart.
Acardiac stress testmay be done to measure the heart’s response to physical exertion.
American Heart Association.Heart attack symptoms in women.
American Cancer Society.Breast mastitis.
Mount Sinai.Fibrocystic breast disease.
American Cancer Society.Breast cancer signs and symptoms.
USDA WIC Breastfeeding Support.Plugged ducts, mastitis, and thrush.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.What is coronary heart disease?.
American Heart Association.What is pericarditis?.
UChicago Medicine.What is aortic dissection: What you better know about the causes, types, and more.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Pneumonia symptoms.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pulmonary embolism.
Hochberg U, Elgueta MF, Perez J.Interventional analgesic management of lung cancer pain.Front Oncol.
2017;7:17. doi:10.3389/fonc.2017.00017
American Lung Association.Pneumothorax (collapsed lungs).
Penn Medicine.Collapsed lung (pneumothorax).
Penn Medicine.About pleural effusion.
Temple Health.Top 5 most surprising GERD symptoms.
doi:10.12659/AJCR.932078
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pancreatitis.
Bumrungrad International Hospital.Gastritis and peptic ulcer disease: What you should know.
American Thoracic Society.Pulmonary vascular complications of liver disease.
Negru AM, Dumitrascu DL.Noncardiac esophageal chest pain-A comprehensive review.Intern Med.
2022;19(3).
doi:10.2478 22 21 /inmed-20 -0 6
Mount Sinai.Costochondritis.
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Osteomyelitis.
National Health Services.Broken or bruised ribs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About shingles.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Anxiety and heart disease.
2020;11(Suppl 1):561-565. doi:10.22088/cjim.11.0.561.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Heart problems after COVID-19.
UChicago Medicine.What causes chest pain and when to consult a heart doctor.
Aroesty J, Kannam J.Patient education: Chest pain (beyond the basics).
