In most cases, breast pain, including sharp shooting pain, passes alone on its own. It may be due to menstrual cycles or hormonal fluctuations. Although the condition is typically self-treatable, if it is caused by an infection or another condition, you should seek medical treatment. If the pain symptoms persist, are severe, or are pressing, you should consult a physician such as Dr Zulqarnain.
If the pain is severe, persistent, or pressing, one should seek medical attention. In most cases, you can treat it on your own, but if it is caused by an infection, you may need medical attention at a premier pain and spine clinic.
Types Of Breast Pain
Here are two major types of breast pain:
-
Cyclical Breast Pain
During menstruation, severity of cyclical pain depends on hormonal fluctuations in the body, which can occur either naturally or due to medications. Cyclic pain symptoms appear around a week before a period and can last until the menstrual cycle ends.
-
Non-Cyclical Breast Pain
Non-cyclical breast/chest pain is intermittent and sporadic pain that fluctuates, sometimes coming and going. The condition can be due to fat necrosis, a benign condition typically caused by previous injuries or surgeries. There is increasing research about diet and lifestyle roles in breast pain. Our recommendation is to consume a low-fat diet, quit smoking, and reduce caffeine consumption in order to ease the pain.
Causes of a Sharp Pain in Breast
The fact that sharp pain in breast is seldom a sign of breast cancer may serve as comfort for those who are concerned about the possibility of a diagnosis.
-
Hormonal Problems
A fluctuating hormone level is common among young girls undergoing puberty, women who are undergoing menstruation, and women undergoing menopause. While pregnant, certain hormone levels may increase dramatically, especially during the first trimester. As a result, breast pain and tenderness may occur.
-
Mastitis
Women who lactate may be diagnosed with mastitis, an infection of the milk duct that may occur when it does not drain properly.
-
Fibrocystic Breast
Fibrocystic breast tissue is a very common condition that affects women between the ages of 20 and 45. Fibrocystic breasts have a very sensitive response to hormonal changes during menstruation. The breasts often feel full, painful, or heavy before menstruation, and then come back to normal. There are certain medications that can lead to breast pain and tenderness.
What About Referred Pain?
Doctors call this extramammary pain. In some cases, the pain you feel in the breast does not originate in or extend to the breast. Examples include:
- Muscle Spasms
When muscles contract and spasm, spasms occur. It is possible to experience chest pain from muscle spasms in the chest wall, the ribs, and the back. Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid passes into the esophagus and sometimes into the mouth, causing a painful burning sensation in the chest. A condition known as osteochondritis causes inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs and breast bones.
-
Bronchitis
It can sometimes result in chest pain that feels like a heart attack. Inflammation of the airways results in excessive coughing and mucus accumulation due to this condition. Pneumonia is a respiratory infection which is very serious that causes inflammation in the air sacs. Coughing and chest pain are common symptoms.
-
Shingles
In addition to producing a painful rash on the breasts, this condition is also caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in childhood.
-
Thoracic Spine Disease
Pain caused by a slipped disc or rubbing spinal joints can sometimes travel to the chest nerves, increasing severity. It is possible that certain movements or coughing can worsen the pain. Fibromyalgia is a nerve and soft tissue disorder that causes muscle pain and tenderness. It may also cause chest discomfort.
When to See Doctor
During the breast exam, your physician will inquire about your symptoms, the length of time you have been suffering from them, as well as the severity and frequency of your pain. In addition to examining your breasts for lumps, they may ask you to lean forward during the exam to determine if your pain is coming from your breasts or within your chest. A mammogram or ultrasound may also be ordered by your physician. A few factors, however, will determine whether you require either of these imaging tests, including:
- Your specific type of pain.
- Whenever you feel persistent breast pain for more than a couple of weeks, see your doctor to get rid of it. Moreover, if you feel the following symptoms, never ignore it.
- Feels in specific site of breast
- Get worse day by day
- Ruins your daily activities
- You have to wake up at night because of it
- A woman with breast pain is not at risk with breast cancer, but if your doctor suggests an evaluation, you should consider it seriously.
Diagnosis of Breast Pain
The doctor will perform the following activities to reach the depth of your pain.
- First of all, he will ask about all the symptoms.
- The time duration, you are suffering from the disease
- Frequency and severity of pain
- Then, he will ask you to move forward during the exam to find out the pain and the location of pain from where it is coming.
- A mammogram or ultrasound may also be ordered by your physician.
- The results of your breast exam. Your age. When was your last breast imaging procedure performed?
Then depending on your pain type, following imaging tests can be performed.
Like:
- MRI
- CT Scan
- Biopsy
Treatment
Many people experience breast pain that resolves over time. If you require assistance with managing your pain or treatment, your doctor may suggest the following: In order to eliminate an underlying cause or aggravating factor, it is usually necessary to adjust the bra, or use a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication. A doctor may advise you to take NSAIDs when your pain is severe.
- It is easy to apply NSAID cream directly to the painful area.
- There may be a need to adjust birth control pills as well. Take a break from taking birth control pills or switch birth control methods to relieve breast pain symptoms. Before doing this, try to visit a doctor.
- Also try to reduce the dose of menopausal hormone therapy or stop the treatment completely. Take a prescription medication if you suffer from fibrocystic breasts.
- Take a prescription medication if you suffer from fibrocystic breasts.
- Prescription medications such as Tamoxifen may be helpful in treating and preventing breast cancer, but these medications also carry the risk of side effects which may be more bothersome than the breast pain itself.