Pain in upper left breast near armpit

Whether it’s throbbing, aching, or sharp, everyone has been in pain. The uncomfortable sensation is a red flag. Pain in your armpit could mean that you’ve simply strained a muscle, which is eased with ice and rest. It could also be a sign of more serious conditions, like an infection or breast cancer.

Muscle Strain

Your armpits and the surrounding chest and arm area are made up of blood vessels, nerves, and muscles. Like other muscles in your body, you can strain armpit muscles by overdoing things, like lifting something heavy.

Symptoms of a muscle strain depend on how serious the strain is. They can include:

Pain or tenderness, especially after movement that stretches the muscle
Redness or bruising
Muscle twitching or spasm
Swelling

For mild strains, doctors suggest that you rest the muscle by taking a break from the activity that caused the pain. You can also put ice on the area and take over-the-counter medicine to ease pain and swelling. Call a doctor if your symptoms get worse or the strain doesn’t heal within a few weeks.

Swollen Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes are found in many areas of your body, including your neck, groin, and armpits. If they’re swollen and painful, it’s usually a sign that your body is fighting a viral infection such as:

A common cold
Strep throat
Measles, an infection of the respiratory system that’s easily spread
An ear infection
A tooth infection
Mononucleosis, an infection that’s usually spread through bodily fluids like saliva
Skin or wound infections
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS

When your lymph nodes swell, you may also have a runny nose, sore throat, fever, and night sweats.

Pain due to infection goes away when the condition causing it gets better. In the meantime, to feel better:

Place a warm, wet washcloth under your armpit.
Take over-the-counter pain medicine.
Get plenty of rest.

There are other, less common but more serious causes of swollen lymph nodes, including a malignancy or lymphoma. See your doctor if yours:

Appear for no reason
Continue to grow
Don’t get better after 2 weeks
Feel hard or rubbery, or don’t move when you press them
Come with a fever, night sweats, or weight loss that you can’t explain

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer happens when cells in your breast grow uncontrollably. They usually form a tumor.

A common symptom of breast cancer is pain and swelling around your armpit. It may come from:

The spread of breast cancer to your lymph nodes
Lymph nodes

The swelling and pain may come before you feel a lump in your breast, so if things don’t feel right, be sure to see a doctor.

There are several treatments for breast cancer that has spread to your lymph nodes. The one you and your medical team will choose depends on the stage and type of cancer:

Surgery. During breast-conserving surgery (called a lumpectomy), doctors will remove the cancer and leave as much normal breast as possible. They’ll also take out some lymph nodes and healthy tissue. When this type of surgery isn’t an option, doctors will remove your entire breast (mastectomy).

Radiation therapy. Doctors use high-energy rays or particles to destroy cancer cells, lower the chance of the cancer coming back, and help you live longer.

Chemotherapy and other drugs. Hormone therapy is used after surgery to lower the chance of your breast cancer coming back. For larger tumors, tumors that grow fast, or ones with certain features, your doctor may recommend anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapy).

Pain under or in the left breast could have many possible causes, such as injury, infection, hormones, and lung problems. Sometimes left breast pain can be related to your heart, so it's important to first rule this out before considering other causes.

This article will walk you through the causes of left breast pain, the other symptoms to watch for, and when to see your healthcare provider.

Verywell / Emily Roberts

Some causes of left breast pain are related to the breast itself. Others are not. Because left breast pain can be a symptom of a heart attack, however, it is important to rule out this cause first.

Heart Attack Symptoms

The symptoms of heart attack in females may include:

Mild pain
Burning
An uncomfortable feeling in the breast

These are often different than symptoms of a heart attack in males. Unfortunately, the often vague and subtle symptoms lead women to overlook the signs. Too often, that's a fatal mistake.

Everyone should be familiar with the symptoms of a heart attack. They may include:

Chest pain or pressure (not present in up to a third of people having a heart attack)
Pain in your neck, jaw, or left arm
Shortness of breath (especially common in women)
Sweating
Nausea
Lightheadedness or passing out
A feeling that something isn't right or a sense of impending doom

If you're not sure where your pain is coming from, get immediate medical attention. Call 911 if you think you may have symptoms of a heart attack.

The Origin of Left Breast Pain

Left-sided breast pain can originate in the breast itself or in other nearby structures. It can be hard to pinpoint the source.

The location of pain isn't always the same location as the problem. Some nerves are very specific. For example, if you feel a sensation on your fingertip, it's likely caused by something at that site.

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.

Recap

When you have left-sided breast pain, first make sure it's not a heart attack. Then try to determine whether it's your breast or another nearby structure that hurts.

Several breast conditions may cause pain in or under the left breast. They include:

Injuries such as muscle strain
Breast surgery
Milk duct conditions and infections
Hormonal causes
Lumps

Injuries

Your breasts are covered with sensitive, elastic skin that protects:

Nerves
Blood vessels
Connective tissues
Ducts and lobes for producing breast milk

If you've had a breast injury, bruising and aches may last until the injury heals.

Sometimes an injury to the breast causes scar tissue. Scar tissue can cause pain and fat necrosis, a breakdown of fatty tissue. It may appear as a hard lump. These lumps are hard to distinguish from breast cancer, even on a mammogram.

Breast Surgery

After any type of breast surgery—augmentation, reduction, or reconstruction—your breasts will hurt as the incisions heal and scar tissue develops.

As with scar tissue from an injury, pain can come and go long after your surgery. Depending on the type of surgery, you may experience:

Burning pains in your nipples
Sharp, shooting pains in your breast
A tightness or cramping sensation in your breasts, shoulders, neck, and back
Nerve pain (burning, pricking, or shock-like sensations) in the breast, chest, arm, or armpit

Milk Duct Conditions and Infections

Several benign but painful conditions can develop inside your breast milk ducts.

An abscess under your nipple or areola can cause pain, redness, and heat.
Milk ducts can become clogged, causing a firm, tender lump.
Mastitis is an infection in a clogged duct. It makes the breast swollen, tender, warm, and red.
Ductal ectasia is another possible infection. It causes tenderness, irritation, redness, and possibly a thick, sticky discharge from the nipple.
Breast cysts and fibroadenomasare growths that may crowd breast structures, creating aches and pains.

See Your Healthcare Provider

If you suspect a breast infection or inflammation, see your regular healthcare provider or gynecologist. You may need antibiotics or other prescription medications.

Hormonal Causes

Hormone changes may cause breast tenderness. That's especially true during the fluctuations of your menstrual cycle.

Other causes include taking hormones for:

Oral contraception (birth control pills)
Infertility treatments
Hormone replacement therapy

You may feel pain in one or both breasts. It may be worse on one side. You might also feel it in your armpit.

Some thyroid diseases can lead to benign (noncancerous) breast changes that cause pain. These include:

Hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormones)
Graves' disease (an autoimmune disorder involving excess thyroid hormone)

The nature of the pain depends on the specific breast changes.

Lumps

Breast lumps can 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.

Left-Sided Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is usually—but not always—painless in the early stages. A notable exception is inflammatory breast cancer.

That's an aggressive breast cancer that usually begins with:

Pain
Redness
Swelling in the breast

This cancer often resembles an infection. Most of the time, you can't feel a lump. The only early symptom may be the 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 in male breast tissue.)

Breast pain is likely due to something other than cancer.

Verywell / Emily Roberts

It can sometimes be hard to tell where pain is centered. You may feel it in your left breast while it actually comes from beneath it.

Some non-breast conditions you may feel in your breast include:

Chest injury
Costochondritis or Tietze syndrome
Pericarditis
Esophageal causes
Lung-related causes
Fibromyalgia

Chest Wall Pain

Below your breast are chest wall muscles. They may spasm when you're anxious or stressed. That can cause pain that lasts for a few seconds or several days. You may also experience chest wall pain if you strained a muscle in your chest or you have a bruise or rib fracture.

Chest wall pain from inflammation of the cartilage between the breastbone and ribs is called costochondritis. It is similar to another condition called Tietze syndrome, which can also cause local swelling.

Chest wall pain can also be caused by precordial catch, a benign condition associated with brief, sharp pain on the left side of the chest.

Chest wall pain can appear on either side, though it's less common on the right. It can range from mild to severe. It's usually painful to the touch. The pain may radiate to your back or stomach and can feel sharp or stabbing.

It may get worse when you take a deep breath. Pains may even shoot down your arms.

Esophageal Causes

Your esophagus is the tube that connects your mouth and stomach. It runs below your left breast.

Sometimes gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can feel like left breast pain. A related condition called hiatal hernia may cause similar symptoms.

Pain from the esophagus may be a burning pain, like heartburn. You may have other symptoms like an acidic taste in your mouth.

Other digestive system conditions, such as liver disease, may at times cause pain that feels like it's in your breast.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition. It can cause pain anywhere in your body. Chest pain, including costochondritis, is fairly common.

Fibromyalgia pain comes from a disordered nervous system. It affects not only nerves, but muscles, joints, and connective tissues. The pain it creates can be generalized and diffuse or sharply focused.

The nature of the pain can be dull and achy, sharp, stabbing, burning, or tingling. Fibromyalgia pain is notably not tied to inflammation, redness, or warmth.

Very often, fibromyalgia pain is made worse with gentle pressure. This is called tactile allodynia.

Your lungs sit behind your breasts. A few lung-related conditions can cause pain that's mistaken for breast pain. They include:

Pneumonia: A lung infection that causes inflammation in the air sacs
Pleurisy: An inflammation of the membrane that covers your lungs
Pulmonary emboli: Blood clots that travel to your lungs

Other symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include sudden shortness of breath and coughing. Pulmonary emboli are medical emergencies that require immediate treatment.

Sometimes pain feels like it's either in the skin or on the outer surface of the breast. This may be shingles.

That's a condition caused by reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox (the varicella-zoster virus). 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.

When to Get Medical Help

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.

Pain is your body's way of alerting you to a problem. 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.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

Call a healthcare provider for your breast pain if:

It lasts longer than two weeks
It stays in one spot
It gets progressively worse
It limits your activity
You have a painful lump that doesn't go away after your period
Your breasts are red or swollen
You have pus drainage or nipple discharge

Summary

The first thing to do when you have left breast pain is get checked for a heart attack.

Left breast pain 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.

Pain from other areas felt in the left breast can come from nearby structures like chest muscles, the lungs, or the esophagus. Nerve pain in the area can be from fibromyalgia or shingles.

See your healthcare provider about left breast pain so you can have it diagnosed and treated.

A Word From Verywell

Left breast pain may lead your mind straight to breast cancer. Rest assured most breast pain isn't cancer-related.

Even so, be sure to get pain or suspicious lumps checked out right away. An early diagnosis and treatment are best when the cause is serious.

Even if your left breast pain isn't a symptom of a serious condition, you'll feel better once it's gone. See your doctor, get a diagnosis, and follow treatment recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I have pain under my left breast when I breathe?
A sore muscle will hurt more when you inhale. But if you also have symptoms such as a cough or fever, you could have inflammation of the membrane around your lungs and chest (pleurisy) or a respiratory infection such as pneumonia.
Can massage ease breast pain?
For certain types of pain, yes, massage can help. Massage can reduce pain related to breastfeeding. If you have a pulled muscle in the chest around your breast, an appropriate massage may also relieve the pain.
Can my bra cause breast pain?
Yes. Make sure you wear the appropriate-size bra with proper support for your chest size. Incorrect fit can cause sagging and pulling, which causes breast discomfort.

What causes pain on top of left breast?

Changing hormone levels can cause changes in the milk ducts or milk glands. These changes in the ducts and glands can cause breast cysts, which can be painful and are a common cause of cyclic breast pain. Noncyclic breast pain may be caused by trauma, prior breast surgery or other factors.

Angina is a condition that causes severe chest pain due to a temporary reduction in blood flow to the heart. The pain occurs because the heart muscle doesn't receive enough oxygenated blood to keep up with its activity. Symptoms of this condition can cause pain under your left armpit and shoulder as well as: fatigue.

When the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen in the coronary artery blood supply, the resulting pain under the left breast or in the center of the chest is known as angina. Associated symptoms include an uncomfortable feeling in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back.

What does armpit pain feel like with breast cancer?

The most common symptom if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes is that they feel hard or swollen. You might have any of the following symptoms if your cancer has spread to the lymph nodes: a lump or swelling under your armpit.