Most likely you have been referred to the present web-page after a “breasts hurt” search in automatic search systems.
Therefore, to answer the main question, first, you need to precisely identify what hurts in you. Let’s view the most probable variants:
Variant №1 Do you mean pain sensations in you mammary gland (or glands)?
- Pain sensations in the mammary glands are in almost 100% of the cases caused by swelling of the mammary glands. What is the reason of developing such swelling?
- Pain often develops before menses and is associated with mammary gland engorgement and induration, the most probable cause of the pain is either premenstrual syndrome (edematous form) or Mastopathy. What is it and what you should do about it, you can find on this web-site.
- If the pain is associated with fever and mammary gland hyperemia (and you are a breastfeeding mother) – it is most likely lactational mastitis
- If the pain is associated with fever and/or mammary gland hyperemia, but you are not a breast-feeding mother – the two suspected options are non- lactational mastitis or edematous form of breast cancer.
In all the cases described above you should personally consult your mammologist.
Variant №2. Do you mean you have pain sensation inside your chest?
- If you have burning pain, tightening pain or a sense of pressure in the left side of the chest irradiating to the left arm or scapula, it is most likely due to the onset of angina – one of the variation of ischemic heart disease. You need to see your therapist or to call an ambulance. It cannot be ruled out that you have a myocardial infarction.
- If you have focal burning pain located under the xyphoid process (it is located where the left and right ribs connect to each other, forming an angle) or in the central part of the chest, forming a so-called “pain bundle“, the possible option is the manifestation of gastroesophageal reflux disease called heartburn. However, you need to personally consult your therapist to differentiate heartburn from the ischemic heart disease.
- If you have dull pains located on one side of the chest and accompanied by fever and cough, the suspected diagnosis is respiratory system disease, probably, pneumonia. And, in order to understand if it is so, you still need to consult you therapist.
- In one word, if the pain sensation is located inside the chest, you need to consult your therapist, whatever the diagnosis is. Moreover, in any case you should see the doctor as soon, as possible.
Variant №3 Do you mean you have pain sensation in your chest wall?
- Such kinds of pain sensations are usually related to physical activity (movements) in the spinal column and the reason of pain is intercostal neuralgia, which, in turn, is caused by thoracic osteochondrosis. In such cases you should see the neurologist.