If you have large or heavy breasts, or as you get older and your breasts change, the weight of the tissue pulls on these ligaments. As they stretch sometimes they can actually break. A torn ligament heals by scarring and this can affect the nerves inside the breast.
You may feel a sharp, shooting pain at the time of injury. Tenderness can linger for a few days up to several weeks after trauma to the breast. See your doctor if the pain doesn't improve or you notice any of these signs: Severe swelling.
“Breasts are mostly fat and veins, but they're resting on a muscle,” she explains. Specifically, your pectoralis major muscle, which may be the source of your pain. “You can pull this chest muscle while lifting weights, carrying heavy objects, or even during sudden movement,” she says.
Most of the time, a pulled chest muscle is a minor injury. Depending on the severity, it can heal on its own within a few days or a few weeks. Get plenty of rest and avoid strenuous exercise.
A strained chest muscle usually causes pain in the chest area that gets worse with movement or coughing. “You may notice pain or tenderness along the chest, tenderness when touching the injured muscle, pain with arm movements and difficulty moving the arm,” Chapman said.
Mild strains usually heal within a few weeks , but severe strains can take 2 to 3 months or longer to resolve.
Breast pain can be due to many possible causes. Most likely breast pain is from hormonal fluctuations from menstruation, pregnancy, puberty, menopause, and breastfeeding. Breast pain can also be associated with fibrocystic breast disease, but it is a very unusual symptom of breast cancer.
There are multiple possible causes of breast pain, or mastalgia. This symptom may be cyclic or noncyclic. If the pain is cyclic, it is related to the fluctuating hormones of the menstrual cycle. Noncyclic breast pain can be due to PMS, fibrocystic breast changes, injuries and sprains, or inflammation around the ribs.
The connective tissues in the breasts are called Cooper's ligaments. They help maintain structural integrity, but they are thin bands and are not that strong. The ligaments connect the breast tissue to the lower layer of skin of the breast.
Typical breast cancer, when it is found, also doesn't cause pain. “If a tumor grows big enough that you can feel it, it will feel like a rock in your breast tissue.
you have pain, tenderness or weakness – often around your ankle, foot, wrist, thumb, knee, leg or back. the injured area is swollen or bruised. you cannot put weight on the injury or use it normally. you have muscle spasms or cramping – where your muscles painfully tighten on their own.
Mastitis is an inflammation of breast tissue that sometimes involves an infection. The inflammation results in breast pain, swelling, warmth and redness. You might also have fever and chills. Mastitis most commonly affects women who are breast-feeding (lactation mastitis).
Swelling, bruising, or redness due to the injury. Pain at rest. Pain when the specific muscle or the joint in relation to that muscle is used. Weakness of the muscle or tendons.
Severe and excruciating pain. Immediate bruising. Pain and discomfort that worsens with tendon use. A “crunchy” sound or feeling (crepitus) with tendon use.
The key symptoms of a muscle strain are: sudden pain that worsens while contracting the muscle, swelling and bruising, loss of strength and range of motion. People often report the sensation of pain as the feeling of being "stabbed." When muscle is initially injured, significant inflammation and swelling occurs.
One is not technically worse than the other. Strains affect the tendons (an easy way to remember this is sTrains = tendons or muscles), and sprains affect the ligaments. Both tendons and ligaments are connective tissues, and both are measured by severity. You can have a mild sprain or a severe strain, or vice versa.
If your pain is associated with a breast lump or visible changes in your skin or nipple, those are causes for concern, too. These cases apply to a small number of women, but they're absolutely worth discussing with a doctor, especially if you're over age 30.
There are two basic types of breast pain – cyclic and non-cyclic.
Common pulled chest muscle symptoms include: Pain in the chest that may be sharp or dull. Pain in the chest that gets worse when you move your chest or upper spine. Difficulty moving the chest or affected area.
Initial treatment includes application of ice and immobilization of the shoulder, arm and chest. Surgery is often required for complete tears of the pectoralis muscle tendon. Surgery is usually not considered for partial tears, tears within the muscle, or in elderly and low-demand patients.
Symptoms of muscle strain
pain. tenderness when you touch the muscle. swelling. bruising – it can take up to 24 hours before you can see the full bruise.