There is no lump in my breast but it hurts, what is going on?

The female body structure is relatively complex, and breasts are a more important part of women. In daily life, many women are very prone to breast pain. There are many reasons why pain occurs in the breast without lumps. This may be caused by mastitis, a common disease among many women. It can easily cause breast pain without lumps.

Why is there pain in the breast even though there is no lump?

Considering the condition caused by mastitis, there are also symptoms of breast pain and local fever in more serious cases.

Causes

Milk stasis is the origin and basis of bacterial infection. Excessive milk production may cause milk discharge to become blocked and the milk may accumulate and form lumps. Sedimented milk is the best culture medium for bacteria. Milk stasis is mostly caused by lack of experience or improper breastfeeding methods. The most common pathogens are Staphylococcus aureus, and rarely hemolytic Streptococcus. They invade the breast essence through nipple skin damage or milk ducts, multiply and destroy breast tissue, and form multilocular cysts. When the nipple is underdeveloped, indented, inverted or collapsed, the mammary gland cannot drain milk smoothly, resulting in deposits. Breastfeeding time is too long, the child "sleeps while sucking", causing erosion of the nipple surface or the child bites the nipple, allowing bacteria to enter through the ulcerated surface; or due to fever, cold, pharyngitis, or menstruation, bacteria can multiply in the accumulated milk and cause suppuration.

After giving birth, the body is weak and the immunity is low, the cysts are very tight, there is a lot of sweating, insufficient cleaning, and damp breasts, which also provide a breeding ground for the growth and reproduction of bacteria. During lactation, breast trauma such as squeezing, molding, and collision can also easily cause mastitis.

Clinical symptoms

The clinical symptoms of subacute mastitis can be divided into three stages or three links.

Stage 1: The milk stasis and lump stage or the swelling stage. The specific manifestation is sudden swelling, hardness, and pain in a certain part of the breast, usually in the upper outer or upper inner quadrant, with unclear boundaries and often significant tenderness. During this period, the inflammation inside the breast is in the form of cellulitis, and no cysts occur. The breast skin color is normal, red, or hot. Sudden high fever, chills, pain and swelling, partly bright red, quickly festering and rupturing, often accompanied by chest tightness, shortness of breath, headache, loss of appetite, etc. If the nipples are cracked, you may feel a stinging pain when breastfeeding, and one or two small pus spots or small cracks may be seen on the surface of the nipples.

Stage 2: cyst development stage. The cellulitis stage cannot be eliminated immediately, the inflammation will continue to develop, tissue necrosis, and cyst formation are inevitable. The lump gradually expands and hardens, the pain intensifies, often heart-beating pain, or even persistent severe pain, and the skin of the breast becomes red and hot. The whole body has a high fever that has not subsided, there is dry mouth and thirst, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes in the same direction as the armpits. After 2-3 days of swelling, heat and pain, the center of the lump gradually becomes loose, with a sense of fluctuation, the center becomes swollen and shiny, the skin becomes soft, and a large area of ​​the surrounding skin becomes red. The puncture also allows the suction of pus. At this stage, the cyst has matured and the chance of traditional cure has passed.

Stage three: mid to late stage of cyst ulceration. When the cyst matures, it may rupture on its own, or it may require surgical incision and drainage. If the drainage method is smooth, the local swelling and pain will subside, the body temperature will return to normal, and after dressing changes, the wound will gradually heal in about a month. If the pus is blocked from flowing out after ulceration, the swelling has not subsided, the pain has not decreased, and the chills have not subsided, then the drainage method is not smooth, and it will be difficult to heal for a long time and turn into chronic mastitis, and milk fistula will also occur, with milk mixed with pus discharged.