Your armpits anatomically comprise of muscles, blood vessels, sweat glands, bones, nerves, and lymph nodes. Pain in the armpit may be an indicator of minor issues such as a muscle sprain, or it could be cancer.
Armpit pain, more so when localized in the left arm, may be related to your heart. You should know that pain shooting from your chest area toward the arm may signify a heart attack.
Hold on, do not panic yet. We are here to put you at ease, not increase your discomfort. Let’s dig in to see the most probable causes of underarm pain.
5 Probable Reasons for Pain in Your Armpit
Muscle Sprain
Since the area is made of muscles, a sprain is quite common here. If you are into sports or heavy lifting, you will most likely sprain your armpit muscles resulting in soreness and pain.
You can treat pain in the armpit muscles by adequate resting, using a heating pad, or icing the inflamed area to relieve symptoms. If the signs persist, even for more than 3 weeks, or interfere with mundane work such as hair wash or putting clothes on, talk to your doctor.
Skin Irritation
Shaving or waxing can irritate the skin in your underarms. Moreover, the use of deodorants or laundry detergents may result in allergic reactions for some people. Such skin issues are minimal and short-term. But, hives, rashes, or pimples may indicate some significant health troubles.
Swollen lymph nodes
Lymph nodes drain fluid and waste from other parts of the body. They fight infection and may enlarge when viruses or bacteria are trapped.
Other than that, they may enlarge in case you suffer from a bug bite. The lump in your armpit may or may not be painful. However, it usually subsides in some days. Contact a professional immediately if the pain in the armpit area increases and the lump develops fluid.
Angina pectoris
This disease leads to the reduction of cardiac blood flow. In an angina patient, the arteries become narrow, forcing the heart to pump harder for oxygen-rich blood delivery. However, the pain is shirt episodic. In case of neglect, once the artery completely blocks, it leads to a heart attack rather than just pain in the armpit.
Breast cancer
Cancer is a condition in which normal cell mutates and starts growing uncontrollably, making it difficult for healthy cells to live. They compete for everything with them; eventually, the healthy cells give up and die. The soreness, pain, and lumpy feeling around your armpit is a known symptoms of breast cancer.
Final Words
To get rid of armpit pain, either left side or right, you must know the accurate root cause first. Talk to your healthcare professional if you feel pain or any sort of soreness, or discomfort in your underarms. If you want to know more, schedule an appointment with Octagos Health at (281) 769-8733.