Pain in the armpit indicates pathology of the skin, lymph nodes, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, other nearby soft tissue structures, distant organs. They can be dull, acute, constant, intermittent, long-term, short-term, intense, insignificant. To clarify the cause of pain, a survey, an objective examination, instrumental and laboratory studies are carried out. Treatment is recommended to begin after diagnosis.
Pain in the armpit of traumatic origin can occur due to sprain or tear of the ligaments during a fall, a sharp jerk by the hand. Manifested by moderate pain, which increases with movement. The pain is not very deep, localized within the soft tissues, gradually decreases and disappears over several days or weeks. The axillary region is slightly or moderately edematous, bruising is sometimes detected.
In some cases, the cause of pain is a bruise due to a direct blow to the armpit. The pain at the time of injury is sharp, later - dull, gradually fading. In the area of injury, local edema is found, sometimes hematomas, subcutaneous hemorrhages. Limb function is preserved or slightly limited.
In athletes, especially beginners involved in bodybuilding, pain in the armpits often occurs against the background of excessive stress on previously inactive muscles. Pain sensations are symmetrical, aching, pulling, sharply intensifying with muscle tension. Appear the next day after training, disappear within a few days.
Due to profuse sweating, unfavorable conditions for self-cleaning of the skin of the armpits, superficial and deep pyoderma often develop in this area. With superficial pyoderma, itching is first noted, then burning, raw, bursting pains join it, aggravated by movement, pressure on the affected area, and tissue friction. A pustular rash appears on the skin.
The most common variant of deep pyoderma in this anatomical zone is hidradenitis. First, a slight soreness appears in the armpit, small dense nodules form. The nodules quickly increase, acquire a blue tint. The pains increase, become intense, twitching, arching, pulsating, remain at rest, accompanied by a violation of the general condition.
With a boil, pain occurs simultaneously with the formation of a dense focus of crimson color, quickly intensifies, acquires a bursting, twitching, pulsating character, and deprives you of a night's sleep. The armpit is edematous, the skin around the focus is hot, hyperemic. After opening the boil and discharge of pus with a necrotic rod, the pain syndrome quickly subsides. With a carbuncle, the clinical picture is the same as with a boil, but all the symptoms are more pronounced, with deep folliculitis, the symptoms, on the contrary, are smoothed out.
Armpit pain
In late spring, early summer in endemic areas, pain in the armpit after being outdoors may be associated with a tick bite, for which the delicate skin of the armpit is one of the favorite areas. At the time of the bite, there are no unpleasant sensations, subsequently a point stabbing pain, a burning sensation appear in the affected area. The skin around the bite turns red, swells. In the center of the affected area, a tick filled with blood is found.
During the warm period in some endemic areas located mainly in the south and east of Russia, local residents, tourists, hunters and fishermen sometimes have pain in the armpit as the first symptom of hirudinosis. When the parasite sucks, a person feels a quickly subsiding moderate acute pain, a blood-soaked leech is detected in the bite area.
Nonspecific acute lymphadenitis of the axillary lymph nodes is provoked by osteomyelitis of the bones of the shoulder and forearm, purulent wounds, carbuncle, abscess, phlegmon of the upper limb, chest. It is manifested by an increase and soreness of the lymph nodes. With suppuration, the pain intensifies, becomes twitching, weakness, fever are noted.
The spread of infection to surrounding tissues is accompanied by the development of adenophlegmon. The condition worsens even more, the pains intensify, they deprive of sleep. A dense tumor with a site of fluctuation is found in the axillary region. With the transition of nonspecific lymphadenitis to a chronic form, the general symptoms disappear, the soreness of the lymph nodes decreases, the nodes remain enlarged, thickened. A long course can potentiate the degeneration of lymphoid tissue into connective tissue with the development of lymphostasis.
Tuberculous lymphadenitis is diagnosed with osteoarticular tuberculosis of the upper limb and tuberculosis of the mammary gland, proceeds with the formation of conglomerates, diffuse pain due to the involvement of surrounding tissues, intoxication, hyperthermia. Lymphadenitis with actinomycosis is accompanied by damage to the mammary gland or upper limb, the formation of fistulas.
The cause of pain in the armpit can be atheroma (cyst of the sebaceous gland). By themselves, atheromas are painless, but when located in this anatomical zone, the formation is often injured, which causes pain during movement and pressure of clothing. Cysts are rounded, soft, easily displaced formations up to several centimeters in size. On palpation in cases of constant mechanical irritation, pain can be determined.
Slight pain, itching, discomfort are sometimes observed with benign tumors of the sweat glands, usually syringoadenomas and eccrine spiradenomas. Neoplasias are dense nodules with slow growth. Axillary lymph nodes are often affected by blood diseases and metastasis of malignant neoplasms, but pain is usually absent or insignificant, with the exception of advanced cases with the development of necrosis.
Pain due to irradiation to the armpit or direct damage to the axillary lymph nodes is observed in many pathologies of the mammary gland:
Soreness of the armpit is due to the development of dermatitis due to the use of deodorants and antiperspirants or ingrown hairs after shaving and epilation. In the first case, the pain is diffuse, usually not intense, combined with itching and burning. In the second - local pains, stabbing or bursting, upon examination, an area of inflammation is found, in the center of which there is an ingrown hair.
Sometimes painful sensations occur with diseases of the skin and internal organs, mental disorders. Pain can be observed in the following pathologies:
General surgeons and oncologists are most often involved in establishing the causes of pain in the armpit. Depending on the etiology of the disease, consultations of a traumatologist, dermatologist, and other specialists are prescribed. The examination program includes:
Ultrasound of the lymph nodes of the axillary region
For traumatic injuries, rest is recommended. Patients with intense pain syndrome are recommended to use a scarf bandage, it is recommended to apply anesthetic ointments outside the hair growth zone. You should not remove insects with bites on your own. Signs of inflammation, severe pain, general hyperthermia are an indication for immediate medical attention. Lymphadenopathy, even in the absence of pain or a slight pain syndrome, may indicate the presence of a serious illness, therefore, in such cases, a specialist examination is also required.
In case of traumatic injuries, a protective regime with limitation of physical activity is necessary, physiotherapy is possible. For some other diseases, drug therapy is required:
Taking into account the nature of the pathology, the following operations and open manipulations are performed: