Possible accompanying symptoms

A pulling in the left breast can have many different causes, therefore the accompanying symptoms are very diverse. If the cause lies in the musculature or the bony chest, back pain usually occurs additionally. In addition, muscle tension can occur.

Immediately after eating, the pulling tends to indicate that the stomach acid is flowing back into the esophagus, so that pain behind the breastbone is typical. In the case of diseases of the pleura (inner lining of the ribs) or the lungs, the complaints are usually respiratory. When inhaled, they increase, when exhaled, the symptoms improve.

Heart complaints can also manifest themselves as pulling in the left chest. In addition, there may be a feeling of pressure or tightness in the chest. Tachycardia and pain in the left chest are also typical.

Learn more about pain in the left chest under: Left-sided chest pain – These are the causesBack pain is a widespread disease in today’s society and is usually due to our mostly sedentary work and lack of exercise. As a result, muscular weakness and tension in the back occur. If these are particularly pronounced, they can radiate into other parts of the body.

The neck is usually affected first, but these tensions can also spread to the chest and abdomen. This can lead to pain in the left breast, among others. Pain in the left breast, which is temporally associated with eating, is indicative of a disease of the esophagus or stomach.

The most common disease is the so-called reflux disease, in which there is a backflow of stomach acid into the esophagus. This typically leads to burning pain in the esophagus due to the high acidity of the gastric juice. These are usually felt immediately behind the spine, but can also radiate into the left breast and upper abdomen.

The reason for the discomfort may be an increased production of gastric acid and a weakness of the sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. Proton pump inhibitors (acid inhibitors) are the first choice in the therapy of these complaints. The pleura is a thin layer of tissue that lines the inside of the ribcage.

In order for breathing to take place, the ribcage must expand during inhalation. This creates a negative pressure in the thorax, which also pulls the lungs outwards, causing air to flow into the lungs. When breathing out, the process is reversed, the thorax shrinks and the air is forced out of the lungs.

In case of pleurisy, small adhesions of the pleura occur. With each breath, however, the pleura must be moved together with the ribcage, causing pain in the chest. Typically, the pain in the left chest is intensified by the pleurisy when coughing.

Stress is initially a psychological reaction to existing stressors, but it also manifests itself organically in the body. When under stress, blood pressure and pulse rate rise, breathing speeds up, breaths become deeper and stressed persons sweat more. This physical stress reaction can lead to pain in the left breast in the case of lung or heart diseases.

Typically, the pain occurs in people with heart disease. The heart has to beat stronger and faster to increase blood pressure and heartbeat. This increases the oxygen demand of the heart muscles.If the blood flow to the heart muscles is reduced due to coronary artery disease, the increased oxygen demand cannot be met and pain in the left chest occurs.

Tachycardia is initially a normal reaction to many everyday situations. Physical activity, mental alertness and stress can increase the heart rate. However, tachycardia is usually referred to in connection with a pulse that is clearly too fast.

This can lead to a reduced supply to the heart, especially in connection with cardiovascular diseases (e.g. coronary heart disease). The consequences are pain in the left chest as well as a feeling of pressure and tightness in the chest. The pain can also radiate into the left arm, the left neck or even the upper abdomen and is a potential sign of a heart attack.