HERSHEY, Pa. – If you’ve ever felt pain, tenderness, and tightness – maybe even a sharp, stabbing sensation – in your breasts, it’s hard not to jump to conclusions. “We see a lot of patients who come looking for answers that have widespread, cyclical breast pain,” said Dr. Alison Chetlen, chief of breast imaging in the Department of Radiology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. In those situations, what the patients usually need more than imaging is comfort. “We usually start with reassurance, perhaps eliminating the underlying cause of the pain. Sometimes it is related to their menstrual cycle or underlying hormonal fluctuations. Is it musculoskeletal? If so, perhaps medication and a warm compress will help. Something like arthritis of the rib joints also can cause pain that mimics breast pain. In such cases, the pain is not actually coming from the breasts.”