Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Lump and hard muscle strand under left armpit

March 5, 2016 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

two weeks ago while showering, I discovered a lump in my left armpit. It is painless and movable (so movable that sometimes it is not palpable, depending on the position of my arm).

Additionally, I feel a longer, hard band in the armpit (possibly a muscle strand?). This concerns me: in my right armpit, I have neither the muscle strand nor the lump. Nothing at all.

I visited my GP last week, but at that time, we both couldn't feel the lump. Blood tests (differential blood count) were completely normal, but my doctor advised me not to take it lightly and to closely monitor the lump.

Now I am starting to worry a little, especially since I have no cold/infection and the lump is not painful. It is about 2-3cm in size. What could it be? Sebaceous gland inflammation? (I shave my armpits and use deodorant.) And what about this hard muscle strand just below it?

Thank you in advance for your response!

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good day,

The fact that the lump is freely movable, thus movable, is already a good thing and speaks against a serious cause. Most likely, it is a lymph node, formed by the entry of bacteria through a small shaving wound. The palpable strand could be a slightly inflamed lymphatic vessel.

Alternatively, such a lump could actually be a sebaceous cyst (blocked sebaceous gland) or a lipoma (benign fatty lump).

Of course, although I assume a benign cause, I would recommend seeing a gynecologist if the last check-up was half a year or more ago. After a few weeks, I would advise having the armpit checked again by your general practitioner if the lump remains palpable.

All the best!

Sincerely, Dr. Höllering