What should you know about bone mastitis?

Mastitis is inflammation of breast tissue, often during breastfeeding. It can cause a sore, hot or swollen area and may be accompanied by fever or a flu-like feeling. A clinician should clarify which body area is affected before recommending treatment.

Breast mastitis can develop when milk is not draining well and inflammation builds in the breast; infection may also be present. Osteomyelitis is the medical name for an infection in bone, not bone mastitis. Deep, localised bone pain, swelling or redness therefore needs a different examination from breast symptoms.

Breast pain has several possible causes, so pain alone does not identify mastitis. During breastfeeding, nipple damage, attachment difficulties or restricted milk flow can contribute to painful feeds and poor drainage.

If the problem is in the breast, continue feeding or expressing in a comfortable way unless your clinician has advised otherwise. Avoid forceful massage or repeatedly trying to empty the breast beyond your baby’s needs, because extra stimulation can worsen swelling. A cool compress after feeding, rest, fluids and a pain medicine suitable for you may ease discomfort.

Arrange clinical advice if symptoms are worsening, you feel unwell, or simple measures are not helping. A breastfeeding assessment can check positioning, attachment and milk transfer. If the pain feels as though it comes from a bone rather than the breast, describe its exact location and any recent injury, operation or infection.

Seek prompt medical assessment for fever with a hot, red or increasingly painful breast, pus or blood from the nipple, a growing swelling, or symptoms that are rapidly worsening. A soft or fluid-filled swelling may be an abscess and can require imaging and drainage.

Get urgent help for confusion, fainting, severe weakness, difficulty breathing, or skin that becomes dusky or spreads rapidly in redness. New severe pain over a bone with fever, especially after surgery or an open wound, also warrants urgent assessment.

Ask whether your symptoms fit breast inflammation, a breast infection, an abscess or a problem outside the breast. You can also ask whether you need antibiotics, imaging, a sample for testing, or support with feeding technique, and which pain relief is compatible with your health conditions and medicines.