Common Causes
- Whether there is a mass in the abdominal cavity that could be benign or malignant
- If there are any blockages in the intestine due to serious constipation
- Whether there is a perforation in the small or large intestine due to appendicitis
- Other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome or diarrhea
Related Conditions
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain or tightness
- Problems with memory and concentration ("brain fog")
- Heart palpitations
- Dizziness
- Pins and needles
- Joint pain
- Depression and anxiety
- Feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
- A high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
What can abdominal pain tell you?
Right Upper Quadrant
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Belly pain (may worsen when taking deep breaths)
- Possible aches in back or right shoulder blade
When to see a doctor for abdominal pain?
What’s Causing Your Lower Abdominal Pain?
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Constipation
- Appendicitis
- Diverticulitis
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Other causes of stomach pain
- When to see a doctor
How to identify abdominal pain?
What is the cause of an abdominal pain?
What are the types of abdominal pain?
7 Types of Stomach PainUncomfortable bloating.Sharp pain in the lower right side of your abdomen.Sharp stabbing pain in your upper right abdomen.Pain or burning in your upper middle abdominal.General abdominal pain with diarrhea.General abdominal pain with bloating.Pain with bloody diarrhea.
What are the four types of abdominal pain?
There are four types of abdominal pain: upper, lower, right-sided and left-sided. Each type has specific symptoms and causes, and all are briefly discussed below (for detailed discussion click here).
What are the 3 types of abdominal pain?
There are three main types of abdominal pain: visceral, parietal, and referred pain.
Can stomach issues cause referred pain?
Sometimes pain in your back can come from an entirely different region of your body, and the cause could be serious. Referred pain is when you feel pain in one part of your body caused by disease or an injury in another. It often occurs in problems with chest and belly organs.
What is the most common type of abdominal pain?
What are the most common causes of abdominal pain?Indigestion.Gas and gas pain.Constipation.Diarrhea.Food allergies and intolerances.Food poisoning.
What are causes of abdominal pain?
Less serious causes of abdominal pain include constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, food allergies, lactose intolerance, food poisoning, and a stomach virus. Other, more serious, causes include appendicitis, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a bowel blockage, cancer, and gastroesophageal reflux.
What referred pain examples?
Examples of Referred Pain Liver and gallbladder—like the referred pain involving the lung and diaphragm, injury to the liver and gallbladder may produce pain in the neck and upper shoulder area. Pancreas—almost half of all people with pancreatitis have pain in their back. Some may also exhibit abdominal tenderness.
How do you know when abdominal pain is serious?
You should seek immediate medical attention or go to the ER if you have:Constant or severe abdominal pain.Pain associated with a high fever.Changes in pain intensity or location, such as going from a dull ache to a sharp stab or starting in one area and radiating to another.More items...•
What causes abdominal pains in females?
The most common cause of localized pain is stomach ulcers (open sores on the stomach's inner lining). Cramp-like pain may be associated with diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or flatulence. In people assigned female at birth, it can be associated with menstruation, miscarriage, or reproductive complications.
What is the best treatment for referred pain?
The best treatment would be Trigger Point Injections and OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment). Sometimes referred pain can be caused by muscular knots also known as trigger points, which can cause pain tightness in a muscle so severe that it can spread in a broad area masking the true center point of the pain.
How do I stop referred pain?
There are two techniques to block all afferents from the referred pain area:Differential nerve blocking with an inflated tourniquet between the site of stimulation and the corresponding distal referred area.Intravenous regional analgesia.By this the referred pain intensity was reduced by 40.2 %
Can ulcers cause referred pain?
Most commonly, the pain of duodenal ulcer is referred to the epigastrium [1]. In some patients, the pain is referred to the right upper quadrant. Duodenal ulcer causes pain that radiates to xiphoid process but not higher [2, 3].
What are the 4 quadrants of the abdomen?
The abdomen can also be divided into four quadrants, known as the right upper, the left upper, the right lower, and the left lower quadrants. It is common to see these quadrants abbreviated as RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, and LLQ, respectively.
How can you tell the difference between abdominal pain?
The initial differential diagnosis can be determined by a delineation of the pain's location, radiation, and movement (e.g., appendicitis-associated pain usually moves from the periumbilical area to the right lower quadrant of the abdomen).
What is the difference between somatic and visceral pain?
Somatic pain and visceral pain come from different areas of the body. Somatic pain is in the muscles, bones, or soft tissues. Visceral pain comes from your internal organs and blood vessels. Somatic pain is intense and may be easier to pinpoint than visceral pain.
Which tablet is best for abdominal pain?
For cramping from diarrhea, medicines that have loperamide (Imodium) or bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate or Pepto-Bismol) might make you feel better. For other types of pain, acetaminophen (Aspirin Free Anacin, Liquiprin, Panadol, Tylenol) might be helpful.
What causes abdominal pain?
Causes of progressive abdominal pain include: Cancer. Crohn's disease (a type of inflammatory bowel disease) Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) Gallbladder cancer. Hepatitis.
How long does abdominal pain last?
Chronic abdominal pain may be intermittent (episodic), meaning it may come and go. This type of pain may be present for weeks to months, or even years. Some chronic conditions cause progressive pain, which steadily gets worse over time.
What is the term for a blood clot in the vein that holds the intestines in place?
Mesenteric ischemia (decreased blood flow to the intestines) Mesenteric lymphadenitis (swollen lymph nodes in the folds of membrane that hold the abdominal organs in place) Mesenteric thrombosis (blood clot in a vein carrying blood away from your intestines) Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation)
What is the name of the inflammation in the first part of the small intestine?
Duodenitis (inflammation in the first part of the small intestine)
What is the name of the inflammation of the lungs?
Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation) Pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue around the heart) Peritonitis (infection of the abdominal lining) Pleurisy (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the lungs) Pneumonia. Pulmonary infarction (loss of blood flow to the lungs) Ruptured spleen.
Is abdominal pain episodic or chronic?
Chronic (intermittent, or episodic) The specific cause of chronic abdominal pain is often difficult to determine. Symptoms may range from mild to severe, coming and going but not necessarily worsening over time.
What is abdominal pain?
Abdominal pain is pain that occurs between the chest and pelvic regions. Abdominal pain can be crampy, achy, dull, intermittent or sharp. It’s also called a stomachache. Inflammation or diseases that affect the organs in the abdomen can cause abdominal pain. Major organs located in the abdomen include:
What is the pain in the abdomen?
Abdominal pain can be described as localized, cramp-like, or colicky. Localized pain is limited to one area of the abdomen. This type of pain is often caused by problems in a particular organ. The most common cause of localized pain is stomach ulcers (open sores on the inner lining of the stomach).
How to diagnose abdominal pain?
The cause of abdominal pain can be diagnosed through a series of tests. Before ordering tests, your doctor will do a physical examination. This includes gently pressing on various areas of your abdomen to check for tenderness and swelling.
Why does colicky pain go away?
This pain comes and goes, and may go away on its own without treatment. Colicky pain is a symptom of more severe conditions, such as gallstones or kidney stones.
What causes pain in the lower abdomen?
ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy that occurs outside the womb) In women, pain in the reproductive organs of the lower abdomen can be caused by: severe menstrual pain (called dysmenorrhea) ovarian cysts. miscarriage. fibroids. endometriosis. pelvic inflammatory disease. ectopic pregnancy.
What to do if you have abdominal pain while pregnant?
Call your doctor if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding and you experience abdominal pain.
What tests are used to diagnose abdominal pain?
Imaging tests, such as MRI scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays, are used to view organs, tissues, and other structures in the abdomen in detail.
What does it mean when you feel pain in one part of your body?
Takeaway. Referred pain is when the pain you feel in one part of your body is actually caused by pain or injury in another part of your body. For example, an injured pancreas could be causing pain in your back, or a heart attack could be triggering pain in your jaw. Referred pain can be a symptom of serious things happening in your body.
Why does referred pain happen?
Simply stated, referred pain happens because the nerves in your body are all connected.
How to relieve muscle pain?
Home remedies for acute muscle pain include: 1 using a warm compress to ease muscle tension and cramping 2 taking a bath with Epsom salt to release muscle tension 3 resting your body and being careful not to irritate the area that’s in pain
Why does my brain send a pain signal to a different part of my body?
Sometimes, because of how nerves are wired in your body , your brain will send a pain signal to a different part of your body than the area where the pain stems from.
What is the pain in the jaw?
The pain occurs when your body starts to react to a blockage in your heart valves that can trigger a heart attack.
Why does my back ache?
An aching on the sides of your back or even close to your oblique muscles can be a sign that there’s something going on with your kidneys or your colon.
Can referred pain be felt anywhere?
Referred pain can be felt anywhere, which is part of why it’s hard to diagnose correctly. Common areas that are affected by referred pain include:
Where does abdominal pain come from?
While the source of abdominal pain may come from the organs and structures within that region, referred pain may also be present.
What causes pain in the upper abdomen?
When pain is referred to the upper abdomen, it is usually caused by pathology in the thorax.
What causes suprapubic pain?
Therefore, bladder pathology such as cystitis or urinary tract infections may cause suprapubic pain. Furthermore, sexually transmitted infections may cause lower abdominal discomfort whether male or female.
What is the left upper quadrant?
Left Upper Quadrant. The primary structures in the left upper quadrant include the rest of the pancreas, part of the stomach, and the spleen. Therefore, pancreatitis can cause both epigastric and left upper quadrant pain. Similarly, the stomach pathology discussed above can cause left upper quadrant pain as well.
What causes pain in the right upper quadrant?
Therefore, problems with any of these structures may cause right upper quadrant pain. Liver pathology may include hepatitis (inflammation and/or infection of the liver), hepatic abscess (abscess of the liver), cirrhosis (chronic degeneration, inflammation, and scarring of the liver).
Why does my upper abdomen hurt?
Upper Abdomen. When pain is referred to the upper abdomen, it is usually caused by pathology in the thorax. Therefore, problems in the chest can present as upper abdominal pain. One important consideration is acute coronary syndrome - a range of conditions to describe reduced blood flow to the heart.
What causes pain in the right flank?
Therefore, pathology to any of these structures may cause right flank pain. Kidney pathology may include neprholithiasis (kidney stones), pyelonephritis (inflammation and/or infection of the kidney), or perinephric abscess (abscess involving the kidney).
What Is Referred Pain?
Referred pain is a pain sensation felt away (or “referred”) from the origin of your pain. For many of us, this is a difficult concept to grasp. When we hurt in a specific area, we think that area is causing the pain. That is many times the case, but not always. Referred pain makes us believe we have something wrong with one part of our body, when in fact it’s a different part that is the real issue.
What to do if you are not sure of the origin of your pain?
If you are experiencing pain and you are not sure of the origin of your pain, it would be a good idea to have a skilled practitioner evaluate your condition to get to the root cause. If you don’t feel satisfied with a general medical doctor, try seeking a naturopath. Naturopaths are also medical doctors, but they are trained to spend more time understanding the root causes of the pain rather than just treating the symptoms.
What does it mean when your left shoulder hurts?
Pain felt in the left shoulder and down the arm may be another sign of a heart condition.