Abdominal Pain Causes, Types, and Treatment
What is Abdominal Pain?
We all experience abdominal pain or stomachache in our lives. It is one of the most common problems that occur in adults and children. It characterizes the discomfort anywhere in your belly region between the ribs and pelvis. There are several types of abdominal pain, based on how quickly your pain starts and how long it lasts:
- Acute pain: may initiate over a few hours or days and may come with other symptoms.
- Chronic pain: may last longer over weeks to months or more and may come and go.
- Progressive pain: worse over time and often comes with other symptoms associated with a chronic condition.
Abdominal pain may vary in severity and be related to different conditions. You may experience pain:
- mild or chronic
- sharp or dull
- achy or burning
- colicky or crampy
- intermittent or persistent
- localized or generalized
Below, we describe how the abdominal pain feels and what is causing them.
Generalised Pain
Generalised pain is when you feel mild to severe pain in more than half of your abdominal area. More specifically this can be caused by Stomach viruses, indigestion, or gas.
Localized Pain
It refers to pain felt in just one area of your abdomen. You may experience localized pain limited to a specific region. It may cause pain due to problems in the organs as your stomach is home to many organs like:
- stomach
- liver
- gallbladder
- pancreas
- small intestine
- large intestine
Sometimes, the pain often occurs in the abdominal wall or outer shell (skin, muscles) of the abdomen. Stomach ulcers are the most common cause of localized pain.
Cramping
Cramp-like pain is another type of abdominal pain you may experience mainly. This pain comes and goes away on its own without treatment. And changes in its severity or perceived position in your abdomen. Cramping is rarely chronic. It may be caused by diarrhea, constipation, bloating, or flatulence. The females also suffer from cramps caused by menstruation, miscarriage, or reproductive complications.
Colicky Pain
It is similar to cramping and may come and goes, but it tends to be severe. You may experience this type of pain due to kidney and gall bladder stones. Whatever the cause, abdominal pain is a subjective symptom that only you can describe. Because your healthcare provider can not measure it, only treat it on what you say it is.
The Types of Abdominal Pain
The stomach is home to many organs, which makes it difficult to know from where pain arises.
Physicians divide the stomach into four quadrants or four parts by the healthcare provider. It helps your healthcare provider to localize the affected area. The doctor may ask you where you feel pain in the:
- right upper quadrant
- left upper quadrant
- right lower quadrant
- left lower quadrant
The Most Common Causes of Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain has many potential causes most of them are common. They are temporary and not chronic—for example, digestion, menstruation, or virus.
Digestive issues:
You may suffer from abdominal pain after eating may be due to:
- indigestion
- gas and gas pain
- constipation
- diarrhea
- food allergies and intolerances
- food poisoning
Inflammation:
Inflammation is an acute cause of abdominal pain. Irritation or infection may cause temporary inflammation in your organs, such as:
- viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
- peptic ulcer disease
- chronic acid reflux (GERD)
- urinary tract infection (UTI)
Female reproductive cycle:
By birth, females may experience abdominal pain every month due to:
- menstrual cramps
- ovulation pain
The Chronic Causes of Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain may indicate a chronic medical condition that will require treatment. Pain in different regions of the abdomen may involve other organs. In comparison, the location and pattern of abdominal pain can provide clues that determine its cause and treatment. For example:
Right upper quadrant:
Your upper right abdomen contains the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. And your right kidney is in the back. Also, the first sections of your small and large intestines pass through it. Upper right abdominal pain is most likely related to liver disease or gallbladder disease, such as:
- hepatitis (alcoholic, toxic, metabolic, viral, or autoimmune)
- gallstones
- cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation)
- bile duct cancer, stones, and strictures
- gallbladder cancer
- liver cancer
The problem in your duodenum, ascending colon, or right kidney also comes under this region, such as:
- kidney infection
- kidney stone
- duodenal ulcer
- large bowel obstruction
Left upper quadrant:
Your upper left abdomen comprises the stomach, pancreas, and spleen. And your left kidney is in the back of your abdominal cavity. While your heart and left lung are right above it. Upper left abdominal pain indicates:
- pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas)
- pancreatic cancer
- splenomegaly (enlarged spleen)
- gastritis
- stomach ulcer
- bile reflux
- stomach cancer
- kidney infection
- kidney stone
If the pain arises from your chest, it could be from:
- heartburn
- angina
- noncardiac chest pain
- heart attack
- pericarditis
- pneumonia
- pleurisy
- pulmonary embolism
Lower abdomen:
Your lower abdomen has most parts of the small intestine and large intestine. Pain here is most likely related to gastrointestinal diseases. It is also associated with your ureters, ovaries, or uterus. Abdominal pain causes include:
- irritable bowel syndrome(IBS)
- functional dyspepsia
- inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's, ulcerative colitis).
- large or small bowel obstruction
- small intestine cancer
- colon cancer
- abdominal aortic aneurysm
- peritonitis
- mesenteric lymphadenitis
- intestinal (mesenteric) ischemic syndrome
- hernia
- Kidney stones
Whereas pain referred from the pelvic organs in females could be due to:
- endometriosis
- ovarian cysts
- pelvic inflammatory disease
- ectopic pregnancy
- ovarian cancer
- uterine cancer
Left lower quadrant:
The lower left abdomen pain may cause by diverticulosis and diverticulitis of the colon. Diverticulosis is a medical condition that occurs when small pouches or sacs form and push outward through weak spots in the colon walls.
Similar diverticulitis is the infection or inflammation of these Diverticula. Diverticula (small outpouchings in the bowel wall) can occur throughout your colon, but they usually develop in the lower-left part.
Right lower quadrant:
The lower right abdomen pain may be related to your appendix. It could be inflammation (appendicitis) or rare appendix cancer.
General Pain:
The other general causes of stomach pain may include:
- stress (psychosomatic pain)
- visceral hypersensitivity
- abdominal bloating
- traumatic injuries
- muscle strain
- shingles
Complications of Abdominal Pain
If chronic causes of abdominal pain are left untreated can lead to chronic complications and cause severe abdominal pain. These may include structural damage to the digestive system from infection, cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
What is the Duration of Abdominal Pain?
The duration of abdominal pain depends on its underlying cause may be short or long-lasting. The pain may be ongoing or recurring, coming and going at random intervals or with certain activities or behaviors.
The duration of your abdominal pain does not necessarily correspond to how severe the underlying condition is. But severe pain that comes on suddenly demands immediate medical attention.
But if your abdominal pain worse when you move or coughs, you must seek medical help. Or, in other cases, you have mild pain that grows intense over hours or days. You must see the doctor.
When Should You Call the Doctor About Abdominal Pain?
Mostly, abdominal pain is usual and mild that may go without treatment. For example, if you are experiencing abdominal discomfort because of gas or bloating, it may simply go with time.
But in some cases of abdominal pain, you must see the doctor. Call the doctor if you are experiencing severe abdominal pain related to trauma (from an accident or injury). Or you may have abdominal pain with pressure or pain in your chest. Also, call if you cannot move without feeling more pain or need to curl into a ball to get comfortable.
You may experience the following symptoms too:
- blood in stools
- high fever greater than 101°F (38.33°C)
- vomiting up blood (called hematemesis)
- persistent nausea or vomiting
- yellowing of the skin or eyes
- swelling or severe tenderness of the abdomen
- difficulty breathing
If you experience the above symptoms with severe abdominal pain, seek immediate medical attention.
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
In case of mild or moderate abdominal pain,
you should call your doctor if you experience:
- abdominal pain lasts more than 24 hours
- prolonged constipation
- a burning sensation when you urinate
- loss of appetite
- unexplained weight loss
- if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
Abdominal Pain Diagnosis
The doctor may diagnose the cause of your abdominal pain through an honest conversation about what you're experiencing or a series of tests.
The doctor will do a physical examination before ordering tests. The procedure includes gently pressing on different areas of your abdomen to check for tenderness and swelling. The doctor may ask reproductive females about their sexual and menstruation history.
You have to answer these questions:
- Where do you exactly feel the pain?
- Is the pain always present in this location, or does it move?
- How severe is the pain?
- Is the pain persists or come and go?
- Is the pain so intense that it disturbs your routine work?
- When the pain began, what were you doing?
- At which time of day the pain becomes worst?
- When did you last time pass the stool?
- Do you have regular bowel movements?
- Are there any changes in your urine you noticed?
- Have you made any significant changes to your diet?
- Do you feel pain after eating certain foods or drinking alcohol?
- Do you experience pain during menstruation?
- How long have you been hurting?
- Does the pain move into your lower back, shoulder, groin, or buttocks?
- Do you take any herbal supplements or medication?
- Are you pregnant?
- Does eating or lying on one side ease the pain?
- Does any activity or position make the pain worse?
- Were you injured recently?
Your doctor will recommend you some tests after reviewing this information.
Diagnostic Tests
If your doctor suspects a medical health condition, will advise any of the following tests. They are used to help diagnose the cause of your abdominal pain:
- Blood, urine, or stool tests
- X-ray of the abdomen
- Ultrasound of the abdomen
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen
- MRI scans
- Barium enema
- Endoscopic procedures (inserting a flexible tube with a tiny camera through your mouth or rectum to view areas inside your digestive tract)
Blood, urine, and stool samples will be collected to look for evidence of bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. While imaging tests like CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays, may show a detailed view of organs, tissues, and other structures in the abdomen. These tests help to diagnose tumors, fractures, ruptures, bacterial growths, ulcers, inflammation, blockages, and other abnormalities in the stomach. Lastly, endoscopy will help detect inflammation and abnormalities in the esophagus and stomach.
If you are experiencing lower right abdomen pain, the doctor suggests seeing a specialist. For example:
- a gastroenterologist if you have pain related to the digestive system
- a urologist for pain occurring as the result of bladder or kidney problems
- a gynecologist for issues involving the womb, ovaries, or an ectopic pregnancy
Treatment of Abdominal Pain
The treatment for abdominal pain typically depends on its cause. The best treatment for mild to moderate abdominal pain may involve self-care measures, over-the-counter or prescription medications. As for severe abdominal pain, procedures may include drug injections or surgery.
Self-Care Measures:
Mild abdominal pain can treat without any medication and take self-care steps. They are as follows:
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can cause by something simple. It could be from gas pains or overeating.
- Sometimes, stomach pain indicates the start of a viral infection. It shows symptoms like vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your symptoms for 2 hours help you know the cause of pain.
- Here we share some guidance that enables you to cope with pain.
Lie Down:
- You must lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Drink clear fluids only (water, flat soft drinks, or half-strength Gatorade).
Diet:
- Avoid solid foods for a few hours.
- Avoid dairy products, citrus fruits, fatty foods, tomato products, caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated beverages.
- Eat soft foods, like crackers, rice, bananas, or applesauce.
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Be ready for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan near you.
- Stomach pain may accompany nausea.
Pass a Stool:
- Sit on the toilet; do not strain and try to pass a stool.
- It helps relieve the pain from constipation or diarrhea.
- Move a warm wet cotton ball to the anus to treat constipation.
Do Not Take Medicine:
- OTC drugs (like ibuprofen) can irritate the stomach lining and worsen the pain.
- Do not take any painkillers or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- The acetaminophen (Tylenol) may be taken for fever over 102° F (39° C).
What You Should Expect:
- The pain may go or better in 2 hours with harmless causes.
- You may experience cramps before each vomiting or diarrhea in stomach flu. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes such as appendicitis, the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Medication Options
In mild abdominal pain, taking any medications is not advisable without consulting the doctor. Usually, common drugs for pain can irritate your stomach and worsen the pain. Your doctor prescribes a pain-modifying drug, like amitriptyline or trazodone. If you have abdominal pain due to an underlying health condition that requires medical treatment. Your doctor may prescribe the following medications:
- drugs to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- antibiotics to treat infection
- drugs to reduce inflammation
- specific treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Procedures and Surgery
In rare cases, office procedures or surgery effectively treat abdominal pain. These procedures may include the following:
- Injection of a numbing agent
- Corticosteroid injections
- Hernia repair surgery
- Appendectomy
Alternative and Complementary Therapies
In addition to self-care measures, complementary therapies may reduce your abdominal pain
These measures include:
- Acupuncture
- Hypnosis
- Meditation
- Relaxation training
Prevention of Abdominal Pain:
Few lifestyle changes and dietary choices will help prevent abdominal pain. They also manage the abdominal pain effectively. Because of some foods and activities triggers abdominal pain.
Common causes like constipation, digestive upset, and even abdominal injury can often prevent by adopting the lifestyle and diet changes. The following steps may help in the prevention of abdominal pain:
- Drink plenty of water. Splurge on water and other fluids helps you prevent constipation.
- Develop regular bowel movements. Try to develop regular bowel movements to avoid constipation.
- Follow a balanced, fiber-filled diet. Add fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods, like whole grains, to your diet. It can help support healthy digestion and reduce constipation.
- Eat moderate size meals. Chew more and eat moderately sized meals instead of a full meal. It prevents you from the pain that occurs due to overeating or eating on an empty stomach.
- Be physically active. Try to do exercise regularly to prevent constipation. It also strengthens your abdominal muscles, which may help in straining prevention.
- Wear a seatbelt properly. Wearing a seatbelt prevent abdominal injury from car accidents.
