What is causing Abdominal Pain and ways to prevent it?

Does your stomach hurt now and then? If yes, then don’t get anxious as usually abdominal pain is not a matter of concern. However, you must not ignore it if you are experiencing the problem frequently. Sometimes, your abdomen tries to indicate some serious health issues.

Abdominal pain can be uncomfortable and sometimes might also disturb your daily life. Hence, it is always best to visit your doctor.

If you are trying to comprehend the causes of abdominal pain and how you can prevent it, we are here for you. You will find all-inclusive information in this write-up so keep reading.

What is abdominal pain?

Abdominal pain is an uneasiness that occurs in your belly areas such as between the pelvis and ribs. Usually, we think that it is stomach pain but it comes from other organs as well. You must know that your abdomen is home to the liver, gallbladder, small intestine, pancreas, stomach, and large intestine.

All these are organs in the digestive system, but you can experience pain in the abdomen wall and outer shell. You can experience pain in several forms such as mild, severe, dull, sharp, burning, achy, cramps, constant, intermittent, localized, and generalized.

Abdominal pain is a subjective aspect and only a doctor can tell you clearly what it indicates. So, if you experience the problem now and then, don’t delay your visit to the doctor.

How do you identify abdominal pain?

Several types of abdominal pain are there that help you to identify how fast and time the pain lasts.

• Acute pain can experience begin for a few hours and even days. However, you can identify the pain with other signs as well.
• Chronic pain is the type you can identify from its length. This pain lasts for a longer period such as weeks or even months. It keeps coming and going.
• The progressive type is the last one that keeps getting worse and becomes difficult to bear. You might experience other signs as well along with it.

Abdominal pain causes

Usually, the abdominal pain is temporary and not severe. There are different causes of abdominal pain that one must know:

• Digestive issues are one of the primary reasons for abdominal pain. If you observe indigestion, gas, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies, food poisoning, and tolerances, understand that it is an indication of abdominal pain.
• Inflammation is also another cause behind this problem and you can experience temporary inflammation. It involves peptic ulcer disease, chronic acid reflux, viral gastroenteritis, and urinary tract infection.
• Women's reproductive cycle is also among other reasons for abdominal pain. They can experience occasional pain caused by menstrual cramps, and ovulation pain.

There are other causes of abdominal pain you might be experiencing that you must keep a note of. These causes are hernia, kidney stones, endometriosis, appendicitis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, bowel blockage, gallbladder stones, pancreatitis, stomach cancer, low blood flow, ovarian cysts, ectopic pregnancy, and diverticulitis.

Other serious abdominal pain causes

The doctors have identified other causes in different classifications to comprehend the seriousness of abdominal pain. Here are other causes of severe abdominal pain that might help you to identify the circumstances when you need to visit the doctor:

• Right upper quadrant:

  It involves the area around the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. Your right kidneys and large and small intestines are also there. This classification of abdominal pain is associated with liver diseases and gallbladder.

  There are other conditions as well that are hepatitis, gallstones, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, and liver cancer. It incorporates localized issues as well that involve kidney infection, kidney stones, duodenal ulcers, and large bowel obstruction.

• Left upper quadrant:

  This is a type that involves areas like the stomach spleen, and stomach. The left kidney is in the abdominal cavity back, and the heart and lung are right above it. If you are experiencing upper left abdominal pain, then it is a sign of severe conditions.

  It includes pancreatitis, stomach ulcer, stomach cancer, kidney infection, kidney stone, gastritis, bite reflux, and splenomegaly. On the other hand, if you observe pain in the chest, then it can indicate issues like heartburn, angina, heart attack, non-cardiac chest pain, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pleurisy, and pericarditis.

• Left lower quadrant:

  When you experience abdominal pain in the left lower quadrant, then the signs are usually linked to diverticulosis and colon diverticulitis.

• Right lower quadrant:

  When the pain particularly is in the lower right abdomen then it is usually related to the condition of the appendix. It can be an indication of problems like appendicitis and appendix cancer.

• General pain:

  There are general causes of abdominal pain which are stress, traumatic injuries, muscle strain, shingles, visceral hypersensitivity, and abdominal bloating.

Ways to prevent abdominal pain

There are numerous ways that can ease or prevent abdominal pain. If you are not aware of these ways, then have a look below:

• Ensure to sip water as much as you and other fluids as well. You can include sports drinks also but make sure that it is in a small amount.

• Don’t eat solid food for a day or two and at least a few hours.
• If you experience vomiting with abdominal pain then wait for six hours and include a very little amount of food like rice, applesauce, etc. Make sure to avoid dairy products.
• You can take antacids if the problem is high, specifically when you are experiencing indigestion and heartburn. Don’t take citrus, oily food, and high-fat food.
• Ensure to avoid beverages like alcohol, tea, coffee, and carbonated drinks.
• Don’t take any medicine without the doctor’s prescription.
• Consume healthy food like fruits and vegetables because a well-balanced diet is very important and also is rich in fiber.

Last words:

Abdominal pain is an uncomfortable feeling that any individual can experience but it is not a severe health problem. However, it can become serious if it is caused for a longer period like weeks or months. You should never delay visiting a doctor when the problem occurs frequently.

Your doctor will always take the abdominal pain seriously mainly if it is unexplained. The causes of abdominal pain are usually easy to treat and diagnosis on time can assist with relieving pain.

Visit our expert doctors at Calcutta Medical Research Institute holding years of experience in their field.

FAQs:

 

How long does abdominal pain last?

Abdominal pain is not a matter of concern; it generally goes away within a few hours. Usually, the causes are gas, menstrual cramps, or stomach infection.

Is stress a reason for right abdominal pain?

Yes, stress is one of the primary reasons for abdominal pain and other GI signs one can experience.

Are there specific causes of abdominal pain among females?

There can be particular causes of abdominal pain among females are ovarian cysts, fibroids, pelvic congestion syndrome, urinary tract infections, appendicitis, menstrual cramps, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc.

What are the causes of usual abdominal pain infections?

The usual abdominal pain infections any individual experiences are viral and bacterial infections referred to as gastroenteritis.