A pain or an uncomfortable sensation that person feels in his belly area from the ribs to the pelvis is known as stomach pain, and it is also known as a stomach ache or abdominal pain. A person feels his stomach tied in a knot during this condition and doesn’t even move. If it just happens for a shorter period, then it is acute pain, or if it remains in the body for a more extended period, such as for two to three months, it is a chronic pain.
Types of Stomach Pain
Types of the stomach pain are usually based on timing and period of the pain, how fastly or abruptly it starts, and how much it ends in your body:
Types are given below:
- Acute pain: Acute pain is a sudden and sharp pain that usually lasts in few hours or days.
- Chronic pain: Chronic pain is ongoing pain and usually lasts from two to three months.
- Progressive pain: Progressive pain worsens over time and often comes with other symptoms.
Causes of Stomach Pain
Stomach pain is caused by a wide range of problems in the chest and pelvis areas. Some of the leading causes of stomach pain are given below:
Issues in digestion
- Gas
- Constipation
- Indigestion
Problems in the abdomen
- Food poisoning
- Diverticulitis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Crohn’s disease
- Stomach pain (gastroenteritis)
- Appendicitis
- Food allergies
- Gall stones
- Hernia
- Kidney stones
- Ulcers (peptic ulcer disease)
Problems in pelvic
- Menstrual cramps
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
- Endometriosis
- Ovarian cysts
- Infection in the urinary tract
Problems in Chest
- Heart attack
- Pulmonary embolism
- Pneumonia
Symptoms of Stomach Pain
The condition of the stomach pain turns severe if it shows the following symptoms. If you feel any of the signs that are mentioned here, contact your doctor as soon as possible:
- Bloody stools
- Fever
- Nausea
- Difficulty in digestion
- Difficulty in breathing
- Pain during pregnancy
- Blood in vomit
- Long time pain
- Needs to urinate often
- Pain while doing pee
- Dark color urine
- Pale skin
- Swelling in belly
- Severe pain due to injury
The symptoms indicate infection, internal inflammation, and bleeding, which immediately require adequate treatment. These symptoms also lead to colorectal, ovarian, and abdominal cancer in rare cases.
When to visit a doctor
Sometimes, stomach pain looks small, but it may lead to severe problems in your body. Visit your doctor immediately if you are feeling:
- Severe pain in a specific area
- Excessive vomiting
- Pain gets worse over time and causes difficulty in sleeping
- Already suffering from serious health problems and still feels stomach pain
Diagnosis of Stomach Pain
During diagnosis, your doctor will do your physical examination, and he may ask several questions to diagnose diseases, such as:
- Location of the pain: Your doctor may ask for the area of the pain. This pain happens in the same place or spreads to different parts of the body.
- The intensity of pain: He may ask how much you feel the pain in a specific area of the body, is it sharp, cramping, severe, or cause any sleep difficulty.
- Medical history: He may be asked about medication or disease you are suffering from nowadays that causes this pain, injury, or pregnancy.
- Pain history: He may ask a question to search the exact cause behind your pain, whether it is happening after a meal or during menstruation or what makes your pain feel better or worse.
Testing of Stomach Pain
Your doctor may be asked for the following test for a detailed diagnosis of the disease:
- Blood test
- Stool or Urine test
- CT scan
- X-ray or Ultrasound of the abdomen
- ECG or heart tracing
- Colonoscopy or Sigmoidoscopy
- Upper GI (gastrointestinal) and series of small bowel
- Upper endoscopy
- Barium swallows or enemas
Treatment of Stomach Pain
Stomach pain treatment depends on the causes of the disease, but they are treated in the following ways:
Medication: This pain, either acute or chronic, can only be treated by proper medication, such as medication to treat lower inflammation, avoid ulcers, avoid acid reflux and infections
Surgery: Surgery is a treatment used to eliminate abdominal pain permanently, but doctors can only use this treatment method in severe cases such as organ damage.
Healthy diet and lifestyle Habits
Change in lifestyle and adopting healthy habits and diet may help get permanent relief from stomach pain. Try to follow the given tips:
- Eat slowly
- Avoid those foods that result in gas and indigestion
- Avoid stress
- Use Alcohol and Caffeine in a limited amount
- Do a short walk after a meal
- Eat-in small portions
- Chew your food very well
- Avoid foods that cause indigestion or gas in the body
- Increase your physical activity
- Avoid sleeping instantly after a meal
Preventions of Stomach Pain
Some of the following habits that might be helpful in avoiding stomach pain:
- Always wash your hand before preparing or eating food or getting out of the bathroom.
- Avoid overeating and eating right before sleep.
- Always check the expiry date before eating food.
- Drink plenty of water daily.
- Use fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibers in your diet.
- Avoid food that causes problems in your digestion and whatever you are allergic to.
References
- https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/guide/abdominal-pain-causes-treatments retrieved on April 13, 2022.
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/4167-abdominal-painretrieved on April 13, 2022.
- https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/symptoms/abdominal-pain retrieved on April 13, 2022.
- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stomach-ache/ retrieved on April 13, 2022.
- https://www.healthline.com/health/abdominal-pain retrieved on April 13, 2022.
- https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003120.htm retrieved on April 13, 2022.
