Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain generally refers to pain that originates from the organs that reside within the abdominal cavity, such as the stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. It is useful to note that in some cases pain that originates within the abdominal cavity can be felt outside of it. This is known as referred pain.
Causes of Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain can have a variety of causes such as:
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Spastic Colon)
-
inflammation - colitis, appendicitis, diverticulitis
- gallstones
-
intestinal obstructions
- restriction of blood supply to an organ
Abdominal pain caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome occurs without inflammation being present. The pain is a result of spasms of the intestinal muscles, or/and hypersensitivity of the intestinal nerves. This pain can be greatly exacerbated by the presence of excessive intestinal gas being trapped by the spasm.
In persons suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the intensity and duration of abdominal pain can vary greatly over time.
