When a person starts to exhibit symptoms of abdominal pain, it is important to treat it properly. Abdominal pain can be extremely debilitating and might impede with the personal and professional life of a person. Pain, in general, can leave a person at risk if not treated as soon as possible.
Before proceeding with the treatment of abdominal pain with help , it is important to know what causes it. Finding the root of the problem may help in preventing it from happening again later on. Prevention, in most cases, is better than the cure and that is especially the case for abdominal pain.
Causes
The most common causes of abdominal pain can generally be avoided, but there are those that are unavoidable depending on the medical history of a person. The causes of pain felt in the abdomen include:
Food allergies
Food poisoning
Gas issues
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Crohn’s disease
For more serious abdominal pain such as those that leave the person with a sharp pain being felt for extended periods of time, the cause may be any of the following:
Appendicitis
Cancer
Hernia
Gallstone
Kidney stones
GERD
Treatment
As soon as you experience abdominal pain, it is important to keep track of the time it was first felt. The more mild cases of abdominal pain should be observed for at least 24 hours before contacting a doctor. Severe cases that are debilitating should be reported to the doctor immediately.
If the abdominal pain is accompanied by another area of the body displaying issues or if the person is experiencing pain in a different part of the body such as chest pain or lower back pain, it is important to talk to a physician as soon as possible. For the less painful cases, waiting for and observing other symptoms may be beneficial in figuring out what caused the pain.
The physician will likely review the person’s medical history and address any issues that they may have with certain types of food. The physical and mental background of the person will be looked at in order to figure out what may be leading the person to experience the abdominal pain that they are feeling.
Before being given the final treatment approach, the person who’s experiencing abdominal pain may be observed for these:
Location of the abdominal pain, such as whether it is spread out or if there’s a sharp pain in one particular area
How often, how long, and how bad does it hurt depending on the time of day
What triggers the abdominal pain such as physical activities and the food consumed by the person
For how long has the abdominal pain been experienced by the person
Any injuries that could be the cause of the pain in the abdominal area
Whether the pain extends to other parts of the body especially those that are connected to any parts of the abdomen
If the person is pregnant or is menstruating after a long period of time when they did not menstruate
If you want to learn more about abdominal pain signs, symptoms, and treatment, check out the website of the International Foundation For Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD). Remember, knowledge is power!