Almost everyone has experienced pain in the stomach. Although an irritated stomach can be the reaction to a variety of reasons, often times it comes down to something that the person ate. When this is the case, the pain in stomach usually does not last long, as it may be relieved once a bowel movement takes place. If gas producing foods have been recently ingested a stomach ache of some degree may be forthcoming as well.

In other cases, the cause may be something less benign. Within the abdominal area any organ that might become distended or inflamed will eventually cause a certain amount of stomach pain. The pain itself may be coming from an internal organ such as the liver, pancreas, spleen, or gallbladder and not from within the stomach at all. So although generally described as stomach pain, the root cause of the pain may or may not be coming from the stomach itself. The pain may be stemming from inflammation, distention, or even a problem with the blood supply to any of the aforementioned organs.  

Abdominal problems due to inflammation include appendicitis, colitis and diverticulitis. Meanwhile, examples of problems due to stretching or distention of organs are the swelling of the liver due to hepatitis, an obstruction in the intestines, and gallstones that block the bile duct. When the problem is loss of blood supply to an organ, the person may be suffering from ischemic colitis or a related condition.

There are also a variety of other medical causes associated with stomach pain that aren’t directly related to distention, inflammation, or a loss of blood supply. Such is the case in a little understood disorder called irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. When someone suffers from IBS they suffer from abnormally contracting intestinal muscles that ultimately result in pain. Intestinal nerves can become overly active or sensitive and cause the pain even though there is no apparent root cause for this hypersensitivity. Known as visceral hypersensitivity, this condition and the pain it causes is classified as a functional pain…. pain that is present even though there is no apparent cause of it.

Stomach pain can be the result of any number of contributing factors, so it is key to determine just what exactly is the root cause of the pain. A proper treatment for the pain becomes much more quickly available once the actual source of the pain has been properly diagnosed by your doctor.

As a part of the diagnosis process, the doctor will need to determine the characteristics of the stomach pain such as how and when it began, its location, the duration, and what either sets off or relieves it. All of the aforementioned details combined together to create what is known as the pain characteristics and they are key information in attaining the proper diagnosis.

Your doctor will more than likely conduct a more thorough exam and depending upon the scenario, conduct some lab or radiological testing. Although rare, surgery may be needed in order to determine the exact cause of the stomach pain. Diagnosis of stomach pain can, at times, be very challenging simply because of all the different possibilities that can relate to illnesses and conditions of the various bodily organs. Pain that is atypical or having no common manifestation or that even changes over time can add even another layer of complexity to the diagnosis process.

It also happens that the results from laboratory tests may come out normal, even though there is something obviously wrong that causes the stomach pain.  Regardless of what may or may not be causing the pain, persistent or severe stomach pains are something that you should consult with your doctor about.

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