Abdominal pain, one of the most common forms of pain is used to refer to pain felt in the abdomen or for the sake of simplicity, the belly. Several conditions can lead to abdominal pain. Even though, the most common causes are not serious, it can be distressing and difficult to tell the mild from the serious causes. For this reason, knowing the characteristics of abdominal pain, including location, frequency and nature are indispensable in finding causes and best treatments.
Abdominal Pain Characteristics
-
Location
The abdomen can be divided into nine (9) regions. Two imaginary lines divide the abdomen horizontally into the upper, middle and lower regions, while two additional vertical lines sub-divide each into the left, center, and right sub-regions. Consequently, the nine (9) regions are
- 3 Upper regions : left hypochondriac (upper left), epigastric (upper center), right hypochondriac (upper right)
- 3 Middle Regions : left lumbar (middle left), umbilical (middle center), right lumbar (middle right)
- 3 Lower Regions : left iliac (lower left), suprapubic (lower center), right iliac (lower right)
These Nine (9) Regions In Turn Map To Various Organ
- Left hypochondriac (upper left) : pancreas, left kidney, colon, spleen
- Epigastric (upper center) : adrenal glands, spleen, pancreas, duodenum, liver, stomach
- Right hypochondriac (upper right) : small intestine, right kidney, gallbladder, liver
- Left lumbar (middle left) : left kidney, descending colon
- Umbilical (middle center) : duodenum, ileum, descending colon
- Right lumbar (middle right) : right colon, liver, gallbladder
- Left iliac (lower left): sigmoid colon, descending colon
- Suprapubic (lower center): sigmoid colon, urinary bladder, ovaries
- Right iliac (lower right):
Nature Of Pain
Pain may be felt differently with different diseases. Being able to describe what we feel can provide important clues for identifying the specific cause of an episode of abdominal pain. The nature of pain is usually categorised as sharp/cramping, pulsating, dull or aching. There are other technical categories but they can still be described using one or a combination of these basic terms.