There are three basic types of Abdominal Pain:
- Visceral Pain
- Physical Pain
- Referred Pain
Visceral Pain:
The abdominal pain can be the result of contraction, stretching, spasm and expansion of the digestive track. This pain enters via the nerve of the internal organ. You cannot point out the exact place of the pain and it is progressive, chronic and periodic and sometimes associated with vomiting, chills and sweating. This pain is directly related to organ involved. Therefore the pain is generally less severe and poorly localized. The pain can be described as either dull or aching and will be constant or intermittent.
For example, diarrheal pain is visceral pain resulting from rising pressure inside track organs.
Physical Pain:
Pain results from the irritation of sensory irritation of sensory nerves distributed on the peritoneum, mesentery and diaphragm wrapping up the internal organs. In general, it is progressive sharp pain. The point of the pain is usually clear than the visceral pain.
Physical pain is usually caused by certain things and cured by certain things.
We can take the example of the appendicitis, it begins around the stomach. And after that the body becomes uncomfortable with severe fever. When this pain starts it is very severe. When it begins the intestinal movement stops and the internal pressure rises. And then the appendicitis develops into peritonitis, and physical pain with colicky complaint develops.
The pain is described as being sharp and is usually constant. The patient will typically be in a guarded position, which helps reduce pressure on the peritoneum and provides some relief.
Referred Pain:
This pain is same as visceral pain that is feeling in another part of the body. For this reason it is badly localized but generally constant in nature. When the patient suffers liver problems, he feels pain in the neck or on the back side just below the scapula.