What Is Abdominal Pain? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

The cause of abdominal pain is diagnosed based on your symptom history, a physical examination, and testing, if needed. Your doctor is likely to ask you questions about the characteristics of your pain, and whether you have any underlying physical or mental health conditions that could be contributing to your abdominal pain.

Questions from your doctor may address the following aspects of your abdominal pain:

• Where it’s located
• How intense it is
• Whether it’s dull, stabbing, burning, or cramping
• Whether it comes and goes
• When you experience or notice it most
• Whether it radiates outward to other areas of your body
• How long you’ve had it
• Whether any activities or actions seem to make it worse or better

Your doctor may also ask about your overall health history, any recent injuries, and whether you might be pregnant.

• Blood, urine, or stool tests
• X-ray of the abdomen
• Ultrasound of the abdomen
• Computerized tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen
• Barium enema (colon X-ray)
• Endoscopic procedures (inserting a tube with a tiny camera through your mouth or rectum to view areas inside your digestive tract)
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

Prognosis of Abdominal Pain

How long your abdominal pain lasts, and whether it gets better or worse, will depend on the cause of your pain and how the pain responds to any treatments.

Many forms of abdominal pain tend to respond to self-care measures or simply get better on their own, including pain caused by constipation, food allergies or intolerances, or stomach viruses.