Owing to the current lifestyle our gastrointestinal tract is in stress without our realising. These problems range from changes in our daily bowel function to repeated episodes of gastritis to a lingering uncomfortable feeling. So, what is it? More importantly, how do we tackle this? Being a pain physician I come across patients who come with chronic abdominal pains. These pains range from simple belly aches to severe pains of chronic nature disturbing sleep patterns in turn, decreasing work functionality. I shall be discussing commonly seen chronic abdominal pains and throw some light on how is it that you can help yourself.
Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) is a common terminology used by everyone. There is a need to understand it better. There are criteria for it that have been formed over decades of research with huge sample numbers. It is usually associated with a number of symptoms like recurrent lower abdominal pains, bloating, change in bowel habits, feeling of incomplete bowel movement. What stands out probably is the lack of functional or biochemical pathology. Meaning, tests and scans are pretty much normal. Does it mean we can skip the testing? We must not. In the times of evidence based medicine it is imperative that we rule out all the possible causes before we label it as IBS. The treatment can range from medicinal to non medicinal options. Changes in lifestyle, regular eating habits and giving up certains kinds of foods have been beneficial. Stress has also been considered a very important factor pushing people towards this condition. The factors causing stress could range from anxiety to abuse. It is not abnormal that the mind can affect the body.
Coming to the next set of commonly seen pains involving the abdomen. Myofascial pains. Well this topic needs a special discussion but it also needs a mention here. These pains can usually be seen post heavy work, exercising or also post abnormal positioning. These pains tend to increase on certain movements and can radiate causing the actual pain causing factor to get masked. The treatment for these pains ranges from analgesics(pain killers) to muscle relaxants to physiotherapy. Very severe pains that do not respond to the above may need invasive treatment. It is advisable not to ignore the small pains so that they do not take the form of chronic pain.
There are of course certain red flag signs that are best not ignored. These to name a few are sudden pain occurring in people above the age of 50yrs, sudden change in bowels habit, occult(hidden) bleeding characterized by change in colour of stools,pain associated with passing stools,weight loss or if there is family history of intestinal cancer. Having these signs and symptoms does not always indicate the worst but having these symptoms evaluated is essential.
Your tummy ache may be due to a myriad of reasons. Could be a simple gastritis to something not so simple. In all if it has been coming off and on or causing discomfort you should have knowledge that getting it checked may be a good idea rather than ignoring it. So, if your tummy is grumbling and complaining make sure you listen to it and take care of it.