Abdominal pain can be caused by many different conditions that may or may not be serious and require medical treatment. Mild abdominal pain that typically doesn’t require treatment includes indigestion, gas pains, or muscle pains. The source of the pain and any patterns in the pain can help pinpoint the cause, as well as the timing of when the pain started and how long it lasts. Acute abdominal pain will often develop and resolve itself over the course of a few hours or a few days and is typically accompanied by additional symptoms.

Conditions can be minor that resolve on their own without the need for medical treatment, or they could be emergencies that require immediate medical attention. Acute abdominal pain can include appendicitis, cystitis, ectopic pregnancy, intestinal obstruction, kidney stones, injury, constipation, ruptured spleen, urinary tract infection, and many other potential ailments. Chronic abdominal pain can be difficult to diagnose with symptoms ranging from mild to severe that may ebb and flow over time or that get progressively worse over a period of time.

Chronic conditions that can cause steady abdominal pain that doesn’t worsen include celiac disease, gallstones, endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcer, and pelvic inflammatory disease, as well as a wide assortment of other conditions. Progressive abdominal pain will worsen over time and can develop additional symptoms for conditions such as several types of cancer, Crohn’s disease, lead poisoning, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Feeling pain in your abdomen can sometimes be an indication of a minor stomach irritation as the result of something that you ate, such as constipation, indigestion, or gas pains. In other cases, they can be an indication of a more serious medical issue that requires emergency treatment. Depending on the cause, you can treat the pain at home and wait for the pain to recede on its own. In other cases, you will need to get to a doctor immediately. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical attention through urgent care or emergency room:

– Severe pain
– Fever
– Weight loss
– Nausea and vomiting
– Yellow-looking skin
– Blood in your stool
– Swollen abdomen
– Severe tenderness to the abdomen with contact

If you are suffering from severe abdominal pain as the result of an accident or injury that potentially caused trauma to your abdomen, or abdominal pain is accompanied by pain or pressure in the chest, it is also imperative to seek medical attention. Northwest Ohio Urgent Care and our team of healthcare professionals are here to help treat abdominal pain, and we encourage you to contact us through our website.

Depending on the type and severity of your abdominal pain, you have a choice on what doctor to see for treatment. If the pain is mild but lasts for a few days or causes you concern, you can schedule an appointment with your regular family doctor to get checked out. If you can pinpoint when your symptoms started and suspect that is the result of something you ate, waiting it out and drinking water, and eating small, healthy snacks can help ease the pain, or in the case of constipation or gas pains, help your system work things out naturally. In cases of moderate to severe pain, where the pain is getting progressively worse or not easing up at all and you can’t tie it back to something you ate, it is best to seek immediate medical attention. If you are unable to get into your family doctor, an urgent care clinic would be your next best option.

Our team of professionals at Northwest Ohio Urgent Care is here to help treat your abdominal pain. In the case of severe abdominal pain as the result of an injury, is accompanied by additional symptoms such as fever, blood in the stool, vomiting, swollen abdomen, or severe tenderness with contact, or if you are pregnant, the emergency room would be your best choice for treatment. We serve patients from Benore Toledo OH, Reynolds Toledo OH, Perrysburg OH, Monclova OH, Waterville OH, Holland OH, Rossford OH, Bowling Green OH, Haskins OH and Walbridge OH.