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Abdominal pain

Key points about abdominal pain

Pain in your abdomen (stomach or puku) is common. It's important to know what to do and when you need to see a doctor.
Your abdomen is the part of your body between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips. It often gets called your stomach, tummy or puku, but there's a number of other organs in that area too.
Most pain in this part of your body will pass quickly and can be treated at home by yourself or with medication from your pharmacist. This includes when you have:
- a burning pain or discomfort after eating (indigestion)
- feeling bloated (trapped wind)
- constipation (can’t poo).

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If your abdominal pain is mild, and there are no concerning symptoms, these tips may help:

drink plenty of water
try a heat pack or hot water bottle where it hurts, or have a warm bath
take paracetamol to ease pain
do NOT take aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) unless advised to as these can make abdominal pain worse
avoid alcohol, tea and coffee
rest your gut by not eating for a few hours, then start again when you feel better on bland foods (such as rice, crackers, bananas or toast)
lie down and rest
if constipated, read more about what you can do
ask your pharmacist about medicines to ease wind, spasms or to stop diarrhoea
tell your doctor if your medication causes indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea.

Woman lies down with hot water bottle on her tummy

Image credit: Canva

When to get help

Contact your healthcare provider or call Healthline (0800 611 116) if:

your pain is no better after 2 hours of home care
your abdomen is very painful, eg, if you can’t walk or need to walk bent over, or feel you need to hold your tummy all the time
your pain gets worse over time, or becomes sharper or stronger in one place
your abdomen feels bloated or sticks out more than usual
you have diabetes and are vomiting
you can’t stop vomiting
you haven’t had a bowel motion (poo) for 3 days
you have lost your appetite
there is blood in your vomit, urine (pee) or bowel motion, or vaginal bleeding that isn’t a period
you have other symptoms as well, such as fever or dizziness, especially if they get worse or new symptoms develop.

Call 111 and ask for an ambulance or go to your nearest hospital if you:

have sudden, severe stomach or abdominal pain
have pain when you touch your abdomen
are vomiting blood or a ground coffee-like substance
have bloody or black, sticky poo
collapse, or become pale and clammy
are finding it hard to breathe
can’t pee
have any tightness or heaviness in your chest
find the pain spreads up to your chest, neck or shoulder.

It can be difficult to know what is causing pain in your abdomen, and often the pain settles without knowing what caused it or needing any treatment.

Some causes of sudden, severe abdominal pain include:

gastroenteritis (tummy bug) from an infection, virus or food poisoning
appendicitis
gallbladder problems (eg gallstones)
diverticular disease and diverticulitis
acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis
a peptic ulcer in your stomach or duodenum
heart or lung problems such as angina or heart attack
urinary tract problems such as kidney stones or urinary tract infection (UTI)
pelvic problems such as ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cysts
trauma or injury such as a muscle strain.

Some causes of long-term or recurring abdominal pain include:

indigestion or wind (flatulence)
constipation
irritable bowel syndrome
Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis
lactose intolerance or coeliac disease
period pain
side effects from medications (aspirin, iron supplements, antibiotics, pain-relief medicines and more)

If your child has a sore stomach or abdominal pain, see gastroenteritis in children, constipation in children and vomiting in children.

As well as asking where the pain is, your doctor will ask you to describe your pain, so notice whether it's sharp, stabbing, cramping or a dull ache. Also, notice whether the pain is there all the time or if it comes and goes in waves.

Your doctor will also ask if the pain came on suddenly (acute), or whether you have had it for a while (chronic). They will also want to know if you have been sick (vomited) or had diarrhoea (watery, runny poo).

Depending on what they think is causing your abdominal pain, they may want to do further tests.

Often abdominal pain will settle with simple self-care tips such as taking paracetamol, rest and treat any constipation. If not settling, review the sections above as more specific treatment will depend on the cause of the abdominal pain.

If you know the condition causing your abdominal pain, you can go to the Healthify page for that condition to find out what support is available to you.

Call Healthline phone 0800 611 116 for free advice from registered nurses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, if you are unsure about what to do.

Apps reviewed by Healthify

You may find it useful to look at some pain management apps.

You can keep your gut healthy by eating lots of fruit and vegetables, as well as other foods high in fibre, such as whole grains and legumes. Find out more about healthy eating.

You can reduce the chance of food poisoning and gut infections by following food safety practices and keeping your hands clean.
Find out about preventing specific conditions by linking on the related topics and links in the list of causes above.