First off i am a Male and 17 years old.

About an hour ago, when i was getting up from my desk at school, i felt a sharp pain in the middle-right side of my body, just above the hips. Now, I feel ok when sitting down and hunched over, but i get the sharp pain when i try to unbend my back. I have no history of any kind of chronic pain and do not know what to do. My best guess is possibly a cramp, since the pain is not constant. Anyone know anything i could try to dull or eliminate the pain?

Posted by: Maria/ MDHealth forum.com Team

Abdominal pain is a common complaint which presents in varying intensity and duration. Its symptoms can be mild or severe. It may be acute, but in some cases, abdominal pain persists for weeks or months. Most of the time, it’s difficult to determine where abdominal pain comes from. Though you may feel pain in one area of your belly, sometimes it may be caused by another problem which affects other area of your body.

Abdominal pain does not always indicate a serious medical condition and may not need emergency treatment. However, patients are encouraged to seek immediate medical attention if the pain is so severe that you can’t sit still or need to if they need to curl into a ball to alleviate the symptoms. Emergency care is also needed when abdominal pain is accompanied by other symptoms such as persistent nausea and vomiting, swelling or severe tenderness when you touch your abdomen and yellow discoloration of the skin.

Localized pain or pain which is only felt in one area of your belly, likely indicates a problem in one of your organs, such as the appendix and gallbladder. Typically, a cramp-like pain is not serious, it may likely occur because of bloating or gas.

There are many reasons for abdominal pain. It is important to identify what has been causing your abdominal pain so that the right treatment can be given. This can’t be done without the expertise of a health care provider. Your medical history and physical examination findings will help your doctor determine what has been causing your symptoms. Your doctor may ask a number of questions about your abdominal pain. These include the location of pain, its time pattern and accompanying symptoms. During physical examination, your doctor will check if the pain is localized to a single area or whether it is diffuse.

Self-medicating may cause further problems. Patients who have abdominal pain are typically advised to avoid taking over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) because these are known to cause stomach problems and may worsen your symptoms. Talk to your own doctor to find out which treatment options would suit you best.

This blog entry is for your general information only. I recommend that you discuss your symptoms with your own doctor.

Tags: abdominal pain, cramp, cramplike pain