How To Get Your Stomach To Stop Hurting

Stomach ache and abdominal pain

A stomach ache is cramps or a dull ache in the tummy (abdomen). It usually does not last long and is often not serious.Severe abdominal pain is a greater cause for concern.

Complete our self-help guide to check your symptoms and find out what to do next.

Self-help guide

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Stomach cramps with bloating

Stomach cramps with bloating are often caused by trapped wind.

Your pharmacist can recommend treatments to help, such as:

buscopan
mebeverine

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Sudden stomach cramps with diarrhoea

If your stomach cramps have started recently and you also havediarrhoea, the cause may be a tummy bug (gastroenteritis). This means you have a viral or bacterial infection of the stomach and bowel. It should get better without treatment after a few days.

Gastroenteritis may be caused by:

coming into close contact with someone who's infected
eating contaminated food (food poisoning)

If you have repeated bouts of stomach cramps and diarrhoea, you may have a long-term condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Sudden severe abdominal pain

Sudden agonising pain in a particular area of your abdomen may be a sign of a serious problem. It could rapidly get worse without treatment.

Urgent advice: Speak to your GP as soon as possible if:

you have severe abdominal pain, especially if it's concentrated in one area
the pain starts suddenly or unexpectedly

If your GP is closed, phone 111.

Serious causes of sudden severe abdominal pain include:

appendicitis – the swelling of the appendix means your appendix will need to be removed
a bleeding or perforatedstomach ulcer
acute cholecystitis – inflammation of the gallbladder, which may need to be removed
kidney stones – small stones may be passed out in your urine, but larger stones may block the kidney tubes, and you'll need to go to hospital to have them broken up
diverticulitis – inflammation of the small pouches in the bowel that sometimes requires treatment with antibioticsin hospital

If your GP suspects you have one of these conditions, they may refer you to hospital immediately.

Sudden and severe pain in your abdomen can also sometimes be caused by an infection of the stomach and bowel (gastroenteritis). It may also be caused by a pulled muscle in your abdomen or by an injury.

Long-term or recurring abdominal pain

See your GP if you or your child have persistent or repeated abdominal pain. The cause is often not serious and can be managed.

Possible causes in adults include:

irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – the pain is often relieved when you go to the toilet
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) – for example Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis andendometriosis
a urinary tract infection (UTI) that keeps returning – you'll usually also have a burning sensation when you urinate
constipation
period pain – painful muscle cramps in women that are linked to the menstrual cycle
stomach ulcer
heartburn and acid reflux
gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining)

Possible causes in children include:

constipation
a UTI that keeps returning
heartburn and acid reflux
abdominal migraines – recurrent episodes of abdominal pain with no identifiable cause