Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It OccursRisk FactorsIntensityRadiation and Referred PainSymptomsKey FeaturesDiagnosisTreatmentSummary
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Occurs
Risk Factors
Intensity
Radiation and Referred Pain
Symptoms
Key Features
Diagnosis
Treatment
Summary
Visceral pain is the pain you feel from your internal organs, such as your stomach, bladder, uterus, or rectum. It can feel sharp, dull, or aching. It may be constant or come and go.
This article will go over how visceral pain works, what it feels like, and when to seek medical care.
BJI/Blue Jean Images/Getty Images
How Visceral Pain Occurs
You may feel visceral pain if you have an infection, trauma, disease, growths, bleeding, or anything that causes pressure, inflammation, or injury on the inside or outside of your internal organs.
The sensory nerves in your organs have pain receptors callednociceptors. They send signals to the spinal cord and brain to alert you of illness or injury.
The sensory nerves are triggered when the nerves in and around the organs detect compression, stretching, tearing, or tiny areas of damage (for example, from infectious organisms such as viruses).
Some people are more likely to feel pain than others. For example,irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is less likely to cause pain in men, and it might be related to hormonal differences between sexes.
There is also some evidence that people with certain mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are more likely to have symptoms of visceral pain.
However, the research has been inconsistent and it’s also been suggested that chronic pain can lead to mental health symptoms, rather than the other way around.
What Visceral Pain Feels Like
Visceral pain can vary in intensity. It is usually described as all-over (generalized) and not easy to pinpoint (though that’s not a hard and fast rule).
The pain can be constant or come and go (intermittent), sharp or dull, and deep or closer to the surface (superficial). Often, visceral pain causes an aching sensation.
Sometimes, the pain can feel like something is squeezing your body on the inside (e.g., what menstrual cramps feel like).
The internal organs do not have a lot of nociceptors as the skin does. The mapping of pain in your brain is also not detailed when it comes to visceral pain. These factors make it hard to figure out where the pain is coming from.
Unlike superficial pain, visceral pain tends to radiate from the starting location to other areas of the body, making the whole pain experience widespread (diffuse) and unpleasant.
For example, pain coming from the heart can go to the left arm and neck,bladder paincan be felt in the space between the anus and genitals (perineum), and a kidney infection can cause back pain.
For example, a person who has a stomach ulcer may get chest pain instead of stomach pain, or a person with a colon infection may feel back pain instead of pain down where their lower intestines are.
Associated Symptoms
Other symptoms may come along with visceral pain, such as nausea, sweating, paleness, and changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature.
Somatic vs. Visceral Pain
If you cut your finger with a knife, you would feel sharp, rapid, and superficialsomatic pain. Since there are a lot of nociceptors in your finger and a more detailed mapping of sensation in your brain to somatic pain, you can pinpoint exactly which part of your finger is cut.
Neuropathic vs. Visceral Pain
Neuropathic pain occurs from a nerve disease such as neuropathy or hypersensitivity of a nerve. Sometimes, neuropathy happens because a nerve is injured.
Chronic visceral pain can also cause changes in sensation and lead to neuropathic pain.
Visceral pain can be an expected or relatively harmless condition. For example, you’ll feel visceral pain while you are healing from surgery, and you might have a pattern of recurrent visceral pain if you have a “sensitive stomach.”
New and/or unexpected visceral pain could also be a sign of a medical problem. However, since there is a possibility of radiating pain and referred pain, the underlying cause can be hard to spot.
Your healthcare provider will take a history and pay special attention to whether certain factors—such as swallowing, eating, or walking—relieve your pain or make it worse.
You will probably have a physical examination where your healthcare provider will look at and carefully feel the painful area to check for lumps, warmth, tenderness, or stiffness.
It’s important to find out what is causing your pain to make sure it is treated the right way and you can avoid any possible complications of an untreated condition.
Visceral pain can get better with pain medications, though there are downsides to using them. In some cases, medications are not enough to treat visceral pain.
Possible treatments for visceral pain include:
A Word From Verywell
Visceral pain can make you miserable. It can be the first sign of a serious health problem, or it can continue as you recover from illness or surgery. If you have new visceral pain, it is important that you do not ignore it or try to mask it with medication.
You should be sure to get medical attention in a timely manner. Over time, you may begin to recognize some types of recurring visceral pain, such as menstrual cramps, and you can take effective and recommended medication for it if you need to.
If your pain is not controlled with your healthcare provider’s recommended treatment, speak to them about a possible alternative so you can adjust your approach effectively and safely.
18 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Collett B.Visceral pain: the importance of pain management services.Br J Pain. 2013;7(1):6-7. doi:10.1177/2049463713480138Baliki Marwan N, Apkarian A Vania.Nociception, pain, negative moods, and behavior selection.Neuron. 2015;87(3):474-491. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.06.005Sun LH, Zhang WX, Xu Q, Wu H, Jiao CC, Chen XZ.Estrogen modulation of visceral pain.J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2019;20(8):628-636. doi:10.1631/jzus.B1800582Felice VD, Moloney RD, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, O’mahony SM.Visceral pain and psychiatric disorders.Mod Trends Pharmacopsychiatry. 2015;30:103-19. doi:10.1159/000435936Sheng J, Liu S, Wang Y, Cui R, Zhang X.The Link between Depression and Chronic Pain: Neural Mechanisms in the Brain.Neural Plast. 2017;2017:9724371. doi:10.1155/2017/9724371American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Visceral Pain in the Pelvis and Abdomen.Frumkin K, Delahanty LF.Peripheral neuropathic mimics of visceral abdominal pain: can physical examination limit diagnostic testing?.Am J Emerg Med. 2018; 36(12):P2279-2285. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2018.08.042American Kidney Fund.Kidney Pain: Causes, Why kidneys hurt, and When to seek care.Borowczyk J.Visceral referred pain.Encyclopedia of Pain. Published online 2023:2645-2647. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_4801Sikandar S, Dickenson AH.Visceral pain: the ins and outs, the ups and downs.Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2012;6(1):17-26. doi:10.1097/SPC.0b013e32834f6ec9Boezaart AP, Smith CR, Chembrovich S, et al.Visceral versus somatic pain: an educational review of anatomy and clinical implications.Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 2021;46(7):629-636. doi:10.1136/rapm-2020-102084Colloca L, Ludman T, Bouhassira D, et al.Neuropathic pain.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17002. Published 2017 Feb 16. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.2Sharma GS, Tillisch K.Visceral pain: Mechanisms, syndromes, and treatment.Pain Care Essentials and Innovations. Published online 2021:45-58. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-72216-2.00004-1Olesen AE, Farmer AD, Olesen SS, Aziz Q, Drewes AM.Management of chronic visceral pain.Pain Manag. 2016;6(5):469-486. doi:10.2217/pmt-2015-0011Finnerup NB.Nonnarcotic methods of pain management. Ropper AH, ed.New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380(25):2440-2448. doi:10.1056/nejmra1807061Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep wuality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: A randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018 Aug 21. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep quality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: a randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018;34(12):1126-1132. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645The Johns Hopkins University.Appendectomy.
18 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Collett B.Visceral pain: the importance of pain management services.Br J Pain. 2013;7(1):6-7. doi:10.1177/2049463713480138Baliki Marwan N, Apkarian A Vania.Nociception, pain, negative moods, and behavior selection.Neuron. 2015;87(3):474-491. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.06.005Sun LH, Zhang WX, Xu Q, Wu H, Jiao CC, Chen XZ.Estrogen modulation of visceral pain.J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2019;20(8):628-636. doi:10.1631/jzus.B1800582Felice VD, Moloney RD, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, O’mahony SM.Visceral pain and psychiatric disorders.Mod Trends Pharmacopsychiatry. 2015;30:103-19. doi:10.1159/000435936Sheng J, Liu S, Wang Y, Cui R, Zhang X.The Link between Depression and Chronic Pain: Neural Mechanisms in the Brain.Neural Plast. 2017;2017:9724371. doi:10.1155/2017/9724371American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Visceral Pain in the Pelvis and Abdomen.Frumkin K, Delahanty LF.Peripheral neuropathic mimics of visceral abdominal pain: can physical examination limit diagnostic testing?.Am J Emerg Med. 2018; 36(12):P2279-2285. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2018.08.042American Kidney Fund.Kidney Pain: Causes, Why kidneys hurt, and When to seek care.Borowczyk J.Visceral referred pain.Encyclopedia of Pain. Published online 2023:2645-2647. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_4801Sikandar S, Dickenson AH.Visceral pain: the ins and outs, the ups and downs.Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2012;6(1):17-26. doi:10.1097/SPC.0b013e32834f6ec9Boezaart AP, Smith CR, Chembrovich S, et al.Visceral versus somatic pain: an educational review of anatomy and clinical implications.Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 2021;46(7):629-636. doi:10.1136/rapm-2020-102084Colloca L, Ludman T, Bouhassira D, et al.Neuropathic pain.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17002. Published 2017 Feb 16. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.2Sharma GS, Tillisch K.Visceral pain: Mechanisms, syndromes, and treatment.Pain Care Essentials and Innovations. Published online 2021:45-58. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-72216-2.00004-1Olesen AE, Farmer AD, Olesen SS, Aziz Q, Drewes AM.Management of chronic visceral pain.Pain Manag. 2016;6(5):469-486. doi:10.2217/pmt-2015-0011Finnerup NB.Nonnarcotic methods of pain management. Ropper AH, ed.New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380(25):2440-2448. doi:10.1056/nejmra1807061Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep wuality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: A randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018 Aug 21. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep quality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: a randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018;34(12):1126-1132. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645The Johns Hopkins University.Appendectomy.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Collett B.Visceral pain: the importance of pain management services.Br J Pain. 2013;7(1):6-7. doi:10.1177/2049463713480138Baliki Marwan N, Apkarian A Vania.Nociception, pain, negative moods, and behavior selection.Neuron. 2015;87(3):474-491. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.06.005Sun LH, Zhang WX, Xu Q, Wu H, Jiao CC, Chen XZ.Estrogen modulation of visceral pain.J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2019;20(8):628-636. doi:10.1631/jzus.B1800582Felice VD, Moloney RD, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, O’mahony SM.Visceral pain and psychiatric disorders.Mod Trends Pharmacopsychiatry. 2015;30:103-19. doi:10.1159/000435936Sheng J, Liu S, Wang Y, Cui R, Zhang X.The Link between Depression and Chronic Pain: Neural Mechanisms in the Brain.Neural Plast. 2017;2017:9724371. doi:10.1155/2017/9724371American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Visceral Pain in the Pelvis and Abdomen.Frumkin K, Delahanty LF.Peripheral neuropathic mimics of visceral abdominal pain: can physical examination limit diagnostic testing?.Am J Emerg Med. 2018; 36(12):P2279-2285. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2018.08.042American Kidney Fund.Kidney Pain: Causes, Why kidneys hurt, and When to seek care.Borowczyk J.Visceral referred pain.Encyclopedia of Pain. Published online 2023:2645-2647. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_4801Sikandar S, Dickenson AH.Visceral pain: the ins and outs, the ups and downs.Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2012;6(1):17-26. doi:10.1097/SPC.0b013e32834f6ec9Boezaart AP, Smith CR, Chembrovich S, et al.Visceral versus somatic pain: an educational review of anatomy and clinical implications.Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 2021;46(7):629-636. doi:10.1136/rapm-2020-102084Colloca L, Ludman T, Bouhassira D, et al.Neuropathic pain.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17002. Published 2017 Feb 16. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.2Sharma GS, Tillisch K.Visceral pain: Mechanisms, syndromes, and treatment.Pain Care Essentials and Innovations. Published online 2021:45-58. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-72216-2.00004-1Olesen AE, Farmer AD, Olesen SS, Aziz Q, Drewes AM.Management of chronic visceral pain.Pain Manag. 2016;6(5):469-486. doi:10.2217/pmt-2015-0011Finnerup NB.Nonnarcotic methods of pain management. Ropper AH, ed.New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380(25):2440-2448. doi:10.1056/nejmra1807061Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep wuality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: A randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018 Aug 21. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep quality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: a randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018;34(12):1126-1132. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645The Johns Hopkins University.Appendectomy.
Collett B.Visceral pain: the importance of pain management services.Br J Pain. 2013;7(1):6-7. doi:10.1177/2049463713480138
Baliki Marwan N, Apkarian A Vania.Nociception, pain, negative moods, and behavior selection.Neuron. 2015;87(3):474-491. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2015.06.005
Sun LH, Zhang WX, Xu Q, Wu H, Jiao CC, Chen XZ.Estrogen modulation of visceral pain.J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2019;20(8):628-636. doi:10.1631/jzus.B1800582
Felice VD, Moloney RD, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, O’mahony SM.Visceral pain and psychiatric disorders.Mod Trends Pharmacopsychiatry. 2015;30:103-19. doi:10.1159/000435936
Sheng J, Liu S, Wang Y, Cui R, Zhang X.The Link between Depression and Chronic Pain: Neural Mechanisms in the Brain.Neural Plast. 2017;2017:9724371. doi:10.1155/2017/9724371
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Visceral Pain in the Pelvis and Abdomen.
Frumkin K, Delahanty LF.Peripheral neuropathic mimics of visceral abdominal pain: can physical examination limit diagnostic testing?.Am J Emerg Med. 2018; 36(12):P2279-2285. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2018.08.042
American Kidney Fund.Kidney Pain: Causes, Why kidneys hurt, and When to seek care.
Borowczyk J.Visceral referred pain.Encyclopedia of Pain. Published online 2023:2645-2647. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29805-2_4801
Sikandar S, Dickenson AH.Visceral pain: the ins and outs, the ups and downs.Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2012;6(1):17-26. doi:10.1097/SPC.0b013e32834f6ec9
Boezaart AP, Smith CR, Chembrovich S, et al.Visceral versus somatic pain: an educational review of anatomy and clinical implications.Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. 2021;46(7):629-636. doi:10.1136/rapm-2020-102084
Colloca L, Ludman T, Bouhassira D, et al.Neuropathic pain.Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17002. Published 2017 Feb 16. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2017.2
Sharma GS, Tillisch K.Visceral pain: Mechanisms, syndromes, and treatment.Pain Care Essentials and Innovations. Published online 2021:45-58. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-72216-2.00004-1
Olesen AE, Farmer AD, Olesen SS, Aziz Q, Drewes AM.Management of chronic visceral pain.Pain Manag. 2016;6(5):469-486. doi:10.2217/pmt-2015-0011
Finnerup NB.Nonnarcotic methods of pain management. Ropper AH, ed.New England Journal of Medicine. 2019;380(25):2440-2448. doi:10.1056/nejmra1807061
Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep wuality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: A randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018 Aug 21. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645
Jiang Z, Zhou G, Song Q, Bao C, Wang H, Chen Z.Effect of intravenous oxycodone in combination with different doses of dexmedetomdine on sleep quality and visceral pain in patients after abdominal surgery: a randomized study.Clin J Pain. 2018;34(12):1126-1132. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645
The Johns Hopkins University.Appendectomy.
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