Pain in the stomach and in the solar plexus is a common symptom that indicates serious health problems. In some cases, the cause of this condition is physical injuries. A surgeon, traumatologist, gastroenterologist, and therapist are involved in the diagnosis of such pain syndromes. Pain in the stomach and in the solar plexus can be triggered by injuries, neuritis, diseases of the peritoneal organs (stomach, intestines, pancreas, spleen, liver and others).
What is pain in the epigastric region?
In the solar plexus is the largest lump of nerve endings in the human body. That is why in almost all martial arts this area is considered the most traumatic: one hit, and the enemy is already on the ground.
But in some cases, pain in the stomach and in the solar plexus is not associated with injuries. She pursues a person on an empty stomach and after eating, in the morning and at bedtime. This state, one way or another, at least once in a lifetime has overtaken every person. Pain in the solar plexus - what is it? An unpleasant sensation in the middle of the abdomen, between the ribs, Where the stomach is located inside - in the center of the body. To the left is the spleen, and to the right is the liver.
By the nature of the manifestation of pain in the region of the solar plexus (in the epigastric region) they can be sharp, painful, sharp, strong, or, on the contrary, blunt, rare, aching. In some cases, the pain is paroxysmal in nature. Sometimes it occurs from time to time. But in any case, this condition causes discomfort to the patient.
Why does the solar plexus hurt? There are many reasons: it can be neuralgia, problems with the organs of the abdominal cavity or urinary system, overwork, chronic stress, physical strain, solarium, chronic pancreatitis.
Excessive exercise
Physical education and sports benefit health. But with excessive zeal during weightlifting, pain can develop. Powerlifting and working with serious weights is a rather traumatic occupation. Beginners often perform exercises with a barbell without proper equipment and without the supervision of an experienced trainer, which leads to many health problems.
Pain in the solar plexus after exercise is also not uncommon. For example, if you transfer heavy building materials from place to place or unload large-sized goods within a few hours, you should not be surprised at the appearance of pain in the solar plexus. What is it and how to deal with it in this case?
The first rule of treating pain in the epigastric region after physical work and weight lifting is complete rest. Bed rest is needed for two to three days, so that the body recovers from overwork. If you do not follow this rule and continue to process, complications are possible (development of a hernia, in women - prolapse of the uterus, inflammation of the nerves of the solar plexus).
Injury to the plexus itself
Physical lesions of the solar plexus are accompanied by a characteristic pain symptom. The pain is sharp, sharp, painful in nature. Often after an injury, the patient cannot straighten up and stand up straight - the pain is so severe.
The most common causes of injury are:
- A punch or a blunt object in the abdomen. Often occurs in boxers, karatekas, in street fights and brawls. It is necessary to consult a traumatologist for an examination - internal organs may be damaged.
- When playing sports, getting a ball flying at high speed into the epigastric region.
- Too much tightening of the seat belt or wearing corsets by women.
The nature of pain during physical trauma of the solar plexus is burning, sharp, sharp. Do not suppress pain with analgesics and anesthetics - it is better to seem to a traumatologist and make sure that no damage to internal organs has occurred. First aid in such conditions: try to put the injured person on one side, wait for the arrival and advice on treatment from emergency doctors. Do not eat or drink water until the patient is examined by a traumatologist.
Neuritis and neuralgia
With neuritis, patients often experience pain in the solar plexus. What is this disease and is it amenable to therapy? This is an inflammatory process in the nerve endings of the solar plexus. Neuritis occurs both in people who lead a predominantly passive lifestyle, and in patients who constantly subject their bodies to excessive physical exertion. Also, neuritis can provoke chronic diseases of the abdominal organs, abdominal surgery, taking certain medications.
If the cause of the malaise is neuritis, then the following symptoms are characteristic:
- paroxysmal sharp pain in the stomach and in the solar plexus;
- the pain is concentrated between the navel and the sternum, can give to the lower back or lower abdomen;
- often tides and a feeling of heat, fever, tremor develop in parallel;
- pain is often aggravated by physical exertion and stress.
A neuropathologist is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of pain in the epigastric region, provoked by neuritis.
Neuralgia causes pain in the solar plexus, provoked by irritation of the nerve endings. The most common causes of solar plexus neuralgia are injuries, infectious and parasitic diseases.
By the nature of the pain, it resembles neuritis. Only an experienced neuropathologist can distinguish these two conditions by a combination of factors associated with neuralgic diseases.
Solarium is a common cause of pain in the epigastric region.
Solarium is a disease in which an acute inflammatory process develops in the solar plexus. Pain that radiates to the lower back, lower abdomen and back is a characteristic symptom of solaritis. The nature of the discomfort is always painful. The pain is sharp, boring, burning. Most patients are forced to resort to the help of potent anesthetic drugs - but this approach to therapy does not affect the cause of the disease, and the pain returns.
Solaritis can provoke the following conditions:
- hypothermia;
- low immunity (including human immunodeficiency syndrome);
- chronic stress;
- excessive physical activity;
- recent severe infectious disease;
- surgery, general anesthesia, implantation.
In the absence of treatment for solaritis, the pain will intensify and, as a result, severe pathologies of the nervous system may develop. For treatment, a course of physiotherapy, nootropics, exercise therapy, rejection of bad habits and lifestyle changes.
Diseases of the stomach and intestines
Pain in the stomach and in the solar plexus is often triggered by the following problems with the gastrointestinal tract:
- From the stomach - gastritis, erosion, peptic ulcer, tumors. The nature of the pain varies greatly depending on the disease that triggered it. With problems with the mucous membrane of the bottom of the stomach, pain appears after eating. If the problem is located closer to the duodenal sphincter - it occurs on an empty stomach. With gastritis of various etiologies, the pain, as a rule, has a pulling, implicit character.
- In chronic duodenitis (inflammation of the duodenum), pain in the solar plexus is also characteristic. What is this disease - duodenitis? This is a pathology of the upper intestine, provoked most often by malnutrition and a low tone of the immune system. With duodenitis, there are pulling, painful pains in the region of the solar plexus on an empty stomach. Possible increase in temperature to 37–38 degrees, weakness, chills, dizziness, decreased performance.
- From the small intestine, the cause of pain in the epigastric region is most often caused by intestinal infections, adhesions in the abdominal region, neoplasms of various nature, massive helminthic and other parasitic infestations. An accurate diagnosis can be made by a gastroenterologist after endoscopy, ultrasound, and a biochemical blood test. In some cases, you have to resort to magnetic resonance therapy to clarify the diagnosis.
Pain in the solar plexus caused by an inflammatory process in the pancreas
It is worth separately mentioning the pancreas as the cause of pain in the epigastric region. Most often this happens with chronic pancreatitis. This is an inflammation of the gland that leads to discomfort, pain, and problems with digesting food. With this disease, acute pain is characteristic under the solar plexus and on the right side of the hypochondrium. Many patients confuse this with unpleasant sensations in liver diseases. An experienced gastroenterologist can distinguish one condition from another. Usually, pain with liver problems is clearly located on the right side of the body, while pancreatitis is characterized by unpleasant sensations in the solar plexus zone.
Attacks of pain most often overtake the patient after heavy meals of fatty foods and abuse of alcoholic beverages. With proper nutrition and abstinence from alcohol, the pain completely disappears. Gastroenterologists will confirm that diet and a healthy lifestyle are the best therapy for chronic pancreatitis.
Where pain can be deployed and what it says
Patients complain that the pain occurs slightly higher, lower, to the right or left of the solar plexus. It is rare that an unpleasant sensation is deployed right in the center.
- Pain in the solar plexus, extending to the back, occurs with pyelonephritis, the passage of sand and stones from the kidneys, in rare cases, with duodenitis.
- Pain in the upper part of the epigastric region extends to the lower chest, under the ribs. Most often, the cause of this condition is the pathology of the esophagus and diaphragm, heart disease.
- If the pain is located at the bottom of the solar plexus, closer to the navel, then most likely the cause is inflammation in the organs of the urinary system. Also, sharp pain can cause proctitis, colitis, appendicitis (in this case, the pain can be deployed just below and to the left of the solar plexus).
Which doctor can help and prescribe treatment?
It will not be possible to independently conduct a competent diagnosis of the cause of pain in the abdomen and in the solar plexus. Too many diseases can cause this problem.
The first step is to contact the therapist and describe your condition (where the solar plexus hurts and the nature of the discomfort). The doctor prescribes biochemical and general blood tests. Also, most often he writes out a direction for EHD, ultrasound. It will be useful to conduct bacteriological studies of feces and urine, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and, if necessary, radiography of the stomach, esophagus, spleen, pancreas.
After obtaining the results of these studies, we can more accurately talk about the causes of pain in the epigastric region. After this, the patient receives a referral for consultation with a gastroenterologist (if problems with the stomach, intestines, liver, spleen have been identified) or a neurologist (if the pain has psychosomatic or neurological causes).
Treatment is not only medical: you should abandon bad habits, reduce the intensity of physical activity, it is better to get enough sleep. When diagnosing duodenitis, ulcers, neoplasms, gastritis, pancreatitis, a long and serious treatment is required, which includes a complete change in the patient's lifestyle and habits.
Folk methods of dealing with pain in the epigastric region
Some patients avoid visiting a doctor because of mistrust or lack of time. You can try to stop the pain in the solar plexus with the following simple tips of traditional medicine:
- yarrow infusion (a teaspoon of chopped dry herbs in a glass of boiling water) effectively relieves inflammatory processes in the body and has a slight analgesic effect;
- a hot bath for ten to twenty minutes has a muscle relaxant and sedative effect, this will help relieve pain in the epigastric region;
- It is worth refusing to eat fatty high-fat foods and give preference to vegetables, fruits, rice and buckwheat dishes, vegetable broths.
- honey and beekeeping products - on a teaspoon on an empty stomach daily (honey is famous for its anti-inflammatory and light anesthetic properties).
Doctors' advice: how to prevent pain in the solar plexus?
Neurologists recommend setting up a sleep regimen, processing less and resting more. Chronic overwork and serious physical exertion become a catalyst for the development of neuritis and solaritis (and these are one of the common causes of the development of neurological pain in the epigastric region).
Gastroenterologists recommend abandoning the use of alcoholic beverages, which provoke the development of chronic pancreatitis, problems with the gastric mucosa and esophagus. Ethanol has a detrimental effect on all organs of the gastrointestinal tract: do not underestimate its effect. Doctors also recommend establishing food: refuse to eat fatty high-fat foods, fast food, fried and flour dishes and give preference to vegetables, fruits, rice and buckwheat dishes, vegetable broths.
Immunologists prescribe the following drugs to almost all of their drugs in the treatment of pain in the epigastric region:
- tinctures of echinacea;
- preparations whose main active ingredient is extract from ginseng root;
- immunomodulatory drugs, the action of which increases the body's resistance to infections and inflammatory processes.
For some diseases that provoke pain in the solar plexus, the therapist can prescribe antibacterial drugs, vitamin and mineral complexes, herbal infusions, immunomodulators.