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Pain in your lower right abdomen could have several different causes. While this feeling may get better on its own, it sometimes requires immediate medical attention or surgery, which is why it’s important to seek medical attention if you’re experiencing this type of discomfort. Your health care provider may have to do some detective work to pinpoint exactly what’s going on.
In addition to a physical exam and possibly imaging, like an X-ray, your provider will consider different parts of the body around the abdomen that could contribute to pain. These include the:
— Appendix.
— Gallbladder.
— Kidneys.
— Large and small intestines.
— Liver.
— Pancreas.
— Reproductive organs.
— Spleen.
— Stomach.
— Other urinary system organs, in addition to the kidneys.
[READ 7 Signs You Should Be Readmitted to the Hospital]
When to Seek Urgent Versus Non-Urgent Care
It may be difficult to determine whether the pain you’re experiencing requires immediate care or can wait. However, Dr. Ashkan Farhadi, a gastroenterologist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, advises people to seek medical attention any time you have pain in the lower right side of your body.
Farhadi says that he has had young patients who complained to their parents of a cramp-like feeling in their lower right abdomen, but they decided to sleep on it. They subsequently woke up with a perforated appendix, which can be life-threatening if untreated. For this reason, Farhadi recommends that you err on the side of caution if you have acute pain in the lower right abdomen.
Again, it’s best to err on the side of caution. Seek urgent care for pain on the lower right side of your body if:
— The pain isn’t getting better after a couple of hours.
— The pain is unbearable.
— You have bursts of sudden pain that take place over a couple of days.
— You’ve had a sudden change to your bowel habits.
— There is blood, mucus or both in your stool.
— You have a fever along with some of the symptoms above.
You can schedule a non-urgent appointment with a provider if:
— The pain comes and goes but isn’t accompanied by red-flag symptoms, such as blood or mucus in the stool or sudden bowel habit changes.
— You think the pain is diet-related.
Seeing a Doctor About Lower Right Abdominal Pain
When you see a provider for lower right side pain, Dr. Niket Sonpal, an internist and gastroenterologist and adjunct assistant professor of clinical medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York City, recommends sharing the following information:
— Any activities you’ve done in the past day or two.
— How long you’ve had the pain.
— How intense the pain is.
— Medications you’ve used.
— Other symptoms you have had.
— Anything else unusual that has happened.
This information can help pinpoint what may be wrong.
[SEE: How to Describe Medical Symptoms to Your Doctor.]
Causes of Lower Right Abdominal Pain
Some of the most common causes for lower right-side abdomen pain include:
— Appendicitis.
— Gallstones.
— Gas or indigestion.
— Inguinal hernia.
— Inflammatory bowel disease.
— Irritable bowel syndrome.
— Kidney problems.
— Pelvic conditions or ectopic pregnancy.
— Testicular torsion.
Appendicitis
Your appendix is in the lower right part of your abdomen. It’s shaped like a finger and is about 4 inches long. Although the function of the appendix hasn’t always been clear to health experts, some believe it may be a place where good gut bacteria is stored.
Appendicitis is inflammation of your appendix. It’s one of the most common causes for pain on the lower right side of your body, says Dr. Matthew Brady, a general and colorectal surgery specialist with Mission Hospital and South Orange County Surgical Medical Group in Mission Viejo, California.
Appendicitis could be caused by a blockage that leads to an infection. If it’s not treated, it can result in the appendix rupturing.
In addition to pain on the lower right side of your abdominal area, other symptoms of appendicitis include:
— Constipation or diarrhea.
— Fever.
— Nausea.
— Not feeling hungry.
— Swelling in the abdominal area.
— Vomiting.
Appendicitis is a medical emergency and is almost always treated with surgery. If there is an infection, you may also have to take antibiotics.
Gas or indigestion
A less serious potential cause of pain in the right abdominal region is trapped gas or indigestion, which is typically associated with the types or the amount of foods you eat. In addition to pain, symptoms of gas or indigestion include:
— Belching.
— Cramping.
— Passing gas.
You can alleviate this type of pain by taking over-the-counter medicine for gas relief. You should also monitor what foods you eat that may lead to gas or indigestion, avoid or limit those foods and eat smaller meals. Alcohol, high-fat and processed foods are more likely to agitate your body, Sonpal says.
Although gas and indigestion are not medical emergencies, talk to your provider if you’re concerned about how frequently you experience them or if there’s a sudden change in how often you have these symptoms.
Gallstones
Gallstones are hardened collections of bile (digestive fluid). As they become larger, they can obstruct the bile ducts, which are thin tubes from the liver to the small intestine to transport bile and help digest fat in foods.
Gallstones are associated with an intermittent but often severe pain that usually occurs in the upper right abdomen, says Dr. Ekta Gupta, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. However, it’s possible for the pain to radiate to the left abdomen, as well.
Other symptoms associated with gallstones include:
— Cramping.
— Nausea.
— Right-side shoulder pain.
— Jaundice, or a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
— Vomiting.
Seek emergency care if you have severe abdominal pain that lasts a couple of hours and if you also have a fever.
Inguinal hernia
An inguinal hernia is a bulge in the groin area that becomes more noticeable when you’re coughing or standing up. This is just one type of hernia, and it’s much more common in men. Inguinal hernias can occur on either side of the body but tend to occur more often on the right side. In addition to pain on the right side of the body, symptoms include:
— A heavy or full feeling in the groin.
— Pain when coughing.
See a provider if you have mild pain or a noticeable area in the groin that is bulging. You should seek immediate care if that area is turning another color, such as red or purple and if it’s causing other symptoms, such as nausea or vomiting. This could indicate a strangulated hernia, which can be life-threatening.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease is a term that describes two disorders, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, that cause chronic inflammation in the intestines.
“IBD is basically an autoimmune disease, which means the immune system of the body overreacts and starts attacking different parts of the gastrointestinal tract,” says Dr. Shaheer Siddiqui, a gastroenterologist with Memorial Hermann in Houston.
The inflammation in the colon is what can cause abdominal pain, but lower right abdomen pain specifically is associated with Crohn’s disease, Farhadi says.
Other symptoms associated with IBD include:
— Blood in the stool.
— Diarrhea.
— Eye pain.
— Joint pain.
— Problems absorbing nutrients.
— Weight loss.
If you suspect that you have IBD, see a primary care provider or a gastroenterologist.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is a gastrointestinal disorder that’s different from IBD, which is more serious. IBS is more common in women, although anyone can develop it. It’s not clear why some people get IBS. You could have IBS that comes and goes, or it may flare up during the menstrual cycle or when you’re dealing with a lot of stress. IBS is usually diagnosed by exclusion, meaning that a medical provider will have ruled out other possible causes of the symptoms in order to determine that someone has IBS.
In addition to lower right abdomen pain, symptoms associated with IBS include:
— Bloating.
— Constipation.
— Diarrhea.
— A mix of constipation and diarrhea.
If you’re having the symptoms of IBS for more than 12 weeks, Farhadi recommends seeking a non-urgent appointment with a primary care provider to get a diagnosis and discuss possible treatments.
Kidney problems
The kidneys are located on each side of the body right below the rib cage. Kidneys have several important roles, such as removing waste from the body and releasing hormones to help control blood pressure and vitamin D processing.
A potentially serious cause of pain on the lower right side of the body is a kidney infection or kidney stones. Kidney stones are mineral and salt deposits that form in different shapes and sizes in the kidneys. A kidney infection is one type of urinary tract infection. In addition to pain on the side or back of your body, symptoms associated with kidney stones or a kidney infection include:
— A fever.
— Cloudy urine.
— Feeling like you need to pee but only being able to urinate a small amount. This is typically a sign of kidney stones.
— Feeling a strong need to pee frequently. This is typically a sign of a kidney infection.
It’s important to see a provider promptly if you think you have a problem with your kidneys, says Dr. Sunitha D. Posina, a board-certified internist in New York City and founder of the beauty company Sunsimaya.
Although a kidney infection could be treated at home with antibiotics and pain medication, kidney stones sometimes require a special procedure, especially if the stone is causing an obstruction, or if there’s a large stone that can’t be passed through urine, Posina explains.
Pelvic conditions or ectopic pregnancy
There are several pelvic conditions that can cause pain on the lower right side of the body. One common cause is menstrual cramps. One of the first things any woman should do if they’re experiencing pelvic pain is to consider whether they might be pregnant. Pelvic pain can be the result of pregnancy, miscarriage or other conditions.
Intense pain beyond normal menstrual cramps could be caused by:
— An ectopic pregnancy. This means that the embryo has grown outside of the uterus. Symptoms include a sharp pain, as well as vaginal bleeding and dizziness for some women. An ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency.
— An ovarian cyst or torsion. Cysts can form on the outside of the ovaries. Fever, severe pain, weakness and vomiting also may occur with an ovarian cyst. Not all cysts will cause pain or other symptoms. For instance, you may develop ovarian cysts every time you have your period and not know it. However, if a cyst is severe enough to cause the symptoms listed here, see a provider promptly. It’s possible for large cysts to cause ovarian torsion, which would cut off blood supply to the ovary.
— Endometriosis. In women with endometriosis, tissue grows outside of the uterus, where it normally wouldn’t be. The tissue grows primarily around the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It can cause pain, especially during menstrual cycles.
— Pelvic inflammatory disease. This infection of the female reproductive organs is usually associated with sexually transmitted diseases, like gonorrhea and chlamydia. It can cause lower abdomen pain along with back pain, urinary urgency and unusual vaginal discharge. Left untreated, PID can cause permanent reproductive organ damage and sometimes infertility. Seek prompt help from a primary care provider or gynecologist if you suspect you have PID.
Testicular torsion
Testicular torsion can occur when the testicles, which produce sperm and testosterone, twist the spermatic cord. This reduces blood flow to a man’s genital area. In addition to lower right abdominal pain, other symptoms of testicular torsion are:
— Fever.
— Nausea.
— Vomiting.
Testicle torsion usually requires surgery to untwist the spermatic cord.
At-Home Pain Management for Lower Right Abdominal Pain
Although you should see a doctor promptly for many of the conditions mentioned above, there are some ways that you can manage less severe pain at home.
Here are a few tips:
— Take acetaminophen. Although you could use other common pain relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen, those can be harder on the digestive tract and could possibly irritate any stomach pain you’re having. Additionally, common pain relievers like ibuprofen or naproxen shouldn’t be used if someone is on blood thinners.
— Drink more water or tea with ginger and mint.
— Apply a hot water bottle or hot compress where it hurts if you’re managing abdomen pain that occurs occasionally, such as during your menstrual cycle. Don’t use heat if you suspect it’s appendicitis as that could cause the appendix to rupture.
— Watch what you’re eating to see if any particular foods are causing pain. Supplements like Lactaid can help the body process dairy if you’re sensitive to it, Gupta says.
— Take a few deep breaths if anxiety is making your stomach hurt.
— Perform some gentle, relaxing stretches.
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originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 11/16/23: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
