Chronic abdominal pain is when you experience discomfort in your abdomen for a long time, usually greater than 3 months, without it being tied to one specific spot. This can be a tricky condition since the cause isn't always clear at first, so providers often need to investigate further.

Various things can cause this pain, ranging from digestive issues and infections to other conditions affecting different body systems. The evaluation typically involves diagnostic methods like endoscopy, colonoscopy, and imaging techniques such as MRI or CT scans.

Some reasons for chronic abdominal pain include problems with the digestive tract like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gall bladder issues, infections, or even conditions like diabetes that can affect different parts of the body. This kind of pain can affect people of all ages, but different age groups may have different reasons for the pain.

This pain is typically deep rather than superficial, unlike the discomfort associated with nerve entrapment at an incision or surgical site, such as anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment.

Providers usually start by asking questions about the pain and doing tests like ultrasounds or CT scans to figure out what's happening inside the body. The treatment depends on what's causing the pain. In some cases, the underlying cause remains unidentified, requiring treatment to focus on symptom management.

Treatment may involve medication, dietary modifications, or, in certain cases, surgery. Interventional pain management options may involve procedures like sympathetic blocks, including celiac or superior hypogastric plexus blocks, or even targeting the splanchnic nerves. In severe cases, spinal cord or dorsal root ganglion stimulation may be considered as a long-term, medication-sparing treatment option.

It’s important to address chronic abdominal pain with a healthcare professional to prevent any serious complications and to improve quality of life.