Cramps in the upper abdomen after eating
Complaints in the upper abdomen and abdominal pain in general are most often caused in the digestive organs: stomach, intestine, gall bladder or pancreas. Stress or the wrong diet alone can cause pain or cramps in the upper abdomen, for example, due to eating too much or too fast. Complaints often occur mainly after eating, which can have very different causes.Cramps in the upper abdomen that occur after eating can be caused, for example, by a stomach ulcer or inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach.
But gallstones also lead to severe cramps in the upper abdomen after eating, especially of fatty foods. In some cases, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) can also be behind this, which typically leads to belt-like pain around the upper abdomen. Chronic constipation after eating can also cause discomfort, and a change in diet and increased fluid intake should be sought.
Cramps in the upper abdomen and diarrhea
The stool that is pasty or watery more than three times a day is called diarrhea. Not necessarily the symptom diarrhea has a disease value, not rarely the diarrhea occurs a few times and then disappears by itself. The most frequent causes of diarrhoea are intestinal infections, intestinal inflammations, food intolerances and food poisoning.
Diarrhoea causes violent and cramp-like movements of the intestine, which causes the liquid food chyme to be transported very quickly through the intestine without absorbing all the nutrients. These movements of the intestine in case of diarrhoea can spread to the abdominal wall and thus lead to cramps in the upper abdomen. The cause of cramps in the upper abdomen associated with diarrhea should always be clarified by a physician, especially if symptoms such as fever or chills are also present, as this may be an emergency or, in rare cases, a malignant disease.
Cramps in the upper abdomen and back pain
Cramp-like abdominal pain associated with back pain can have a variety of causes. They are often harmless muscular complaints caused by irritation of the nerves or muscles in the abdominal or back region. Menstrual cramps can also be associated with back pain and abdominal cramps.
However, in rare cases, there are also more serious causes of cramps and pain in the upper abdomen, which can extend into the back. For example, biliary colic caused by gallstones can cause such symptoms. Typically, diseases of the pancreas also cause pain that radiates into the back, as do diseases of the kidneys.
The kidneys are located very close to the back, which is why kidney diseases also cause a so-called knocking pain. Careful tapping of the back in the kidney area triggers pain. In many cases, diseases of the heart also manifest themselves in the form of cramps in the upper abdomen.
In the case of some diseases, such as angina pectoris in coronary heart disease, this often results in additional pulling or stabbing pain in the upper part of the back. An absolute emergency is a tear in the wall of the aorta, the main symptoms are cramps in the upper abdomen and very severe back pain. Further interesting information about cramps can be found here:
- Cramps in the abdomen
- Cramps despite magnesium
- Appendicitis
- Flatulence
- Constipation
