Diagnosis
So that the examining physician can determine which of the numerous possibilities is now in the individual case as cause of the spasms in the belly, an extensive and detailed anamnesis collection is essential. The most important questions will be approximately: Where exactly in the abdominal or abdominal region does the pain occur? How does the pain feel?
Are they dull or stabbing, pulsating, pulling or undulating? When and under what circumstances did the cramps first occur? Are the spasms in the abdomen continuous and consistently intense or are there also pain-free intervals?
Do the spasms in the abdomen intensify during or even shortly after food intake and if so, which foods were consumed? In which situations and measures does the pain improve (even if only slightly)? How often does the patient have bowel movements and what is the nature of these?
Are there reddish admixtures in the stool? Are there any accompanying complaints such as diarrhoea, nausea or flatulence? What previous illnesses has the patient already had and is he currently taking any medication?
Women should also be asked about their last menstruation and whether there were any abnormalities. After the patient’s medical history has been discussed, the physical examination follows. Here, the examining doctor places particular emphasis on palpation of the abdominal wall and listening to the bowel sounds with a stethoscope.
If the patient reports blood in the stool or the doctor finds other indications of disease or involvement of the colon, it may be helpful to palpate the rectum with a finger and examine it for abnormalities and irregularities (this is called digital-rectal examination). After these two examinations, the physician probably already has a relatively concrete suspicion of what this might be in this case. Depending on which disease he suspects, further diagnostic procedures are initiated.
These could be, for example: an ultrasound examination (sonography) of the abdominal area, an X-ray, an analysis of the blood count and a microbiological examination of the urine and stool. If a definitive and unambiguous diagnosis still cannot be made, the doctor can also test for various food intolerances (such as lactose or gluten), arrange for a gastroscopy or colonoscopy and a magnetic resonance tomography. In order to rule out pancreatic disease, an endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreaticography (ERCP for short) is helpful, which can be used to examine the bile ducts and pancreatic ducts.
If the causes are more of a gynecological nature, the treating gynecologist can perform further examinations. If the kidneys or other parts of the urological system are more likely to be involved, a visit to the urologist will help. The treatment of abdominal spasms cannot be generalized to all patients.
It depends entirely on the type of abdominal spasms, why they occur and how much the patient suffers from them. This is why it is so important to first find the cause of the complaints before starting a therapy.The treatment can then either be “causal”, which means that the cause of the abdominal spasms is identified and treated, and the abdominal spasms themselves disappear. Or it can be “symptomatic,” which means that the pain and accompanying symptoms are treated, but the cause itself remains unaffected.
Since most forms of abdominal spasms tend to last only a short time and are not particularly intense and certainly not dangerous, they usually do not require further treatment. Often it is enough just to put a hot hot water bottle on your stomach, drink a warm tea (we recommend chamomile, peppermint, caraway, fennel and aniseed) and relax a little, taking care not to unconsciously tense your already cramped stomach even further. You should also pay attention to your diet and avoid especially fatty or alcoholic foods and drinks.
If the affected person suffers from a bloated feeling in the abdominal area, foods that are too bloated (lentils, beans, legumes in general) should be removed from the menu for the time being. It is also important to drink enough at all times (around 1.5 to 2 liters a day) and to take regular physical exercise and exercise. The additional increased intake of dietary fiber is also beneficial for the natural movement of the intestines and thus also good for our digestion.
If you want to treat the causes of spasms in the abdomen, you must, of course, have identified them beforehand in order to create a suitable therapy. Especially in cases of colicky cramps, prolonged or extremely painful abdominal pain, it is important to find the cause of the problems. While it is usually already sufficient with a completely normal “constipation” to take easily laxative household remedies or medicines, one must fall back with an infectious illness of the intestine already to antibiotics.
If it concerns for instance an antibiotic or even an antibiotic of the gastro-intestinal tract, one is antibiotics. In order to be able to fight the spasms in the abdomen themselves, most doctors fall back on medication containing antispasmodic painkillers such as butylscopamine as well as mebeverine, which relaxes the intestinal muscles. There are also numerous phytotherapeutics on the market, i.e. medications that consist of herbal active ingredients, which are often extracted from parts of peppermint, caraway, chamomile, fennel or aniseed.
