Feeling of pressure and pain at the solar plexus

Feelings of pressure and pain in the area of the solar plexus are rather due to the surrounding organs and structures. These are the stomach, colon, pancreas and the superficial abdominal and deep back muscles. In the most harmless case, a feeling of pressure can be caused by a disrupted digestion with a lot of air in the large intestine or in the sense of a feeling of fullness from the stomach.

If the area above the solar plexus is painful due to pressure, there is possibly an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach. This would be accompanied by nausea and possibly vomiting. If the stomach feels sensitive and strangely elastic, this could be an inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

In this case, one would expect the pain to radiate belt-like into the back. Tension in the back can also irritate the middle of the body, e.g. by sitting for long periods or by a bent posture or unfamiliar ground when sleeping. Here, some short stretching and yoga exercises are recommended after getting up, e.g. the sun salutation.

What happens when the solar plexus is hit?

The solar plexus contains fibers of the so-called autonomic nervous system (autonomous). The autonomous nervous system is responsible for the regulation and control of the organs, which cannot be influenced deliberately. Two antagonists are responsible for this: one puts the body on alert and makes it ready for action (sympathetic nervous system), the other is more responsible for relaxation and tells the brain how the organs are doing (parasympathetic nervous system).

Through a complex cycle of control and counteraction, the heartbeat, lung function, the activity of the entire gastrointestinal tract and the blood flow to the organs are influenced. If a strong blow hits this nerve plexus, it is improperly stimulated and reacts to this stimulus with an exaggerated reaction. There is a command to dilate all blood vessels in the abdominal cavity, briefly “sinking” the blood there and too little of it flows back to the heart.

In addition, the heart receives the command to beat more slowly. The combination of these two reactions to the beat leads accordingly to less blood being pumped on from the heart, the inflow to the brain is temporarily reduced and this can result in dizziness or even unconsciousness. In a healthy body this imbalance is recognized within seconds and the active part of the autonomic nervous system takes countermeasures. The condition is balanced and the blood flow returns to normal.However, this process temporarily incapacitates the affected person until enough blood reaches the brain again. The pain, however, lasts a little longer because the sudden crushing of the abdominal organs by the blow ignites a whole firework of pain, so to speak.