What Causes Stomach Pain Above The Belly Button

What Causes Pain Above Below And Behind Your Belly Button

Umbilical Hernia | Belly Button Hernia | Risk Factors, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

If an abdominal hernia is to blame for your pain above, below, or behind your belly button, you may also notice a bulge. The lump in your abdomen or pelvis may be discolored and cause dull to moderate navel pain.

Is the abdominal area in the middle of the body?

The abdominal area is in the middle part of the body and includes several organs. To make it easier for medical professionals to study about them, the area was divided into four abdominal quadrants. The umbilicus or commonly known as the navel or belly button is the guide in separating the four areas of the abdominal area.

When does appendicitis pain start near the belly button?

Appendicitis pain usually starts off near the belly button before radiating to the right side of your abdomen. Because there are many organs behind the belly button, it can be difficult to know the exact cause of the stomach pain. Therefore, its important to know the symptoms of pain that originate around or near the belly button.

Pain Next To Belly Button Left Side

Any pain next to belly button left side can cause concern as it could be a severe health issue. If the pain persists, it is best to visit your doctor to analyze the area to ensure nothing is wrong.

It isnt wise to assume that the problem is one particular ailment, as more than one thing can cause pain on the left side of your body. So first and foremost, let us consider some of the reasons you may be experiencing this pain.

Contents

What Causes Belly Button Pain That Feels Like A Sharp Pulling Pain

If you feel a sharp pain near your belly button that gets worse when you stretch or cough, you might have a hernia. A bulge near the belly button is the most common symptom. You may also experience pain in the area near your groin.

Hernias are caused by increased pressure near the belly button, and part of the intestine or fatty tissue then bulges out. Hernias should be treated surgically.

If you have vomiting along with the sharp pain, seek immediate treatment, as the hernia is probably strangulated. Factors that make you more prone to getting hernias are:

weak abdominal walls

feeling as though you need to have frequent bowel movements

This inflammatory bowel disease can affect the small intestine, which is what causes pain near the belly button. It can also cause pain in other areas of the stomach.

Make an appointment with your doctor if your symptoms persist or worsen, as this can point to Crohns disease. Other, more severe symptoms, include a perianal fistula, an ulcer, or joint inflammation. Find out more about Crohns disease.

There are a few possible causes of bloating with belly button pain. The most common, and least severe, is indigestion. With indigestion, you may also experience:

a feeling of fullness before finishing a meal
discomfort after a meal
pain not just near your belly button, but also just below your breastbone

See a doctor if your symptoms last longer than two weeks. Contact your doctor right away if your pain is accompanied by:

black, tarry stools

Symptoms Of Pain Near The Belly Button

Doctors also call belly button pain umbilical pain. Depending on the cause of your belly button pain, you might have other associated symptoms.

The type of pain around your belly button isnt usually an issue with your navel itself, but is referred pain that occurs in organs near the belly button.

For example, some causes of belly button pain can make your abdominal area feel very tender to touch. Conditions like appendicitis can cause stabbing and burning pains that radiate from behind the belly button to your lower right-hand side. You may also have a fever and nausea if your appendix or intestines are infected or inflamed.

A Note About Sex And Gender

Sex and gender exist on spectrums. This article will use the terms male, female, or both to refer to sex assigned at birth. .

Bellybutton pain can range in intensity and location. It can be mild or sharp and occur in different parts of the body. Depending on the underlying cause, people may feel pain:

near or behind the bellybutton
in the upper abdomen near the breastbone or chest
near the lower belly, including around the hips

Bellybutton pain can occur constantly or intermittently. For some people, bellybutton pain occurs during certain activities or movements, such as stretching or urinating. It may feel similar to a bloating or pulling sensation.

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Why Do I Have Random Bruises On My Stomach

Clotting problems can also be an acquired condition, as in the case of cirrhosis of the liver. Leukemia, von Willebrand disease, and other platelet disorders also make people more likely to have bruises for no reason, while bruising around the belly button may indicate pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas.

What To Expect At Your Office Visit

Your provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms and medical history. Your specific symptoms, the location of pain and when it occurs will help your provider detect the cause.

LOCATION OF YOUR PAIN

Where do you feel the pain?
Is it all over or in one spot?
Does the pain move into your back, groin, or down your legs?

TYPE AND INTENSITY OF YOUR PAIN

Is the pain severe, sharp, or cramping?
Do you have it all the time, or does it come and go?
Does the pain wake you up at night?

HISTORY OF YOUR PAIN

Have you had similar pain in the past? How long has each episode lasted?
When does the pain occur? For example, after meals or during menstruation?
What makes the pain worse? For example, eating, stress, or lying down?
What makes the pain better? For example, drinking milk, having a bowel movement, or taking an antacid?
What medicines are you taking?

OTHER MEDICAL HISTORY

Have you had a recent injury?
Are you pregnant?

What Home Remedies Soothe Abdominal Pain In Adults

Abdominal pain without fever, vomiting, vaginal bleeding, passing out, chest pain, or other serious symptoms often get better without special treatment.

If the pain persists or if a person believes the pain may represent a serious problem, they should see a doctor.
A heating pad or soaking in a tub of warm water may ease the pain.
Over-the-counter antacids, such as Tums, Maalox, or Pepto-Bismol, also can reduce some types of abdominal pain. Activated charcoal capsules also may help.
Acetaminophen may help. This product should be avoided if liver disease is suspected. Patients should try to avoid aspirin or ibuprofen stomach or intestinal ulcer disease is suspected these drugs can make the pain worse.

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Where Is The Pain

Pain in lower left abdomen – Low Stomach Pain, Most Common Causes

Doctors and other health professionals will first ask you where you feel the pain. Pain above the umbilicus but below the ribcage on the right may be gallstone pain. Gallstone pain may spread to the right shoulder or the back.

Pain from kidney stones is felt in the right side or left side, more in the back than the front of the abdomen, and tends to radiate downwards into the groin on the same side.

Pain in the very centre of the abdomen is more likely to be coming from the intestines, however in males, testicular pain is also felt in the centre of the abdomen.

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Excess Gas Can Cause Pain Around The Belly Button

Excess gas can cause lower abdominal pain after eating that feels like its originating around your belly button.

Because your intestines are right behind your belly button, any gas pains will be felt behind or around your navel. Dr. Norton Greenberger from Harvard Medical School says that gas can expand the intestines causing cramping abdominal pains. The aches and pains around your belly button happen as your intestines expand and contract or cause spasms.2

Along with the sharp pain behind your belly button, you might have signs of abdominal bloating.

Usually, gas that causes pain behind your belly button only lasts a short time. Usually, making yourself pass gas gets rid of the abdominal pain fairly quickly. You can also try some of my home remedies for gas and bloating. These are also very effective ways to prevent excess gas causing belly button pain.

Is There A Connection With Cancer

Some conditions that can cause erythematous mucosa can increase the risk of cancer, in certain circumstances.

If a person has gastritis for a long time, they have chronic gastritis. Some chronic gastritis is atrophic, which means that the stomach mucosa no longer functions as it should.

People with chronic atrophic gastritis eventually have an acid-free stomach. This severe form of the illness is one of the highest risk factors for gastric cancer.

However, if gastritis does not result from an infection with H. pylori, the person has a lower related risk of developing gastric cancer. This is because H. pylori can eventually lead to an acid-free stomach, an issue that limits the bodys ability to absorb vitamins and minerals and operate in the usual way.

Ulcerative colitis is a risk factor for colorectal cancer and other colitis-associated cancers. A person with ulcerative colitis and another IBD, such as Crohns disease, is more likely to develop colitis-associated cancer, compared with someone who has a different form of colitis.

A 2012 study that took place over 14 years found that people with IBD had a 60% higher risk of colitis-associated cancer than people without IBD. This risk remained the same throughout the study period, suggesting that people with IBD are more susceptible to cancer.

The outlook for a person with erythematous mucosa depends on the condition that has caused it.

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When Should I Take My Child To The Doctor For Stomach Pain

Stomach pain in children is usually nothing to worry about. But, if your child experiences any of the following symptoms, schedule an appointment with your child’s pediatrician to determine the cause of your child’s pain:

Constipation that is becoming frequent
Recurrent stomach pain with no clear cause
Unexplained weight loss
Looks or acts sick
Pain that is waking your child up from sleep or is starting to affect their daily lives

Signs And Symptoms Of Pain In Upper Stomach

People experiencing pain in the upper stomach may have only one symptom or may have a combination of several symptoms. Here are some of the most common symptoms of pain in the upper stomach:

Belching

Belching is natural and common. Its your bodys way of getting rid of excess air. Everyone belches from time to time. However, if it interferes with your day-to-day life, it could be a sign of something more serious.

Nausea is an uncomfortable sensation in the stomach that leads to the urge to vomit, but doesnt always cause vomiting. Vomiting happens when you empty your stomach contents through your mouth.

Poor appetite

Most people have a regular desire to eat, but if you lose this desire, or appetite, the reason could be connected to pain in the upper stomach.

An unexplained drop in weight can be a sign of an underlying medical condition. Pain in the upper stomach combined with weight loss could be related to disorders that prevent your body from absorbing the nutrients it needs.

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Causes Of Acute Stomach Pain

Eating Too Much. Eating too much can cause an upset stomach and mild stomach pain.
Hunger Pains. Younger children may complain of stomach pain when they are hungry.
GI Virus . A GI virus can cause stomach cramps as well as vomiting and/or diarrhea.
Food Poisoning. This causes sudden vomiting and/or diarrhea within hours after eating the bad food. It is caused by toxins from germs growing in foods left out too long. Most often, symptoms go away in less than 24 hours. It often can be treated at home without the need for medical care.
Constipation. The need to pass a stool may cause cramps in the lower abdomen.
Strep Throat. A strep throat infection causes 10% of new onset stomach pain with fever.
Bladder Infection. Bladder infections usually present with painful urination, urgency and bad smelling urine. Sometimes the only symptom is pain in the lower abdomen.
Appendicitis . Suspect appendicitis if pain is low on the right side and walks bent over. Other signs are the child won’t hop and wants to lie still.
Intussusception . Sudden attacks of severe pain that switch back and forth with periods of calm. Caused by one segment of bowel telescoping into a lower piece of bowel. Peak age is 6 months to 2 years.

Sudden Pain Below Your Navel

Where: The pain may radiate to either side of your navel.

Possible causes: A colon disorder, a urinary tract infection or pelvic inflammatory disease

What to do: If pain continues to worsen, call your doctor, who may order diagnostic tests or advise you to go to the emergency department.

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What You Need To Know:

Pain 2 inches above your belly button can arise from:

The stomach and duodenum: chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, functional dyspepsia, Gastroparesis, and gastric cancer.
The pancreas: as with chronic and acute pancreatitis.
The intestine and the colon: Irritable bowel syndrome, Inflammatory bowel diseases (such as chrons and ulcerative colitis, Food intolerances, colon cancer, and others.
The Gallbladder: Gallstone diseases and cholecystitis.
The liver: as with acute and chronic hepatitis.
Abdominal wall: epigastric hernia and abdominal muscle strain.
Other rare causes include mesenteric lymphadenitis, aortic dissection, familial Mediterranean fever, abdominal migraine, and others.

The most common three causes of pain 2 inches above the belly button are:

Functional dyspepsia .

Stomach and duodenal ulcers.

Infected Belly Button Piercing And Navel Pain

Why Do You Have Pain Below Belly Button?

You might have a sore belly button if you have had your belly button pierced and it has become infected.

The belly button is prone to infections after piercing, therefore you should take precautions to prevent belly button infections. If you notice redness around your belly button, pus draining from the wound, and have pain below your belly button, you should speak to a doctor.

According to midwife Tekola King, belly button jewelry is safe during pregnancy. However, you should not get a new piercing in your belly button if you are pregnant. You may have even worse belly button pain as your belly stretches and grows.12

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When To See A Doctor About Belly Button Pain

If you find that the pain behind your belly button doesnt go away and becomes more than a dull ache, you may need to see a doctor.

According to doctors from the Mayo Clinic, you should seek medical advice for pain around your belly button area in the following circumstances:13

Severe pain that comes on suddenly.
Dull aches around your navel or abdominal discomfort that last for more than a few days.
Severe tenderness in your abdomen.
Unexplained abdominal swelling or weight loss.
Nausea and vomiting that doesnt go away.

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What Is Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain is pain felt anywhere in the area between the bottom of the ribs and the pelvis. Most Australians will experience abdominal pain at some point in their lives.

Abdominal pain can be serious, but most abdominal pain gets better on its own without needing any special treatment.

People sometimes refer to abdominal pain as stomach pain, stomach ache, stomach cramps, tummy pain, sore stomach, wind pain or belly ache.

Pain or discomfort in the abdomen can be mild or severe. It may come on suddenly it could be something that you experience from time to time or it could be an ongoing symptom that lasts for more than 3 months . It can also start off mild and steadily worsen . Pain that comes and goes in waves is referred to as colicky pain.

This page is about abdominal pain in adults, or anyone over the age of 12. Go to this page for information on abdominal pain in children.

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What Causes Abdominal Pain And Burping

You can swallow air when you eat or drink too quickly or consume carbonated drinks. Rapid breathing or hyperventilating caused by laughter or anxiety can also cause you to swallow air.

Some foods and drinks can also cause stomachache and burping, including foods high in starch, sugar, or fiber. Indigestion or heartburn may also lead to temporary abdominal pain and burping.

Babies and young children may swallow large amounts of air without realizing it, causing discomfort and burping. This is why babies are burped shortly after drinking breast milk or formula.

Frequent abdominal pain and burping may also be caused by conditions including:

fever over 101F
pain or burning sensations in the throat or mouth

You can book an appointment with a primary care doctor in your area using our Healthline FindCare tool.

Treatments for abdominal pain and burping will address the underlying condition.