1. < Gastroenterology & GI Surgery

Chronic Abdominal Wall Pain

Jul 24, 2019 | Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira | Comments (8)

Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Amy Oxentenko talks about an article published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, detailing the complexities of chronic abdominal wall pain (CAWP) – a condition that seems elusive to any workup.

Chronic abdominal wall pain is an often overlooked cause of chronic abdominal pain. The pain usually occurs due to entrapment of the cutaneous branches of the sensory nerves that supply the abdominal wall. Most of the time the pain is located in the upper right quadrant or at the site of a surgical incision.

A thorough and extensive examination is crucial to help diagnose this condition. Specifically, Carnett’s sign – a 2-step physical examination technique – should be done in all patients suspected of having CAWP as it can help support the fact that the abdominal pain originates from the abdominal wall. Treatment of CAWP consists of reassurance, physical therapy, activity modification, and pain relief. Patients can also try OTC topical anesthetics such as a lidocaine patch, or use a heating pad.

Meet other people talking about abdominal wall pain on Mayo Clinic Connect. Join the conversation, share experiences, ask questions, and discover your support network...

 

 

 

2 Reactions

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les2436 | @les2436 | Jul 25, 2019

I have redundant colon, in 3 areas, sigmoid, transverse, and desending . Only have Florida Medicaid, Need Help ASAP. Pain horrible, can't afford Mayo.

REPLY
1 reply
Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira | Jul 25, 2019
In reply to @les2436 "I have redundant colon, in 3 areas, sigmoid, transverse, and desending . Only have Florida Medicaid,..." + (show)
@les2436

I have redundant colon, in 3 areas, sigmoid, transverse, and desending . Only have Florida Medicaid, Need Help ASAP. Pain horrible, can't afford Mayo.

Jump to this post

Hi @les2436,

I’m so sorry to hear that you are in pain! You will see that I removed your personal email address from this public discussion. Posts to the discussion board are public, and we don't want you getting unwanted spam etc. We recommend sharing personal contact information by private message as it is a secure, private option.
Thank you for understanding.

REPLY
1 reply
Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira | Jul 25, 2019
In reply to @kanaazpereira "Hi @les2436, I’m so sorry to hear that you are in pain! You will see that..." + (show)
@kanaazpereira

Hi @les2436,

I’m so sorry to hear that you are in pain! You will see that I removed your personal email address from this public discussion. Posts to the discussion board are public, and we don't want you getting unwanted spam etc. We recommend sharing personal contact information by private message as it is a secure, private option.
Thank you for understanding.

Jump to this post

Hi @les2436,

I’ve provided more details, in response to your comment, in this discussion:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/redundant-tortured-colon/

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sstathos | @sstathos | Sep 6, 2022

This was a very interesting article and YouTube video. I found it several years ago in the first year of my son’s pain journey. His pain matches the doctors description in many ways. The location of the pain is on the opposite side of his abdomen and a touch lower but the local sensitivity of it as well as performing the Carnett test identifies it. He can point to it with 1 finger instantly!
He has lived with this for three years and has been to innumerable respected doctors in the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital group. He has had three rounds of trigger point injections that were unfortunately unsuccessful. He also had a nerve block under anesthesia without getting any relief.
Towards the second year of this chronic pain he was prescribed gabapentin which was the first time he noticed any change in this feeling. His best description would be it took the edge off and he was able to walk up and down steps without holding his abdomen with two fingers. After one year of increasing gabapentin dosages, he decided to wean off of it as the amount he was taking was not bringing a great deal of quality of life.
This post is getting pretty long but I wanted to share some key details on his journey.
He is scheduled to see the pain team in the Cleveland clinic this month for a second opinion and would gladly take any suggestions or even go to Minnesota to bring his quality of life back.

REPLY
2 replies
grace29 | @grace29 | Sep 7, 2022
In reply to @sstathos "This was a very interesting article and YouTube video. I found it several years ago in..." + (show)
@sstathos

This was a very interesting article and YouTube video. I found it several years ago in the first year of my son’s pain journey. His pain matches the doctors description in many ways. The location of the pain is on the opposite side of his abdomen and a touch lower but the local sensitivity of it as well as performing the Carnett test identifies it. He can point to it with 1 finger instantly!
He has lived with this for three years and has been to innumerable respected doctors in the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital group. He has had three rounds of trigger point injections that were unfortunately unsuccessful. He also had a nerve block under anesthesia without getting any relief.
Towards the second year of this chronic pain he was prescribed gabapentin which was the first time he noticed any change in this feeling. His best description would be it took the edge off and he was able to walk up and down steps without holding his abdomen with two fingers. After one year of increasing gabapentin dosages, he decided to wean off of it as the amount he was taking was not bringing a great deal of quality of life.
This post is getting pretty long but I wanted to share some key details on his journey.
He is scheduled to see the pain team in the Cleveland clinic this month for a second opinion and would gladly take any suggestions or even go to Minnesota to bring his quality of life back.

Jump to this post

Abdominal migraines was just diagnosed by my neurologist. I’m on Nurtec OTD and I’m improving all the time. I still get flair ups but they are not debilitating anymore. This diagnosis was after many months of negative tests. I don’t know your sons age but it’s very common in children not as common in adults.

REPLY
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 26, 2022
In reply to @sstathos "This was a very interesting article and YouTube video. I found it several years ago in..." + (show)
@sstathos

This was a very interesting article and YouTube video. I found it several years ago in the first year of my son’s pain journey. His pain matches the doctors description in many ways. The location of the pain is on the opposite side of his abdomen and a touch lower but the local sensitivity of it as well as performing the Carnett test identifies it. He can point to it with 1 finger instantly!
He has lived with this for three years and has been to innumerable respected doctors in the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital group. He has had three rounds of trigger point injections that were unfortunately unsuccessful. He also had a nerve block under anesthesia without getting any relief.
Towards the second year of this chronic pain he was prescribed gabapentin which was the first time he noticed any change in this feeling. His best description would be it took the edge off and he was able to walk up and down steps without holding his abdomen with two fingers. After one year of increasing gabapentin dosages, he decided to wean off of it as the amount he was taking was not bringing a great deal of quality of life.
This post is getting pretty long but I wanted to share some key details on his journey.
He is scheduled to see the pain team in the Cleveland clinic this month for a second opinion and would gladly take any suggestions or even go to Minnesota to bring his quality of life back.

Jump to this post

@sstathos, how is your son doing? If you would like to seek a second opinion at Mayo Clinic, you can submit a request here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63

REPLY
mycnctds | @mycnctds | Feb 3, 2023

Are abdominal migraine & chronic abdominal pain the same? Would appreciate more info about these.

REPLY
1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Feb 13, 2023
In reply to @mycnctds "Are abdominal migraine & chronic abdominal pain the same? Would appreciate more info about these." + (show)
@mycnctds

Are abdominal migraine & chronic abdominal pain the same? Would appreciate more info about these.

Jump to this post

Here is more information abotu abdominal migraine:
- Abdominal Migraine https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24449-abdominal-migraine

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