Visceral pain is a dull pain caused by injury or inflammation of internal organs, and is the most common type of physical pain. It can range from mild to excruciating and is often described as a pressure or squeezing sensation. Some organs are more sensitive to visceral pain than others, and the level of pain is not always indicative of the true amount of damage suffered by a particular organ. Referred visceral pain is pain felt in areas other than where the damage occurred.
Physical pain is the awareness of an unpleasant or uncomfortable physical sensory stimulus. The human body experiences three types of physical pain, which are called somatic, neuropathic and visceral. Of these, visceral pain is the most common type. The viscera refers to the internal parts of the body that are enclosed in a cavity, so pain in the viscera is what is felt when the internal organs and tissues of the body are injured or inflamed. This includes the heart and lungs which are located in the chest cavity; the reproductive organs and bladder which are located in the pelvic cavity; and the digestive organs, the spleen and kidneys found in the abdominal cavity.
Unlike neuropathic pain which is typically stabbing pain, or somatic pain which is usually aching pain in a specific area of the musculoskeletal system, the location of visceral pain is more ambiguous. It is a dull pain from within caused by infiltration, expansion, perforation, blockage, stretching or irritation of internal organs. It is often described as a pressure or squeezing sensation radiating through a cavity. The level of intensity can range from mild to excruciating, however, depending on the disease which causes pain receptors to alert the brain that there is a problem. While pain is uncomfortable, it is a necessary part of diagnosing and treating diseases and disorders.
Some organs are more sensitive to visceral pain than others. Any injury or problem to the stomach or bladder is likely to cause a significant amount of pain, but the lungs and kidneys can take a lot of damage with little indication from the pain receptors located in those organs. It depends entirely on the amount of sensory neurons, called nociceptors, found within each organ. Thus, the level of pain is not always indicative of the true amount of damage suffered by a particular organ. Some common examples of visceral pain are indigestion, menstrual cramps, constipation, cancer pain, gallstones, and appendicitis.
This type of pain is either referred or not. Unreferred visceral pain is pain felt in the area or organ actually affected by the irritant or damage. Referred visceral pain is pain felt in areas other than where the damage occurred. Referred pain is a phenomenon not fully understood and still being investigated. This is particularly important in relation to visceral pain, as the location of the damage is sometimes difficult to pinpoint, and referred pain patterns have provided clinicians with an additional diagnostic tool.
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