Appendix Pain
Appendix pain symptoms
The appendix pain is the most prominent symptom of appendicitis and presents as middle upper abdominal pain, lower right abdominal pain, and tenderness.
Middle upper abdominal pain
At the beginning of the attack, Appendicitis causes a abdominal pain, not in the appendix position, but in the middle-upper abdomen. This abdominal pain is vague, intermittent during the attack. It is probably located in the upper abdomen, or around your navel area. At this point, the pain is not very serious and some patients may only feel abdominal discomfort, still not pain. A few hours later, the location of the pain is changed.
Lower right abdominal pain
After few hours of mid-upper abdominal pain, the location of the pain eventually moves to the appendix position - the so-called "McBurney's point" in the lower right abdomen. Here, the appendix pain is located in the appendix region, manifested as a sustained, severe right lower abdominal pain. If the inflamed appendix is ruptured, it will intensify this appendix pain. Or, the range of abdominal pain will be widely expanded.
Lower right abdominal tenderness
Tenderness is a state of abnormal sensitivity to touch or pressure. Or, it is actually a localized pressing pain. The severity of the tenderness can be magnified by touch, pressure over it. This sign also often occurs in liver pain, kidney pain, pancreas pain, when these organs are inflamed, or with stones. The tenderness gets worse due to the burst appendix. It makes the lower right muscle tension, and rigidity. The range of the tenderness will be expanded. At this point, the patient can also have a sign called rebound tenderness. It is also a state: the pain is felt/enlarged on the release of the pressure over the abdomen.
The different types of appendicitis also lead to a different severity of appendix pain.
① Simple appendicitis, that is a mildly inflamed appendix, or appendicitis in early stage, characterized by slight swelling of the appendix, mild inflammatory infection and reaction, with small ulcers and minor bleeding. This type of appendicitis is common and often causes mild vague pain or dull pain. This mild appendix pain can be tolerated by patients, and it may also come and go.
② Suppurative appendicitis, a cellulitis of the appendix, that lead to a significant swelling of the appendix and produce a lot of purulent mucus gathered in the appendix lumen. This type of appendicitis causes paroxysmal bursting pain and sharp pain.
③ Gangrenous appendicitis and perforated appendicitis, that's a severe appendicitis to cause persistent, severe and sharp appendix pain.
④ Chronic appendicitis, If an appendicitis has not been radical, it will happens again and again, characterized by slow progression, mild attack, and eventually develops into a chronic appendicitis. In this form of appendicitis, appendix pain shows right lower abdominal pain, or only dull pain or discomfort. Sometime, chronic appendicitis may cause an acute episode and severe appendix pain.
Article From: Appendixpain.net
Created: 2010-09-01
Last update: 2012-04-13