On this page
Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. Reflux and indigestion, gastroenteritis, constipation and cramping bowel pain are assessed and treated by video; sudden severe pain, a rigid or very tender belly, fever with repeated vomiting, blood in vomit or stool, or possible pregnancy with severe pain are emergency care.
- What it is: pain from any organ in the abdomen or its wall: the stomach and bowel most often, then the gallbladder, appendix, kidneys, bladder, womb and ovaries; about 1 in 4 adults has abdominal pain in any month and most of it needs no treatment.
- Location: burning behind the breastbone points to reflux; right upper pain after fatty food to gallstones; pain moving from the navel to the lower right over hours to appendicitis; crampy lower pain with bloating to the bowel; pain spreading to the groin to a kidney stone.
- How long: wind, indigestion and stomach bugs settle within hours to 3 days; constipation pain eases once the bowel is cleared; abdominal pain that is still there after 2 weeks, keeps returning, or wakes you at night needs tests.
- Painkillers: paracetamol is the safe choice; regular anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen irritate the stomach lining and make ulcers and bleeding markedly more likely, so they are avoided for undiagnosed abdominal pain.
- Emergency: call 112 if abdominal pain comes with collapse, confusion, cold clammy skin, chest symptoms, vomiting blood or black tar-like stools, or if you are too unwell to travel safely.
Call 112 or go to emergency care now if abdominal pain is sudden and severe, your belly is rigid or hurts when touched even gently, pain comes with fever and repeated vomiting, you are vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, your stools are black and tar-like, or you have severe lower abdominal pain and could be pregnant. These patterns suggest an acute abdomen and need hands-on emergency assessment, not a video call.
Can an online doctor help with abdominal pain?
Often, yes. On Mobi Doctor, a licensed doctor assesses abdominal pain by video: where it sits, how it started, and whether any red flags are present. Reflux, gastroenteritis, constipation and irritable bowel type pain can usually be managed online; a rigid, severely tender or rapidly worsening abdomen cannot, and is sent straight to emergency care.
The honest limit is examination: a doctor on video cannot press on your abdomen. What works surprisingly well instead is a guided self-examination, watching how you move, and a structured history, because for most abdominal pain the diagnosis lives in the story: the location, the timing, and what the bowels are doing. When hands, blood tests or a scan are genuinely needed, the doctor says so and tells you how urgently.
How an online consultation helps with abdominal pain
- The acute abdomen ruled in or out first: the first minutes of the consultation check the handful of patterns that mean surgery or emergency tests: rigidity, severe tenderness, fever with vomiting, blood. If one is present, you are told to stop and exactly where to go. That triage alone is worth the call.
- A location and pattern map: the doctor places your pain against the organs that live there and the patterns each one produces, which is how the long list of causes shrinks to a short one.
- Treatment for the treatable causes: reflux and indigestion patterns, likely gastroenteritis, cramping bowel pain and constipation-driven pain can be treated from home, with a prescription sent to a local pharmacy when treatment is right for you.
- A concrete next step when tests are needed: if your pattern needs blood tests, a scan or a specialist, you leave with a referral letter naming the suspected cause and the tests to ask for, plus a safety net: what to watch for and when to escalate.
What the doctor checks in an online abdominal pain consultation
Abdominal pain is a history-led diagnosis, and the consultation is structured around it. The doctor will typically work through:
- Exact location and spread: where it started, where it is now, and whether it radiates through to the back, up to the shoulder tip, or from loin to groin. Each pattern points somewhere specific.
- Onset and character: sudden or gradual, constant or coming in waves (colicky), burning, gnawing or cramping.
- Meals and bowels: whether food makes it better or worse, how soon after eating it starts, and whether opening your bowels changes it.
- Associated symptoms: fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, urinary burning or frequency, and vaginal bleeding or discharge where relevant.
- Red flags directly: blood in vomit or stool, black stools, unintended weight loss, difficulty swallowing, and pain that wakes you from sleep.
- A guided self-examination: on camera, the doctor coaches you to press and release over the painful area, watches you walk and cough, and checks whether the belly looks swollen. It is a proxy, not a substitute, and the doctor treats it as such.
- Medicines and history: anti-inflammatory painkillers, steroids and blood thinners (all of which raise the stakes for stomach and bowel bleeding), recent antibiotics, alcohol, and previous surgery, gallstones or ulcers.
- Pregnancy possibility: asked early, because it changes both the list of causes and the urgency.
What does the location of abdominal pain mean?
Location is the most useful single clue in abdominal pain. Upper middle pain points to the stomach and oesophagus, right upper pain to the gallbladder, lower right pain to the appendix, lower left pain to the sigmoid colon, and loin-to-groin pain to the kidneys. It is a guide rather than a verdict: organs overlap, and early appendicitis often starts near the navel.
Upper middle, burning or gnawing
Pain behind the breastbone or in the pit of the stomach, worse after meals, when lying flat or with alcohol and coffee, points to acid: indigestion, reflux disease (GORD) or, less often, a stomach ulcer.[1] Regular anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen make ulcers markedly more likely, which is why the doctor always asks. This family of pain is the most treatable online.
Right upper, in attacks after fatty meals
Severe aching under the right ribs that builds after eating, lasts from thirty minutes to several hours, and can bore through to the back or right shoulder blade is the classic gallstone attack.[2] Repeated attacks deserve an ultrasound referral; an attack with fever, shivering or yellowing of the skin or eyes needs same-day in-person care, because an inflamed or blocked gallbladder is not a wait-and-see problem.
Around the navel, then moving to the lower right
Pain that starts as a vague ache near the belly button and, over hours, sharpens and settles in the lower right, hurting more when you walk, cough or press, is the appendicitis pattern. Appetite usually disappears; mild fever and nausea are common. This is a same-day, in-person surgical assessment, every time. No online consultation should manage it, and the doctor will not try.
Lower left, aching with a change in bowels
In adults from middle age onwards, aching in the lower left with bloating, constipation or an erratic habit often reflects diverticular disease, small pouches in the colon wall that are common with age.[3] The same pain with fever and marked tenderness suggests diverticulitis, inflammation of those pouches, which needs in-person review the same day.
Cramping all over, with vomiting or diarrhoea
Waves of cramp across the whole abdomen alongside vomiting or diarrhoea usually mean gastroenteritis, especially if others around you are unwell. Recurring crampy pain with bloating that eases after opening your bowels, running over months, fits irritable bowel syndrome instead.[4] Trapped wind and constipation produce the same geography; the timeline separates them.
Loin to groin, in waves you cannot sit still through
Severe one-sided pain that starts in the flank and moves towards the groin in waves, often with nausea and blood in the urine, is the kidney stone pattern. People with colic pace; people with peritonitis lie still. A first stone needs imaging to confirm it; a stone with fever needs emergency care, because an infected blocked kidney is an emergency.
When should I worry about stomach pain?
Worry about stomach pain when it is sudden and severe, the belly is rigid or very tender, pain comes with fever and repeated vomiting, there is blood in vomit or stool, stools turn black, or pain is steadily worsening rather than settling. New persistent pain from about 50 onwards, or pain with unexplained weight loss, needs prompt tests even without drama.
Red flags doctors act on, at any age:
- Sudden, severe pain, or a belly that is rigid or board-like to touch
- Pain with fever and repeated vomiting, or vomiting that will not stop
- Vomiting blood or material like coffee grounds; black, tar-like stools; more than streaks of blood in the stool
- Unintended weight loss, difficulty swallowing, or a new lump you can feel[5]
- Pain with a missed period or possible pregnancy, with faintness or shoulder-tip pain
- Pain that wakes you from sleep night after night, or keeps returning without explanation
One more pattern belongs here because it is missed: upper abdominal pain with breathlessness, sweating or chest heaviness, particularly on exertion, can be a heart attack presenting low. Call 112 rather than booking anything.
Is my abdominal pain suitable for online care?
Most abdominal pain can at least be triaged by video, and much of it treated. The table shows how doctors sort the common presentations, and where the hard stops are.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Abdominal pain presentation | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When referral or in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burning upper abdominal pain related to meals, no red flags | Lifestyle measures plus a course of acid-suppressing treatment[1] | Usually yes | No response after about 4 weeks, difficulty swallowing, or new persistent symptoms from about 50 onwards |
| Cramping pain with vomiting or diarrhoea, otherwise well | Fluids, rest and symptom care for likely gastroenteritis | Usually yes | Blood in stool, high fever, or signs of dehydration |
| Recurring cramps and bloating over months, eased by opening the bowels | History-based assessment for irritable bowel syndrome[4] | Usually yes | Bleeding, weight loss, night-time symptoms, or onset from about 50 onwards |
| Constant worsening pain settling in the lower right, hurts to walk or cough | Same-day in-person surgical assessment | No | Immediately: possible appendicitis |
| Rigid or board-like abdomen, pain with fever and vomiting, or vomiting blood | Emergency care | No | Call 112 now: an acute abdomen until proven otherwise |
Not sure which row is you? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for abdominal pain
What you can do yourself
For mild pain without red flags: a heat pad or hot water bottle, small bland meals rather than none, plenty of fluids, and paracetamol for pain. Avoid ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory painkillers for upper abdominal pain, because they irritate the stomach lining and can turn a grumble into an ulcer. Pharmacy antacids or alginates settle burning, meal-related pain while you watch the pattern; jotting down two days of what you ate, when the pain came and what your bowels did gives any doctor a head start.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. After assessment, the treatment follows the cause: a time-limited course of acid-suppressing medicine (a proton pump inhibitor) for reflux, gastritis-type and suspected ulcer pain, with a review date rather than an open-ended repeat;[1] antispasmodics such as mebeverine or hyoscine for cramping bowel pain; anti-sickness treatment where vomiting is the barrier to keeping fluids down; and a stepwise laxative plan where constipation is the driver. Antibiotics have a narrow role: they are only prescribed when there are signs of a specific bacterial infection, and most gut infections behind abdominal pain are viral and clear on their own. Strong opioid painkillers are controlled medicines and are not prescribed online; pain that seems to need them needs examination instead.
When abdominal pain is something else
Not everything felt in the abdomen starts there. A heart attack can present as upper abdominal pain, particularly with exertion, sweating or breathlessness. Pneumonia at the base of a lung can hurt below the ribs, with cough and fever. Shingles causes one-sided burning pain in a band, with the tell-tale rash arriving a few days later. Pulled abdominal muscles hurt with movement and are tender in the wall itself, not deep inside. In women, ovulation pain, ovarian cysts and endometriosis all produce lower abdominal pain, and any severe lower pain with a possible pregnancy is treated as an ectopic pregnancy until proven otherwise: emergency care, not a video call. A burning bladder with frequency points to a urine infection. Part of the value of a structured consultation is refusing to force every symptom into a digestive box.
When abdominal pain is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: burning meal-related pain from reflux, indigestion and gastritis patterns; likely gastroenteritis, with a rehydration plan and a review point; recurring crampy pain with bloating that fits irritable bowel syndrome; constipation-driven pain; and medication-related stomach irritation, where the doctor adjusts what can be adjusted and flags the rest to your regular prescriber.
In-person care: any acute abdomen pattern, straight to emergency care with 112 named on the call; possible appendicitis, gallbladder attacks with fever or jaundice, and suspected kidney stones with fever, all same day and in person; severe pain in pregnancy or with a missed period, urgently; and the red-flag combinations, bleeding, weight loss, swallowing difficulty or new persistent pain from about 50 onwards, which need blood tests, scopes or scans arranged promptly rather than another course of tablets.[5] If pain keeps returning and the story does not settle the diagnosis, the doctor says plainly that an in-person examination is the next step, and writes the letter that gets you there faster.
When to get in-person care
Go to emergency care now for sudden severe abdominal pain, a rigid or very tender belly, pain with fever and repeated vomiting, vomiting blood, black tar-like stools, faintness with pain, or severe pain with a possible pregnancy. If you are too unwell to travel safely, or pain comes with collapse, confusion, cold clammy skin or chest symptoms, call 112 immediately.
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm CET. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, exact price up front.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about abdominal pain: a private video call: you describe what you feel, the doctor asks what matters, and you agree the right plan together.
- Leave with your plan: everything agreed before you hang up: your plan, and a prescription to use at a pharmacy near you where medication is clinically right for you. If your doctor decides you need to be seen in person, you get a full refund.
No sign-up needed
Abdominal pain can have more than one cause. Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call. If you have an emergency sign listed on this page, call 112 instead.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Colon Pain can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about abdominal pain
What causes abdominal pain?
Most abdominal pain comes from trapped wind and bloating, indigestion and reflux, constipation, a stomach bug or food poisoning, period pain, or irritable bowel syndrome. Less common causes are appendicitis, gallstones, kidney stones, a urine infection, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis, diverticulitis, an ovarian cyst, an ectopic pregnancy and, in older adults, bowel or other cancers; pain can also be referred from the chest or spine.
Can an online doctor prescribe treatment for stomach pain in Europe?
Yes, for the causes that suit video assessment, such as reflux and indigestion patterns, gastroenteritis, constipation and cramping bowel pain: acid suppressants, antispasmodics, laxatives or anti-sickness medicine can be prescribed after the consultation, never without one, for use at a pharmacy near you. Abdominal pain with any emergency feature is sent for hands-on assessment instead of a prescription.
Is stomach pain the same as abdominal pain?
In everyday language, yes. Doctors use abdominal pain for the whole area between the ribs and the groin, while most people say stomach pain even when the cause is the bowel, gallbladder, kidneys or womb rather than the stomach itself. Whichever word you use, assessment is the same: where it sits, how it behaves, what brings it on and what else is happening.
When is abdominal pain an emergency?
Abdominal pain is an emergency when it is sudden and severe, the belly is rigid or very tender to touch, pain comes with fever and repeated vomiting, you vomit blood or coffee-ground material, your stools turn black and tar-like, you cannot pass stool or wind, you feel faint, or there is severe lower pain in someone who could be pregnant. Call 112 or go to emergency care; do not book a video call.
Which side is appendicitis pain on?
Appendicitis pain is classically on the lower right. It often begins as a vague ache around the belly button, then moves to the lower right over 12 to 24 hours and sharpens, hurting more with walking, coughing or pressing. Loss of appetite, nausea and a mild fever usually come with it. Any abdominal pain following that path needs in-person examination without delay.
Can stress cause stomach pain?
Yes. The gut and brain are wired together, and stress commonly triggers cramping, churning, nausea or worsening of irritable bowel symptoms; it is a real mechanism, not imagination. But new, persistent or severe abdominal pain should never be labelled stress without proper assessment, because stress-related pain is a diagnosis made once the warning signs and other causes have been excluded.
Why does my stomach hurt after eating?
Timing gives the clue. Burning soon after meals points to reflux or indigestion; severe right-sided aching one to two hours after fatty food suggests gallstones; cramping with bloating hours later fits bowel-driven causes such as irritable bowel syndrome or food intolerance; pain relieved by eating and returning hours later suggests an ulcer. If food consistently triggers abdominal pain, a diary of meals and symptoms shortens the diagnosis.
How long does abdominal pain usually last?
Trapped wind settles within hours, a stomach bug within one to three days, indigestion with the meal, and constipation pain once the bowel has been cleared. Abdominal pain that is still present after two weeks, keeps coming back over months, wakes you at night, or arrives with weight loss, bleeding or a changed bowel habit has outlasted the harmless causes and needs tests rather than watching.
What can I do at home for abdominal pain?
At home, rest, sip water or oral rehydration solution, eat small plain meals when hungry, use a warm pack on the belly for cramps, take paracetamol rather than ibuprofen, try peppermint for wind or bloating, keep bowels moving with fluids and fibre, and avoid alcohol, fatty food and caffeine until the abdominal pain settles. Check for the emergency features every few hours while it lasts.
How can I prevent recurrent abdominal pain?
Prevent recurrent abdominal pain by eating regular meals without rushing, keeping fibre and fluids up, limiting alcohol, fatty and spicy food, caffeine and fizzy drinks, not smoking, managing stress and sleep, keeping a food and symptom diary to find triggers, treating constipation and reflux early rather than enduring them, and not taking anti-inflammatory painkillers regularly without stomach protection.
Is abdominal pain different in pregnancy or in older people?
In pregnancy, mild stretching pains are common, but severe one-sided pain in early pregnancy can be an ectopic pregnancy, and pain under the right ribs with headache or swelling later on can be pre-eclampsia: both need the maternity team or emergency care at once. In older people, abdominal pain is more often serious, diverticulitis, gallstones, a blocked bowel or cancer, and fever or tenderness may be mild, so the threshold for tests is lower.
What does the location of abdominal pain mean?
Upper middle pain points to the stomach, pancreas or heart; right upper to the gallbladder or liver; left upper to the stomach or spleen; around the navel to the small bowel or early appendicitis; lower right to the appendix, right ovary or caecum; lower left to the sigmoid colon, diverticula or left ovary; low central to the bladder, womb or prostate; and pain spreading from the back to the groin to a kidney stone.
Why does my abdominal pain come and go?
Pain that comes in waves, or colic, is a muscular tube squeezing against resistance: the bowel in gastroenteritis, constipation or irritable bowel syndrome, the bile duct in gallstones, the ureter in a kidney stone, or the womb in period pain. The pattern, what relieves it and what accompanies it tell them apart, and colic that becomes constant, severe or feverish means the cause has progressed and needs in-person care.
- Dyspepsia (unidentified cause): Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, revised 2023.
- Gallstones: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, revised 2024.
- Diverticular disease: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, revised 2024.
- Irritable bowel syndrome: Clinical Knowledge Summary, NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, revised 2024.
- Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2015 (updated 2023).
- Stomach ache, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed May 2023.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
Related conditions
More about abdominal pain from the Mobi Doctor blog
What Is The Cause Of Pain In The Lower Left Abdomen
Lower left abdominal pain may be caused by simple issues like gas, constipation or indigestion, but it can also signal d...
Read article → Health and WellbeingFemale Lower Abdominal Pain
Female lower abdominal pain refers to pain below the belly button and can be caused by conditions affecting the uterus,...
Read article → Health and Wellbeing12 Home Remedies For Stomach Pain
Mild stomach pain caused by indigestion, gas, nausea, constipation or diarrhoea may improve with simple home remedies. D...
Read article →From the Mobi Doctor podcast
The 10 Most Common Travel Illnesses
The travel illnesses doctors see most often in Europe, and how to handle each one away from home.
Listen · 23 Feb 2026 → Podcast · 13:26How to Stay Healthy on a Long Flight
Practical steps for circulation, hydration and infection risk before, during and after a long flight.
Listen · 23 Feb 2026 → Podcast · 15:41Debunking Gut Health Myths
What the evidence really says about gut health, and the popular claims that do not hold up.
Listen · 23 Feb 2026 →Speak to a doctor about abdominal pain over video, usually within 15 minutes
Licensed doctors · open daily 7am–11pm CET · exact price before payment
See available times →