Bowel cramps - causes and treatment

Intestinal cramps are common and manifest as painful contractions of muscle tissue in various intestinal tracts. According to statistics, most often spasms appear in the thin or thick section, although the pain that accompanies this ailment extends to the entire intestinal cavity. How intestinal spasms manifest themselves, the causes and treatment of pathology - all this will be discussed in this article.

Causes of occurrence

The most common factors contributing to bowel spasm include:

• the use of spoiled or low-quality products;
• fast food consumption without chewing, frequent overeating;
• infection with helminths (parasites that affect the intestinal mucosa);
  

  Symptoms of worms in an adult

• the presence of viral infections, for example, influenza or ARVI, that affect the organs of the patient's digestive system;
• poisoning of the body with salts of heavy metals or other hazardous chemicals;
• severe stress;
• hormonal imbalance;
• the course of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (cholecystitis, pancreatitis, gastritis or gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer).

On a note! During pregnancy, women often face various problems in the work of the intestines, which manifest themselves in the form of constipation, or painful sensations in the lower abdomen. In most cases, doctors associate such conditions with frequent experiences of expectant mothers or changes in their taste preferences. The combination of all these factors contributes to spasmodic contractions of the intestine.

Types of spasms

Intestinal cramps are classified based on their occurrence and location. The following are the main types of spasms.

Table. Varieties of intestinal spasms.

Spasm type	Description
Vascular	It occurs against the background of pinching of blood vessels by a tumor or adhesions, the development of atherosclerosis, thrombosis or hypertensive thrombosis. Vascular spasm often causes hyperfusion in the intestinal cavity, which is explained by increased pressure.
Lead	Typically, this type of spasm occurs due to lead poisoning. This phenomenon is accompanied by pathological tension of the abdominal wall, bleeding from the mouth, the formation of gray plaque on the surface of the gums and severe fever (fever, chills and etc.).
Rectal	Spasmodic contraction of the walls of the rectum provokes the appearance of the rectal form. The disease is manifested by the frequent urge to bowel movement, which is caused by increased pressure on the rectum.
Appendicular	This variety arises against the background of an inflammatory process that affects the appendix. As a rule, the appearance of appendicular intestinal spasms indicates the development of appendicitis, which poses a serious danger to the human body.

The spasms that have arisen cannot be ignored, as this is fraught with serious consequences for the patient's health and life. therefore, when the first signs appear, you should immediately seek help from a doctor.

Typical symptoms

Often, intestinal cramps are accompanied by additional symptoms:

• increased sweating, especially at night;
• chills of the body;
• frequent urge to urinate;
• insomnia;
• dizziness, migraine;
• general weakness of the body;
• attacks of nausea and vomiting.

With the appearance of the above symptoms, there is no need to hope that over time they will go away on their own. In such cases, you need to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible, who, after conducting a diagnostic examination, will be able to make an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnostic features

Examination of intestinal spasms is performed by a gastroenterologist. To determine the exact picture of the disease, she prescribes the following diagnostic measures:

• laboratory tests of blood and urine;
• blood chemistry;
• analysis of feces for the presence of parasites and bacteria (coprogram);
• X-ray examination of the abdominal cavity;
• computed tomography (CT);
• ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs (ultrasound).

After carrying out all the necessary procedures, the doctor, based on their results, can make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate therapy regimen. The faster the diagnosis is made and the diagnosis is made, the better the chances of a quick and successful treatment of intestinal spasms..

How to treat

When treating intestinal spasms, an integrated approach is required, since various pathologies can be the cause. Complex therapy includes taking pharmacy drugs, including pain relievers and antibacterial means, the use of folk methods using medicinal plants, as well as compliance with medicinal diet. It is imperative that you strictly adhere to the treatment regimen prescribed by your doctor. This is the only way to get rid of unpleasant sensations in the intestines. Now we will consider each of the methods of therapy separately.

Medication

For spasms in the intestines, doctors usually prescribe the following groups of drugs:

• antiseptics and antibiotics - they have a negative effect on most of the pathogenic microorganisms. The most common drugs in this group include "Levomycetin" and "Biseptol";
  

  "Biseptol"

• if atherosclerosis became the cause of spasms, then the patient is prescribed special drugs for its treatment, for example, "Nitroglycerin";
• antihypertensive drugs to normalize blood pressure (Andipal, Naviten and others);
  

  "Andipal"

• sedatives - have a calming effect on the patient's body. The most common means of this group include "Adonis-brom", "Valevigran", "Fitosed" and others;
• enzyme preparations - means that improve the functioning of the digestive system ("Creon", "Mezim", "Festal", etc.).

On a note! Even after the complete elimination of the symptoms of pathology, the doctor will monitor the patient's condition for some time. This control is due to the fact that intestinal spasms can recur.

Nutrition

In parallel with drug treatment, doctors prescribe a special diet that includes foods high in vitamins. If the pain is unbearable, then you need to give up food for a while.

From the menu, you need to exclude harmful products that can provoke an allergic reaction in the patient. It is also necessary to limit the amount of meat consumed, and if it is present in the diet, then only in boiled or stewed form. Fatty, smoked, spicy and fried foods negatively affect the body - it can provoke increased gas production and flatulence, which will only worsen the symptoms of intestinal spasms. The same applies to semi-finished products.

Traditional methods

Traditional therapy can be supplemented with time-tested folk remedies. Often, in the treatment of pathology, decoctions from the bark of oak, plantain, chamomile and currant, tincture of sage, dried apricots and other means are used.

But before using this or that remedy, a specialist consultation is required, since only an experienced physician can determine which traditional medicine is best to deal with symptoms pathology. Treatment of intestinal spasm is not always accompanied by the use of pharmaceuticals, therefore, if the cause of discomfort in the area the intestine is not a pathology of internal organs, you can cope with spasms with a warm heating pad applied to the patient place.

Surgical intervention

If conservative treatment methods are ineffective, doctors may prescribe a surgical operation. This is done in extreme cases and only in the presence of concomitant causal factors. For example, if intestinal spasms have arisen against the background of inflammation of the appendix or in the presence of malignant tumors, then surgery is appropriate here. But if the pathology is caused by the usual overeating or severe stress, then there can be no question of any operation. Of course before undergoing a surgical operation, the patient must undergo a number of diagnostic procedures and pass tests.

Prevention measures

Intestinal cramps are an extremely unpleasant phenomenon, therefore, appropriate preventive measures must be taken to prevent pathology. First of all, prevention consists in normalizing nutrition. Eating a healthy diet can help avoid various gastrointestinal conditions, including intestinal spasm. Include in your diet foods such as kefir, yogurt, plums, cucumbers, prunes, boiled meat and fish, fresh vegetables and foods containing fiber.

But diet is not the only way to prevent bowel cramps. You also need to follow the following guidelines:

• exercise regularly. It has been proven that physical activity has a positive effect on the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, especially if you have a sedentary job;
• make sure that you have enough fiber in your menu every day;
  

  Main sources of fiber

• do not drink food. It is recommended to drink water no earlier than 1 hour after a meal;
• while eating, try not to read anything or watch TV, as while reading a person eats much more food than he needs. It is also not recommended to talk while eating food in order to prevent air from entering the stomach cavity;
• Chew your food well and eat only quality foods.

Since spasms in the intestines are a lot of trouble, they need to be detected and treated in a timely manner so that it does not develop into a more serious condition.

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