gas pains shoulder

by Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR

Nathan Wei is a nationally known board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit. It's available exclusively at this website... not available in stores.

Click here: Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit

Abdominal pain may be felt as “gas pains.” Any abdominal problem, if it irritatesw the diaphragm can also cause pain in the shoulder.

Here is a list of possible causes of abdominal pain, accompanied by “gassiness” that might also cause shoulder pain as well:

Excessive gas
Chronic constipation
Lactose intolerance (milk intolerance)
Viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
Irritable bowel syndrome (sensitive stomach with intermittent episodes of diarrhea and constipation)
Heartburn or indigestion
Gastroesophageal reflux
Ulcers
Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) with or without gallstones
Appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix)
Diverticular disease, including inflammation of small pouches that form in the large intestines (diverticulitis)
Bowel obstruction -- in addition to pain, this causes nausea, bloating, vomiting, and inability to pass gas or stool
Food allergy
Food poisoning (salmonella, shigella)
Hernia
Kidney stones
Urinary tract infections
Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
Dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm -- bleeding into the wall of the aorta
Parasite infections (Giardia)
Sickle cell crisis
Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (two different types of inflammatory bowel disease)
Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
When an inflamed organ in the abdomen ruptures or leaks fluid, you not only have excruciating pain, your abdomen will be very stiff (board-like) and you will likely have a fever. This occurs when you have peritonitis due to an infection spreading in the abdominal cavity from the ruptured organ, like the appendix. This is a medical emergency.

Another “gassy” problem that can cause shoulder pain occurs after you have had laparoscopy. You may experience some gas pains from residual carbon dioxide that may remain in your abdomen following the procedure. This pain usually presents as shoulder pain or sharp pain underneath your diaphragm. The pain is usually transient and will disappear in a day or two. It helps if you get up and move around while you are having this pain, and also if you drink either hot water or hot tea with fresh lemon. Heat, massage and exercise can also help to alleviate this pain.

Another interesting relationship between gas pains and shoulder pain is the “bends”. This is a condition when nitrogen bubbles deposit in tissue and cause tissue death. This may occur in divers who don’t undergo proper decompression as they come to the surface after a dive. Also, if a diver doesn’t decompress properly and takes a plane ride too quickly after a dive, the “bends” can occur.

Gas pains shoulder