What to Know and Do About Right Side Abdominal Pain
Medically reviewed by Soma Mandal, MD
Pain on the right side of the abdomen—the part of your body between your chest and groin—is relatively common and often not a sign of anything too serious. The pain can be a sign of gas or indigestion, conditions which tend to resolve on their own within a couple days. That said, if the pain is severe or persistent, a more serious issue may be at the root of the discomfort.
Among these more serious issues are appendicitis, gallstones, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It’s important to understand the potential causes of right side pain to help you recognize when it might be serious and how it can be treated.
What Organs Are On Your Right Side?
To understand what causes right side abdominal pain, it’s important to know what body parts are in that area. Here’s a breakdown of the major organs found there:
Liver: Sitting just below the rib-cage and about the size of a football, the liver helps with digestion and the filtering of blood.
Gallbladder: Found below the lever, the gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that stores bile, a liquid essential for digestion.
Pancreas: Key for digestion and blood sugar regulation, the pancreas stretches across the abdomen beneath the liver.
Duodenum: This part of the small intestine is a jointed tube that connects to the stomach. It aids in digestion by mixing food with bile and digestive juices.
Right kidney: Found below the diaphragm and behind the liver, the right kidney is bean-shaped and, along with the left kidney, helps filter blood of waste and excess liquid to produce urine.
Ascending colon: The ascending colon is part of the large intestine, rising from its origin at the cecum (the pouch near where the small and large intestines connect) before bending left to cross the abdomen.
Appendix: Connected to the large intestine, the appendix is a small, thin tube. Its function within the body is not fully understood.
Right ovary: Ovaries are a pair of oval-shaped glands in the female reproductive system that sit on either side of the uterus. The ovaries produce and store your eggs.
Right fallopian tube: Fallopian tubes are a pair of tubes in the female reproductive system that sit on either side of the uterus. These are the tubes eggs travel down when going from the ovary to the uterus.
Related: Why You May Have Abdominal Pain—And How to Make It Go Away
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Potential Causes of Right Abdominal Pain
Right side abdominal pain arises when nerves in the organs send pain messaging to the brain. A wide range of conditions—from minor digestion problems to serious diseases—can cause this.
Gas
A common and often harmless cause of right-side abdominal pain is the buildup of intestinal gas. Bloating, or the feeling that your belly is full, and distention, when your abdomen swells, are among the symptoms. Bloating and distention can cause pain.
Gas arises for many reasons, including:
Swallowed air, due to eating too fast, chewing gum, or drinking carbonated beverages
The breakdown of undigested carbohydrates in the small intestine
Lactose intolerance
Gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine
Celiac disease, which is an immune reaction to eating gluten
Obstruction of the intestines due to colorectal cancer or other conditions
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Indigestion
Another cause of right-side abdominal pain is indigestion, clinically known as dyspepsia. This is a group of symptoms that arise after eating. Along with pain, indigestion can cause burning in the chest, fullness while eating or an uncomfortable feeling afterward, burping, gas, and nausea.
Indigestion is usually not anything serious, though certain diseases can cause it. Indigestion can be brought on by:
Drinking too much alcohol, coffee, or carbonated beverages
Eating too quickly
Consuming too many spicy, fatty, or greasy foods
Eating foods highly acidic foods, such as tomatoes and citrus
Experiencing stress
Smoking
Taking certain antibiotics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), such as Motrin (ibuprofen)
Having conditions that affect the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis or acid reflux
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, which can cause blockages in the digestive system. Pain in the abdomen, especially around the belly button, that gets sharper over time is one of the first tell-tale signs of appendicitis. The pain then tends to migrate to the right side of the abdomen, and other symptoms develop, such as:
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Fever
Kidney Infection
Also known as pyelonephritis, kidney infection is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI) that travels from the bladder to the kidneys. Kidney infections and other UTIs can be caused by bacterium. Besides right side abdominal pain, symptoms of kidney infection include chills, fever, and painful urination.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones, or nephrolithiasis, occur when a solid, crystallized material forms in the kidney. The stones can sometimes pass from the body without incident. However, if the stones block the urinary tract and, in turn, urine, pain in the back or side can occur. The pain may be brief or long-lasting. It may also come in waves.
Additional symptoms of kidney stones include:
Fever and/or chills
Vomiting
Cloudy appearance to urine, often with a foul odor
Burning during urination
Gallstones
A gallstone is the formation of a hard material in your gallbladder. The condition might not cause any symptoms. However, if gallstones block the gallbladder's bile ducts, they can lead to a gallbladder attack. Sometimes referred to as biliary colic, a gallbladder attack can cause upper right abdominal pain. The pain can last for several hours and tends to arise after eating or in the evening. Nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and eyes), light-colored stools (poop), and dark brown urine are additional symptoms you may experience.
Hernia
A hernia is a sac that can develop when organs push through weak areas or holes in tissues or walls. Hernias can happen in different places of the body, including the abdomen. A hernia can be a source of pain. It can also cause the following:
Bulging or swelling in the abdomen
Pain worsening with lifting, coughing, laughing, or straining
Constipation
A feeling of fullness
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Pain in the abdomen can be a hallmark of IBS. Since IBS is a collection of symptoms, you might also experience nausea, changes in your bowel movements, diarrhea, and constipation. The pain of IBS is often associated with your bowel movements and the changes to them.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Encompassing two conditions—Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis—IBD causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. When the small intestine or colon are affected, right abdominal pain can arise. Other potential symptoms are nausea, cramping, bloody stool, weight loss, and fatigue.
Menstrual Cramps
People experiencing menstruation may feel a throbbing pain in their lower abdomen in the days leading up to and during their period. The cramps are caused by the tightening and relaxing of your uterine muscles. These muscles cramp if your uterus makes too much of the chemical known as prostaglandin.
Ovulation
Among women who have a menstrual cycle, 20% will experience pain on one side of their lower abdomen during ovulation. This pain can be felt on the left or right side. The side on which you feel the pain can change from month to month or it may stick to one side. The pain is known as mittelschmerz.
Ovulation is the time in the middle of your menstrual cycle when an ovary releases an egg. You can experience the sharp, cramp-like pain before ovulation, as the follicle where the egg is growing stretches the ovary's surface. Or, you can feel the pain during ovulation, when fluid or blood from the ruptured egg follicle may irritate your abdominal lining.
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a condition in which there’s abnormal growth of tissue outside the uterus. People with endometriosis are 13 times likelier to experience abdominal pain than people without the condition. In addition to chronic abdominal pain, endometriosis might cause bloating, constipation, very painful periods, and infertility.
Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that develop in the ovaries. They usually don't cause any symptoms. If they do cause symptoms, you might have a dull pain in the lower abdomen on the side of the cyst. The pain may be sharp or dull, and it may come and go.
You can feel sudden, sharp pain if the cyst bursts. You may also have pain if the weight of the cyst causes the ovary to twist.
Ectopic Pregnancy
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg is implanted outside of the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. Symptoms can include abnormal vaginal bleeding and one-sided pelvic cramping. If there is a rupture and bleeding in the area around the area, you might then experience severe, sharp, sudden pain in the lower abdomen.
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
PID is inflammation in the pelvis due to an infection, typically a sexually transmitted infection like chlamydia or gonorrhea. PID can cause pain in your lower abdomen. Other symptoms may include fever, unusual vaginal discharge, and bad vaginal odor.
Ovarian Torsion
Ovarian torsion occurs when the ovary twists over its supporting ligaments and there is a loss of blood supply to the ovary or fallopian tube. The most common symptom is pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis. The pain may be sharp or dull and it may be constant or come in and out. Sometimes, the pain can move to higher up in the abdomen.
Testicular Torsion
Testicular torsion occurs when a testicle wraps around a bundle of tissues in the abdomen called the spermatic chord. This can cut off blood circulation to the testicle, which can cause severe pain and swelling in the scrotum. There might also be pain in the lower abdomen. A medical emergency, testicular torsion can also cause:
Redness of the scrotum
Nausea and vomiting
Fever
Uneven testicles
Related: What Causes Pain In the Lower Left Abdomen?
How Do You Know If Right Side Abdominal Pain is Serious?
Since right side abdominal pain can be a sign of a more serious issue, it’s important to know when the symptom requires medical attention. If your pain last a week or longer or if your pain worsens over a day or two and is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, you should see a healthcare provider.
If you experience any of the following alongside your pain, you'll also want to see a healthcare provider:
Bloating that lasts 48 hours or more
Frequent urination or burning while you urinate
Diarrhea lasting five days or longer
Fever over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in adults
Fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit in children or infants
Loss of appetite for a prolonged amount of time
Vaginal bleeding for a prolonged amount of time
Unexplained weight loss
Some signs imply abdominal pain is linked to a medical emergency. Get immediate medical help if you experience:
Abdominal pain while having cancer treatment
An inability to make a bowel movement, especially if you have nausea
Blood in your vomit
Dark, tarry, or red stools
Sudden and very sharp abdominal pain
Tenderness in your abdomen
Rigidity in your abdomen
Abdominal pain during pregnancy
Abdominal pain alongside difficulty breathing
Diagnosis
Since many conditions can bring on right abdominal pain, healthcare providers may employ a wide range of tests for diagnosis. Alongside taking your medical history and physical evaluation of affected areas, a diagnosis may include:
Barium enema, in which an X-ray is taken of the intestines after swallowing a substance to assist with imaging
Laboratory tests of blood, stool, or urine samples
Computerized tomography (CT) scan
Colonoscopy, in which a tube with a camera goes inside the colon
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which tracks electrical activity of the heart
Ultrasound, a form of imaging, of the abdomen
X-ray imaging of the abdomen
How Is Right Side Abdominal Pain Treated?
Depending on what’s causing your right side abdominal pain, you may or may not require specific medical treatment. For some cases, at-home management techniques are sufficient. Depending on the underlying cause of the pain, medical approaches might be necessary.
At-Home Treatments
Home management of right side abdominal pain can involve making dietary to prevent onset or a worsening of symptoms. This can include limiting alcohol, caffeine, or carbonated beverages. It might also mean avoiding acidic foods, such as tomatoes or citrus, as well as spicy, greasy, or fatty foods.
How and when you eat might also be able to make a difference. Chew your food sufficiently, and slow down your eating. Try to avoid late-night snacking. Wait one to two hours after eating a meal before exercising.
You can also implement some lifestyle changes to improve pain. This can include managing your weight, reducing your intake of NSAIDs, quitting smoking, and managing stress.
You can also try taking over-the-counter medications like antiacids, such as Rolaids or Tums (calcium carbonate). Proton-pump inhibitors like Nexium (esomeprazole) or histamine-2 blockers like Pepcid AC (famotidine) may also help.
Medical Treatments
Medical approaches to right-side abdominal pain depend on the specific diagnosis. The treatment may include prescribed medications or surgery.
You might be prescribed analgesic medications, or painkillers. NSAIDs like Motrin (ibuprofen) are not typically recommended for abdominal pain, so you may be prescribed opioids or tricyclic antidepressants like Elavil (amitriptyline) and Desyrel (trazodone).
If your pain is linked to bacterial infection, antibiotics like Amoxil (amoxicillin) or Biaxin (clarithromycin) may be prescribed.
Several conditions may require surgery as part of treatment. For instance, you might need to have your gallbladder taken out with a cholecystectomy or your appendix taken out with an appendectomy. If you had a hernia, you might need surgery to repair the damaged abdominal wall.
While surgery is an option for kidney stone removal, a more common treatment involves sending shock waves to the stones so they break up and are easier to pass.
A Quick Review
There are many reasons you may have right side pain in your abdomen. The pain can result from gas or indigestion or from conditions that might need medical attention, like kidney stones, gallstones, appendicitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. If you have concerns about your right side abdominal pain, or if you experience the pain for more than two weeks or it gets worse after a day or two, connect with a healthcare provider. Depending on the underlying cause, treatment can include dietary changes, lifestyle changes, medications, and surgery.
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