Visceral vs Somatic Pain: The Differences

A visceral pain example is endometriosis:

• Often affects the intraabdominal organs
• Can be within the wall of the uterus, affecting the uterine wall
• Can be in the pelvic peritoneum
• Has the capability to invade organs, causing an overlap of symptoms
• Can be in the peritoneal layer of the pelvis, and not necessarily invading muscle or ligaments or somatic organs
• Can invade nerve roots and lead to neuropathic pain, however, and have a totally different descriptor. A key difference: the cyclical path of the symptoms, and how the symptoms present in a cyclical pattern

Another example: bladder pain syndrome, a condition that affects the bladder itself.

A somatic pain example. Myofascial pain:

• Is basically a condition in which the muscles become very spastic
• Patients become nonfunctional in a way that they will develop areas in which the muscles won’t be able to work well
• Patients often refer to pain as a chronic sensation of a spasm or a cramping or a stabbing, which is clinically reproducible when an exam is done
• When the abdominal wall muscle is checked, often found will be areas of trigger points or areas that are very sensitive upon palpitation