Abdomen

An abdominal mass is a growth or swelling in a part of your Most abdominal masses are found during routine physical exams. They often develop slowly, and you may not be able to feel them yourself. Your doctor will be able to narrow down the possible causes based on where the mass is located and your symptoms. Where Are Abdominal Masses Located? Your doctor may use the following terms to narrow down the location of your abdominal mass: • Right upper quadrant • Right lower quadrant • Left upper quadrant • Left lower quadrant • Epigastric, which is just below your ribcage in the center of your abdomen • Periumbilical, which is the area around your belly button What Can Cause an Abdominal Mass? Abdominal masses can be caused by a lot of different conditions, including the following. Cancers. Different types of cancers can cause an abdominal mass, such as: • • • • • • • • ‌Cysts. Cysts are sacs that can form almost anywhere on your body. They can be filled with semi-solid material or fluid. They are usually not cancerous. In rare cases, they can be. The types of cysts that can cause abdominal masses include: • • • • A benign, or harmless, cyst called a Peritoneal inclusion Abdominal aortic aneurysm. The aorta is the largest blood vessel in your body. It runs from your heart down the center of your chest and abdomen. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of an artery where there is a weak spot. A ruptured Enlarged liver. Your liver is usually behind your right rib cage and can't be...

To make the most of your abdominal training, knowing which exercises work best and which are ineffective is wise. Some abdominal devices or movements may even increase your risk of injury. It's also worth knowing where each abdominal muscle is, what they do, and how they can be exercised with the least risk of injury. Rectus Abdominis The most well-known and prominent abdominal muscle is the rectus abdominis. It is the long, flat muscle that extends vertically between the pubis and the fifth, sixth, and seventh ribs. The rectus abdominis connects to the xiphoid process, a bony landmark at the bottom of the sternum. Because of their unique alignment (at right angles to each other), the internal and external obliques are referred to as opposite-side rotators. Both do side bending to the same side, but the external oblique on the left rotates the trunk/spine to the right, whereas the internal oblique on the left rotates the trunk/spine to the left. To engage your transversus abdominis, "focus on exhaling and at the very end of the exhalation, contract the pelvic floor muscles and TVA," says Kristin McGee, Peloton yoga and meditation Instructor. "When you fill-up with breath, try and expand the back and sides of the waist," McGee adds, "and not put too much pressure on the front of the abs." Some ab exercises work the hip flexors more than the abs. One example is the full sit-up exercise, especially when the feet are held down. This movement primarily involves the hip flexors ...

Possible Causes What causes lower abdominal pain? Lower abdominal pain is most likely to come from one of the organs in your lower abdominopelvic cavity. These include your: • • • Appendix. • • • Ureters. • Bladder. • Less commonly, pain may be referred from somewhere else in your body if it triggers Types of pain Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic, and so can its causes. Acute causes occur suddenly, and they’re usually temporary. They include injuries and most infections. Chronic diseases can cause chronic pain that persists for a long time or that comes and goes. Both types of pain can become progressively worse. This can be a sign that the disease is also getting worse. Seek urgent care for severe or progressive pain. Is lower abdominal pain serious? Some causes are serious and some aren’t. It can be hard to tell from the way you feel. If your pain is severe or getting worse, it’s worth seeking medical care regardless of what’s causing it. A healthcare provider can help relieve your pain while also investigating the cause. If you’ve had chronic pain for a while and you don’t know why, that’s also worth investigating, even if it doesn’t feel too severe. What is the most common cause of lower abdominal pain? Most of your small and large intestines are in your lower abdominal cavity, and they take up most of the space in there. For this reason, conditions affecting your intestines are the most common causes of lower abdominal pain. These include everyday digestive prob...

• Afrikaans • العربية • Aragonés • ܐܪܡܝܐ • Asturianu • Avañe'ẽ • Авар • Azərbaycanca • বাংলা • Banjar • Bân-lâm-gú • Български • Brezhoneg • Català • Чӑвашла • Čeština • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Estremeñu • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Frysk • Gaeilge • Gàidhlig • Galego • 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Ido • Bahasa Indonesia • Interlingua • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • Jawa • ಕನ್ನಡ • कॉशुर / کٲشُر • Қазақша • Kreyòl ayisyen • Kurdî • Кыргызча • Лакку • Latina • Latviešu • Lietuvių • Limburgs • Lingála • Lingua Franca Nova • Lombard • Magyar • Македонски • მარგალური • مازِرونی • Bahasa Melayu • 閩東語 / Mìng-dĕ̤ng-ngṳ̄ • Nāhuatl • Nederlands • Nedersaksies • नेपाली • 日本語 • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Occitan • Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча • پښتو • Tok Pisin • Plattdüütsch • Polski • Português • Ripoarisch • Română • Runa Simi • Русский • संस्कृतम् • Shqip • Sicilianu • Simple English • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Sunda • Suomi • Svenska • Tagalog • தமிழ் • Taqbaylit • తెలుగు • ไทย • Türkçe • Українська • ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche • Vahcuengh • Vepsän kel’ • Tiếng Việt • 文言 • West-Vlams • Winaray • 吴语 • ייִדיש • 粵語 • Zazaki • 中文 Functionally, the human abdomen is where most of the digestive tract is placed and so most of the absorption and digestion of food occurs here. The alimentary tract in the abdomen consists of the lower The Movement, breathing and other fun...

Your abdominal muscles have many important functions, from holding organs in place to supporting your body during movement. There are five main muscles: pyramidalis, rectus abdominus, external obliques, internal obliques, and transversus abdominis. Ab strains and hernias are common, but several strategies can keep your abs safe and healthy. Overview What are the abdominal muscles? Your abdominal muscles are a set of strong bands of muscles lining the walls of your abdomen (trunk of your body). They’re located toward the front of your body, between your ribs and your pelvis. There are five main muscles in the abdomen: • External obliques. • Internal obliques. • Pyramidalis. • Rectus abdominis. • Transversus abdominis. Function What are the functions of your abdominal muscles? Your abdominal muscles have several important jobs: • Help with essential bodily functions, including urinating, defecating, coughing, sneezing, vomiting. They help also increase the intra-abdominal pressure facilitating child birth. • Hold your internal organs in place and protect them (including your stomach, intestines, pancreas, liver and gallbladder). • Maintain consistent internal pressure in the abdomen. • Maintain posture and provide core support. • Support your spine and body during sitting, standing, bending over, twisting, exercising and singing. Anatomy Where are your abdominal muscles located? There are five main muscles in your abdomen. Two are vertical (up and down) muscles located towar...

Abdomen (anterior view) Fasciae The musculoaponeurotic abdominal walls are composed of several layers of investing (or deep) There are also superficial fasciae overlying the muscular layers of the abdominal wall. These superficial fasciae are superficial fatty layers of subcutaneous tissue, for example, the Camper’s fascia of the anterolateral abdominal wall. Investing the internal surfaces of the muscular layer is a third group of abdominal fascia called the endoabdominal (or intra-abdominal) fascia which is of important clinical significance, forming an important landmark in surgery. Fasciae of the abdominal wall in a cadaver: During a dissection of the abdominal wall, you will reach the superficial fascia underneath the skin. The superficial fascia contains the superficial epigastric artery and vein. Once you peel away the superficial fascia, its deep surface consists of a fatty layer (Campar's fascia). This overlies a fibrous connective tissue containing very little fat (Scarpa's fascia). The image on the left depicts surgical debridement following fasciitis. Peritoneum Completing the abdominal wall, after the intra-abdominal fascia layer, is a layer of extraperitoneal fat and finally the parietal peritoneum which lines the abdominal cavity and contains the abdominal viscera. Various folds or reflections of the folds, for example the omentum ( greater and lesser omentum), some are called mesenteries and others ligaments. A peritoneal ligament consists of a double layer...