Trapped Wind

Contents Overview Causes Signs & Symptoms In Pregnancy In Babies Chest Trapped Wind Remedy Peppermint & Trapped Intestinal Wind

Trapped wind is an increasingly common cause of abdominal pain in all age groups. Also referred to as trapped intestinal gas, it is due to over accumulation of air or gas in the gut from one of four sources; swallowed air- especially in children, gas produced by bacteria in our gut from fermentation of indigested foods, production of gas as a by-product of acid and alkaline reaction in our gut and finally from gas released from our blood into the gut.

It could also be a symptom of an illness, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), carcinoid syndrome or bowel obstruction.

Certain types of food items make one more likely to develop this problem.

A few individuals are even more prone to trapped excessive wind because of psychological or behavioural problems, where they swallow loads of air when stressed.

Trapped abdominal wind is commoner in the first few months of life and then adult life.

Everyone retains certain amount of wind in them. When we talk or even swallow, we inadvertently swallow some air.

If wind gathers in us above a certain level, the increased volume will cause the wall of our gut to stretch beyond normal, just like blowing air into a balloon stretches out the wall of the balloon and makes it thinner. Depending on the sensitivity of our gut walls, this is transmitted as abdominal discomfort or pain. Usually, we rarely accumulate enough wind to cause such pain.

Trapped wind occurs in babies, children, and pregnant women and in all ages. Signs and symptoms of trapped wind includes abdominal pain and bloating, discomfort, and often, increased belching and passage of flatus more often than usual.

In older children and adults, you can get rid of troublesome trapped wind by drinking Peppermint tea with every meal or before going to bed and in the morning.

If your have an abnormally distended abdomen, with pain and it is very noisy, you may be having a degree of intestinal obstruction, and needs to contact your doctor immediately. If in doubt and wants to engage an online doctor for immediate consultation, you can do so via telephone 24 hours of the day in by speaking to a 24/7 GP if you are in the United Kingdom or phone consultation physicians if you are in the United States.

Read more about trapped wind from the various sections on this top as presented on the top left hand corner of this page.

Please do not hesitate to contact us on specific questions on trapped wind and in deed any other medical topic you may be interested in via our free online medical consultation forum.

Reference:

Sfewa TJ et al. Gastrointestinal Gas Formation and Infantile Colic.

Pediatric Clin Nor Am 1996; 43: 489 – 510.

You Can Help Keep This Site Going

Your sponsorship will cover the cost of running this site and of writing the information herein.

Medical knowledge is dynamic. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy and up-to- date-ness of the content of this site, abdopain.com or its owners or partners will not accept responsibility or liability of any sort for the use of information here-in in any manner.

Home causes Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Abdominal-Migraine Appendicitis Biliary Colic Bowel Cancer Bowel Obstruction Braxton Hicks Carcinoid Tumour Chance Fracture Celiac Disease Cholecystitis Constipation Crohn's Disease Cystitis Diverticulitis Diabetic Keto Acidosis / Angina Ectopic Pregnancy Endometriosis Endometritis Fibroids Food Piosoning Gallstone Diseases Gastroenteritis Gonorrhoea
Hernia Heart Attack Hirschsprung's Disease Indigestion Intussusception Irritable Bowel Syndrome Kidney Stone labour Pain Lactose Intolerance Liver Cancer Menstrual Pain Merkels Diverticulitis Mesenteric Infarction Mid-Cycle Pain Mini Heart Attack / Angina Miscarriage Muscle Strain or Bruise Myocardial Infarction Non-specific Abdominal Pain Ovarian Cancer Ovarian Cyst Pancreatic Cancer Pancreatitis Peptic Ulcer Pneumonia Porphyria Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis Pulmonary Embolism Pyloric Stenosis PID Recurrent Abdominal Pain Syndrome Rectus Sheath Haematoma Ruptured Spleen Miscarriage Stomach Cancer Trapped Wind Trichobezoa Ulcerative Colitis Urinary Retention Urinary Tract Infection Volvulus Blood Tests X-ray CT-scan MRI PET Scan Bone Scan Ultrasound Scan Barium Meal Barium Enema ECG ERCP MRCP Colonoscopy Sigmoidoscopy OGD Laparoscopy Abdominal Pain Medications Peppermint Oil Capsules Treatment Abdominal Pain Accessories / Equipments Subscribe Online Doctor Site Map