The key difference between somatic and visceral pain is that somatic pain is a type of pain that comes from the muscles, skin, or bones, while visceral pain is a type of pain that comes from the internal organs or blood vessels.
Pain is medically an uncomfortable sensation that normally signals an injury or illness to the body. It can be of different types, such as acute pain, chronic pain, neuropathic pain, nociceptive pain, and radicular pain. Somatic and visceral pain are two distinct types of pain. Both these pain types are known as nociceptive pain. They usually occur when pain-detecting nerves send an impulse up the spinal cord to the brain in response to an injury or inflammation. However, somatic pain can easily be recognized, whereas visceral pain is very hard to recognize.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Somatic Pain
3. What is Visceral Pain
4. Similarities – Somatic and Visceral Pain
5. Somatic vs. Visceral Pain in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Somatic and Visceral Pain
7. Summary – Somatic vs. Visceral Pain
What is Somatic Pain?
Somatic pain is normally known as musculoskeletal pain. Somatic pain is also very easy to locate than visceral pain. When people bump their knee, cut the skin, or twist the ankle, a sudden, sharp feeling or sensation is generated. This is described as somatic pain. Somatic pain is often intense and localized. However, it can also be superficial or deep. Moreover, somatic pain can be caused by injuries or infections in the skin, muscles, joints, bones, and other soft tissues, broken bones, cuts or scratches, infections, muscle injuries, tendonitis, and other injuries.
Somatic pain is mainly diagnosed through physical symptom evaluation. Furthermore, treatment options for somatic pain may include taking over-the-counter pain relievers (acetaminophen or ibuprofen), hot and cold packs, massage, relaxation techniques, and lifestyle changes such as an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise, hydration, and getting enough sleep.
What is Visceral Pain?
Visceral pain is an internal pain that usually comes from organs or blood vessels in the body. This type of pain is often very difficult to recognize. Visceral pain is very dull and harder to pinpoint, causing generalized aching or squeezing, changes in the body temperature, blood pressure or heart rate, gastrointestinal disturbances, nausea, paleness, and profuse sweating. Moreover, visceral pain can be caused by functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), cystitis, cancer, endometriosis, prostatitis, and vulvodynia.
Visceral pain can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation and imaging scans such as CT scans and X-rays. Furthermore, visceral pain can be treated through NSAIDs or opioids and managing underlying causes such as antibiotics for infections, antidepressants, dietary changes, probiotic supplements for IBS, and hormone therapy for endometriosis.
What are the Similarities Between Somatic and Visceral Pain?
- Somatic and visceral pain are two distinct types of pain.
- Both these pain types are known as nociceptive pain.
- They occur when pain-detecting nerves send an impulse up the spinal cord to the brain in response to an injury or inflammation.
- They can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation.
- They are mainly treated through specific medications.
What is the Difference Between Somatic and Visceral Pain?
Somatic pain is a type of pain that comes from the muscles, skin, or bones, while visceral pain is a type of pain that comes from the internal organs or blood vessels. Thus, this is the key difference between somatic and visceral pain. Furthermore, somatic pain is very easy to locate, while visceral pain is very difficult to locate.
The infographic below presents the differences between somatic and visceral pain in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Somatic and Visceral Pain
What are examples of visceral and somatic pain?
What are the two types of somatic pain?
The two primary types of somatic pain are superficial somatic pain, which originates from the skin and subcutaneous tissues, and deep somatic pain, which arises from muscles, ligaments, and bones.
Is appendicitis visceral or somatic pain?
Appendicitis typically causes visceral pain, as the inflammation and irritation occur in the appendix, an internal organ. However, as the condition progresses, the pain can sometimes become somatic when the inflammation spreads to the peritoneum, the lining of the abdominal cavity, causing more localized, sharp pain in the abdominal wall. So, it can involve both visceral and somatic pain.
Summary – Somatic vs. Visceral Pain
Somatic and visceral pain are two distinct types of nociceptive pain. Somatic pain comes from the muscles, skin, or bones. It is very easy to locate somatic pain. Visceral pain comes from the internal organs or blood vessels. It is very difficult to locate visceral pain. So, this summarizes the difference between somatic and visceral pain.
Reference:
1. Jacques, Erica. “How to Recognize Visceral Pain.” Verywell Health.
Image Courtesy:
1. “A Person Holding His Leg” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “Man in White Shirt Suffering from a Stomach Pain” (CC0) via Pexels