It can feel sharp, dull, or aching.

It may be constant or come and go.

The sensory nerves in your organs have pain receptors callednociceptors.

Man in pain holding his back

BJI/Blue Jean Images/Getty Images

They send signals to the spinal cord and brain to alert you of illness or injury.

Risk Factors

Some people are more likely to feel pain than others.

What Visceral Pain Feels Like

Visceral pain can vary in intensity.

Often, visceral pain causes an aching sensation.

The mapping of pain in your brain is also not detailed when it comes to visceral pain.

These factors make it hard to figure out where the pain is coming from.

Key Features

Visceral pain is different from somatic painanother throw in of nociceptive pain.

Sometimes, neuropathy happens because a nerve is injured.

Chronic visceral pain can also cause changes in sensation and lead to neuropathic pain.

Diagnosis

Visceral pain can be an expected or relatively harmless condition.

New and/or unexpected visceral pain could also be a sign of a medical problem.

Visceral pain can get better with pain medications, though there are downsides to using them.

In some cases, medications are not enough to treat visceral pain.

The treatment for visceral pain depends on the cause but might include medication or surgery to fix the problem.

A Word From Verywell

Visceral pain can make you miserable.

You should be sure to get medical attention in a timely manner.

Collett B.Visceral pain: the importance of pain management services.Br J Pain.

2018; 36(12):P2279-2285.

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2018.08.042

American Kidney Fund.Kidney Pain: Causes, Why kidneys hurt, and When to seek care.

Borowczyk J.Visceral referred pain.Encyclopedia of Pain.

2016;6(5):469-486. doi:10.2217/pmt-2015-0011

Finnerup NB.Nonnarcotic methods of pain management.

Ropper AH, ed.New England Journal of Medicine.

2018;34(12):1126-1132. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000645

The Johns Hopkins University.Appendectomy.