Functional abdominal pain is ongoing or repeated belly pain that is not caused by a disease, medical condition, infection, or injury. The pain is real, but medical tests often do not find a specific cause. Stress, emotions, changes in daily routines, and how the gut and brain communicate all play a role.

Treatment focuses on helping your child continue their normal daily activities, stay physically active, and manage symptoms. Most children improve over time with support and healthy habits.

Follow your healthcare provider's recommendations for:

• Whether you should keep a diary of your child's pain to see if you can find a pattern when the pain happens, such as when they eat certain foods, are going to certain activities, or don't get enough sleep
• Making any changes to your child's diet (Some kids find that foods with lactose like milk or milk products, greasy foods, spicy foods, caffeine, carbonated drinks, sugar-free gum or candy, or foods that produce gas such as beans or cabbage lead to pain.)
• Giving your child any medicines. Don't give any medicines without checking with your healthcare provider first
• Going for tests of their blood and poop
• Whether your child should see any specialists, such as a gastroenterologist (doctor for problems in the digestive tract) or a mental health counselor
• When to follow up

General guidance:

• Encourage your child to continue normal daily activities, including school, hobbies, and physical activity as much as possible.
• Help your child keep a regular schedule for meals and sleep.
• Offer healthy, balanced meals and encourage them to drink plenty of water.
• If your child has pain before school or an activity, you can say something like, “I know your belly hurts. Let's take some deep breaths, then head out.” Don't ask too many questions about the pain or act too worried. You want to give your child confidence that they can manage their pain.

Other things your child can try if they have pain:

• Do a relaxing activity they enjoy, like drawing or listening to music or a story.
• Go for a walk or do stretching exercises.
• Think of something they are looking forward to, such as spending time with friends, family, or a pet, or going on a school trip.
• Do progressive muscle relaxation by tensing, then releasing muscle groups one at a time, starting at the feet and moving upward.

Talk with your child about stress and how it can affect the way our body and mind feel. Teach them ways to cope with stress, such as:

• Deep breathing 
• Stretching
• Being physically active every day
• Getting enough sleep
• Eating healthy foods
• Talking to a counselor, parent, or trusted adult
• Limiting screen time 
• Balancing school and work activities with enough time to relax/recharge

• The pain is different than usual, getting worse, or happening more often.
• The pain awakens your child at night.
• Your child is missing school or activities because of the pain.
• Your child has new symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, constipation (infrequent or hard poops), pain when pooping, blood in their poop, or weight loss.

Your child:

• Has severe or sudden worsening belly pain
• Isn't drinking at all or has signs of dehydration (not enough water in the body), such as a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes, less pee or darker pee than usual, little or no tears when crying, or unusual sleepiness

What causes functional abdominal pain? The brain and gut are closely connected, and in children with functional abdominal pain, this connection becomes oversensitive. This causes the gut to send strong pain signals even in response to normal digestive activity, stress, or emotion. The exact reason this happens isn't clear.

What symptoms can happen in kids with functional abdominal pain? Along with belly pain, they may also have nausea (feeling sick to the stomach), headache, tiredness, bloating, or gassiness.

Should my child stay home from school and activities because of the pain? It is important that your child continues to attend school, participates in activities, and spends time with friends. Staying home or avoiding activities often worsens anxiety and makes pain feel more intense over time. Unless your care team says otherwise, activity is safe and encouraged.