Chronic abdominal pain in children: what to do following the medical evaluation

The purpose of this article is to provide an empirically informed but clinically oriented review of conventional, alternative, and rehabilitation therapies for chronic or recurrent abdominal pain in children.

Cognitive-behavioral procedures, including contingency management training for parents and self-regulation training for children, emerge as a probably efficacious treatment. Symptom-based pharmacological therapies can be helpful, but may be best reserved for children with severe symptoms that have not responded to simple management. Biofeedback therapy, hypnotherapy, and peppermint oil are among the most promising alternative therapies. For patients with severe functional disability, an interdisciplinary rehabilitation approach may be warranted.

As more is learned about different therapies for recurrent abdominal pain, an integrative approach that blends these interventions may become increasingly common.