# abd pain vs abd tenderness



## preeser (Feb 2, 2010)

Can anyone direct me to a resource that discusses when to use abd pain and abd tenderness?


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## Walker22 (Feb 2, 2010)

I don't know of any resource like that, but I personally would consider "tenderness" and "pain" to be synonymous. Aren't they?


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## Ellacott (Feb 2, 2010)

I would go by the documentation.  Abdominal tenderness usually refers to pain when pressure is applied to a specific area.  Abdominal pain can be more diffuse and usually occurs without pressure being applied to the affected area.

If the physician documents that there is pain when he applies pressure I would query him to confirm that he is referring to tenderness.

This is a link that talks specifically about abdominal tenderness.
http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/003273all.htm


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## Walker22 (Feb 2, 2010)

Thanks.. that makes sense


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## tanyaharberts (Feb 3, 2010)

In ICD-9: Tenderness, abdominal points to 789.6x vs. 789.0x for pain.


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