Why does a man’s stomach hurt when they get hit in the balls?
In: Biology
This is because it is related to the solar plexus. The nerve pathways connected to the testicles are also connected to the stomach, liver and spleen. And if you get a violent blow to the testicles, the brain cannot pinpoint exactly where the pain comes from, because all these parts of the body now say I hurt. That’s why it almost feels like you have to throw up.
If you can speak german here is a video from Arte.
https://youtu.be/2jzln2WFEeI
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The testicles start growing inside the abdomen (the stomach is a specific organ, which digests food, but the abdomen is the whole ‘belly region’), during foetal development. After birth, they move down into the scrotum, but they drag their blood supply, and their nerve supply with them.
So when you experience testicular pain, it has to travel all the way up into the middle of your abdomen before the body senses it, which is why it can sometimes hurt your belly as well as your testicles.
This is a general rule in the body — things hurt based on where their nerves come from, not where they ‘are’. So for instance, a painful gallbladder can make your shoulder hurt. A painful prostate can make the back of your calf hurt. And a heart attack can give you pain in the arm and the jaw.
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