Abdominal rigidity is a sign which is experienced by the doctor not by the patient in many disease condition. It is a stiffness in the wall of the abdomen. This firmness is felt by the doctor by palpitating the abdomen or more precisely we can say around the belly area in the abdomen. This abdominal rigidity can be associated with the other symptoms which can help us to identify the disease, like pain in the hypochondriac reigon with rigidity around that area; it represents hepatomeagly as liver is present in the right hypochondriac reigon.

As this is a sign then there could be many disease condition which can cause this like:

• Ascites:It is presence of fluid inside the peritoneal cavity.So on palpation there is rigidity on the abdomen.
   
• Acute appendicitis:In this disease there is inflammation of the appendix which causes the pain and rigidity in the abdomen
   
• Acute cholecystitis:Inflammation of the gall bladder
   
• Pregnancy
   
• Peritonitis
   
• Pnemonia
   
• Any tumour in the abdomen
   
• Ovarian cyst
   
• Perforation in the intestine
   
• strangulation in the intestine
   
• Ectopic pregnancy in which foetu is implanted else other than uterus
   
• Feaces
   
• Pancreatitis

This type of sign requires immediate attention and treatment. As soon as there is confirmation of the rigidity then treatment is required to nullify the condition otherwise it can take a chronic look which leads to further advancement of the underlying cause for the rigidty.