Severe muscle tension

I have SEVERE muscle tension in my stomach and chest area, i dont know if its nerve pain or muscle pain. All I know is that it is severe and intolerable. Anyone else have this problem? Anyone know how to solve it?

[cj29]

Anxiety can definitely cause tension all over your body.  What has your doctor said about this?  Panic/Anxiety can cause many physical symptoms that are not pleasant to say the least.  Solving it, after you have talked with your doctor, is learning about the process  of thinking that comes with the anxiety.  With knowledge comes the power to get lasting long term relief from nervous feelings.  So many people here understand EXACTLY what you are going through so keep your questions and concerns coming!

[I_HATE_ANXIETY]

I have no triggers that are setting off any kind of stress or anxiety , nor do i have any phobias or fears or stressors in my life. I am not mentally pushing myself towards an anxiety or panic attack. I have no problems talking to new people, taking risks, going into large places, etc.. Technically there should be no reason , mentally, why i should be having these symptoms on a daily basis. And yes, as soon as i open my eyes,. the pain and cramping start. Its always in the same area, stomach and chest. This pain lasts all day long and then sumwhere in the day i will have a mild-severe panic attack.
This is how my life has been for the past 4-5 months. They just keep giving me benzos which DO work but i try to not take them because i want to live my life pill free like i once did, i dont wanna become addicted or dependant on living a normal life with pills. Then they gave me SSRIS those things made me go into panic attacks on their own- so then i tried a natural route 5htp, that also makes me go into panic attacks!  which is weird because like 3-4 years ago i use to use 5htp at doses close to 300mg a day with NO side effects at all! I would only have positive things come from them just like all the sites say- peaceful sleep, waking up refreshed , etc,.. now i get none of that, all i get is panic attacks from it. Some thing is wrong, the dr's just keep passing me off as "oh its just stress, u are stressed out" no! it goes beyond that, sumthing has happened inside me- i just dont know exactly what! im sick and tired of going to ER rooms having the same story told to me, having prescriptions for benzos to mask the issue and not solve it,. i feel so hopeless and desperate, i miss the old me the guy i lost 5 months ago - it feels almost as if ive been poisoned or as dumb as this sounds like a voodoo  curse.

I went from heavy weightlifting and a ripped hard body to no energy, bed ridden, daily panic attack prone and losing weight every day.

[gwtx2]

I have this same problem right now. I get out of bed feeling great. Within two hours, my back becomes sore, I am sometimes bloated and my whole abdominal area is nervous. I've had three stressful situations over the past four months. I believe I have created a chronic habit of tensing muscles in these areas. I'm almost sure of this because a glass of wine and exercise will make it ll go away. Now, I've just got to learn to readjust and detect when I am tensing. Slow down, keep an eye on your breathing. Make sure you are not chest breathing.

[Mitch8]

I'm not sure if you are still under pressure but I am going through the same thing right now. To the point where it's damn embarrasing. I miss the old me so much it hurts. I also know for a fact that I am stressed, but like you, do not have any known triggers to avoid. My abdominal area is a constant war zone. I feel as if I were sucker punched in the stomach and it doesn't matter what I do, eat, take, think...it never disappears. The Xanax helps relax me a little, but the fear of "what in the heck is wrong with me" seems to be able to manhandle any thing I try. I almost want to punch myself to let my body know a good reason for pain. Sounds a little crazy but I cannot seem to whip this ****. I have been to the doctors, had the bloodwork and Abdominal CT Scan and more. The outcome is pretty much like yours, stress. I used to get out of bed without much incident, but now, from the moment I struggle to get up, it's a constant "What new symptom or problem will I have today? If you find a remedy, let me know.

[joan1986]

Sounds to me like stress related problems. A good cognitive therapist (trained in CBT) could fix that, of course if  medical concerns (any heart or stomach problems, ) are eliminated.
Figure out the trigger: make a list of the most recent chest, stomach pains, see what precedes them (who are you talking to, what are you thinking about, in what situation you are in) and establish a pattern (a common factor), that should be the trigger. For example, angina (chest pains) are usually triggered by stresful situations, thoughts.

[Hotyogi]

Hi! Its been a few years since you posted.  How are you?  Hopefully you figured it out?  I have a similar issue but no stomach cramping.  I have serious tension/muscle clenching in my chest/neck (only on the right side) and it affects my breathing.  Its like an 80 lb weight is on my chest and my lung cant fully inflate.  When I can't breath I get anxious and the anxiety makes my muscles clench even more.  I feel like I'm not getting the oxygen I need.  It all started when a chiropractor starting adjusting my neck. Working out and yoga has turned into a battle zone, and I come out exhausted and never feeling relaxed.  Unlike you, I'm gaining weight from the lack of working out to my normal intensity.  Valium is the best thing that I've found that helps but I'm having a hard time finding doctors that will keep prescribing it to me and I've found I'm becoming reliant and need higher dosages.  Deep tissue massage has worked but its so expensive and I would need it multiple times a week.  If I do hot yoga continuously I've found it gets better.  But hot yoga is hard enough when you can breath and having this issue makes it torturous.  Friends and family seem to think its psychological which is annoying.  Its effecting my job and relationships and I'm definitely depressed from it all.  Suggestions?  

[tehwan]

my husband has the tightness of muscle from chest to stomach like how you described.  No room to breath.  I wonder if you dehydration has anything to do with it.  He has to be reminded to drink enough fruit.  He doesn't know if he is thirsty.

[live4jesus300]

I'm glad I ran into this blog.  I was recently diagnosed with anxiety/panic disorder and have had to major episodes lasting 3 of 4 days each.  I was fine for the last few weeks but about 5 days ago I started experiencing tension in my abdomen, it seems to start about the time I get to work and then it feels more intense in the afternoon.  I've been worried that maybe it's something worse like an ulcer or cancer, it's a very uneasy feeling.  I finally had a mild panic attack last night but i'm thinking it has to do with me worrying about the stomach tension.  This is really affecting my work and home life since I have to kids and can't afford to be down in the dumps everyday.  I will be glad to learn anything you guys share and share anything new I learn.  God Bless.

[tallboy73]

The stories of your experiences sound like a carbon copy of mine.  I sleep fine and wake up anxiety free, then minutes after getting out of bed my upper abdominal muscles tighten and stay that way all day, feeling bruised and sore - I can't seem to stop it !
I know this is anxiety because I had a course of SSRIs last year to prevent the same symptoms - they worked but the symptoms returned as soon as I finished my 6 month course. Despite the fact that I'm sure it's anxiety (for no reason I might add !!) I still find myself kicking in with hypochondria and imagining that I have something seriously wrong with me which fuels the anxiety leading to depression. Dreading going back on SSRIs as I have a feeling I will have to stay on them for good. Trying every herbal/nutritional/exercise suggestion I can to avoid meds... I promise I'll post if I find something that cures or even helps. Best wishes.