Intense stomach pain after exercise

I'm a teenager, just sixteen and I eat pretty well, but also a good amount of sweets. For a few years I have been having intense pain in my stomach/abdominal area after I play soccer and/or run untill I'm very tired. I started going to my doctor first when I was thirteen about this and she has not the slightest idea what is going on. I read the tag about stomach pains after tennis and my syptoms (symptoms) sound very similar. I am in good shape and exercise regulairly, and it only happens on random days spread by weeks of no problems, and it only happens when I push myself to my limits. I have asthma, but I can outrun any person in my school so I do not think that is a problem. When it happens I usually can't sit still and it feels as if someone is driving a knife into my stomach. It only last for about an hour, and I find drinking water and eating helps ease the pain. If anyone has any ideas please get back to me because it has become more frequent recently and my parents worry it might be accociated with diabetes because my grandfather had it (type 2). thanks.

[JainMD]

Hi,
I feel what symptoms you are describing correlates well with symptoms of Gastric Ulcer.
You should be seeking advice from Pediatric Gastroenterologist.
Antacids and eating bland diet with minimal exercise will help.
Keep me informed if you have any queries.
Bye.

[1982]

hiya,
I have the exact problem, it normally occurs after footy training when i really push my self, the pain is terrible and aften last for about three to four hours after i often get diarhoea from this too. This all started wen i was about 16yrs old and now im 26 so it shows its not anything major. me to the doctor hast got an idea and prescribed some bowl tablets that didnt work, i now have given up football coz of this which is gutting, but its better than being in pain,

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

The stomach pain could be like you yourself mentioned due to over exertion, another reason could be not eating regularly. Also remember to keep a gap of at least 30-45 min between food and exercise. Make sure you are well hydrated and drink water intermittently even when you are playing or exercising.

[swordfish369]

I have the exact same problem, i excercise regularly so am quite a fit healthy person, but sometimes when i get a little tired, i get such a strong burning pain in my abdomen, which lasts around 15 mins, i also get really dizzy with it and breathless and sometimes when its really bad i get a blackout. My doctor doesnt have a clue, i just thought it might be down to having iron deficiency aneamia, where theres a lack of oxygen in my blood after excercise which causes acid to build up in my legs, abdomen, and taking prescription iron tablets over a few months does help a little. Its probably best to get a blood test done, to check.

[scm303]

My son conplains of this same condition after he races.  He runs cross country.  Has anyone found something that can provide some relief?

I would love to know ***@****

[Triathlete1]

Hi,
I am a Triathlete and experience the same problems after each race though it does vary in episode strength. I have been to a Gastro and he said their was a study done on runners after the Boston Marathon a couple of years ago, unfortunatly they confirmed that many people experience the same symptoms after great exertion but their is still not a good answer on how to prevent it. I find that lowering my carb intake during a race and eating well throughout the day after the race helps. I would hope that somebody in the Gastro world would spend some time figuring out a better solution but for now I was told by my Doc "Deal with it or take up golf". Not such a valuable solution for those of us who love fitness!

[SPRTSCI23]

I can relate to exactly the same symptoms and again it only occurs after very intense exercise. Having done some research one theory i have concluded is that all of my problems are linked to intense dehydration. It all sounds like intensive exercise which is when the body is losing most water. Even drinking constantly during intense exercise you cannot keep up with the rate your body loses water, so it seems to make sense. Will test this theory and see how it goes.

[ck5lock]

also have this problem.I play college basketball and after each game I have the pains.Im also a nursing student so Ive learned about our bodies.I believe there are 2 possible things going on.1- dehydration,if I drink a lot of water after my games it doesn't last long and is not as intense.2nd the pains are from our bodies detoxing the junk out of our systems.Exercise gets our insides moving as well and shakes up all the **** built up.Suggestions: eat some yogurt to get the good bacteria back in your stomach,this will help get your stomach back to a healthy state ,drink some ginger ale or sprite,it neutralizes the stomach acids and will help you burp stuff out.And last stay well hydrated.Hope this helps  

[brett946]

"Deal with it or take up golf" or "minimal exercise will help" are not acceptable answers for most athletes.  If your doctor gives you an answer such as this, I suggest finding a doctor who specializes in sports medicine, or perhaps is an athlete themselves.  Many doctors have good intentions but do not have specific training in regards to athletic related conditions.  They may not understand, for example, that in most cases to tell a runner to stop running is incredibly naive.

As a person who gets these stomach pains intermittently, I have personally found that hydration seems to be a factor, as well nutrition.  Sugar intake seems to correlate to stomach pain in my particular case.  I cut out most refined sugars during college while I was running cross-country and it seemed to help immensely.

[guity]

My problem seems quite similar to yours.  For the past few months, if I go out first thing in the morning with an empty stomach and run 5.5 miles up and down a fairly steep slope, then swim for half an hour, my stomach will churn for hours afterward.  If I drink a quart of water beforehand and 20 ounces of water toward the end of the run, I am usually OK.

What bothers me is that I have been doing my exercise routine for more than 5 years without this ever happening before.  A year ago ultrasound detected a 1/2-inch stone in my right kidney.  I am going to have a procedure done to remove the stone (lithotripsy) and see if things get back to normal...

[guity]

I want to keep documenting this a little bit in case some other poor slob like me searches the web trying to figure what has gone wrong with his/her body...

Well, for me, these symptoms seem to have been caused by a kidney stone.

After a lithotripsy procedure I had a week ago, which uses sound waves to break a kidney stone into small fragments, that specific kind of pain went away for me.  Now I have a bit of a sore kidney from the procedure, and still some stomach upset related to that, but nothing like the 4 or 5 hours I used to spend after a workout, feeling like I had been kicked in the nuts or something...

[Dr Vinod]

Lithotripsy is quite safe and you can go ahead in removing your Kidney stone.
If a kidney stone lodges on the way and gets blocked the pain is intense. This pain goes from all the way from "loin to groin" and very intense.

Keep drinking lots of water while you exercise and a balanced diet is important. Proteins should be the main stay while working out coupled with carbohydrates and minimal fat intake.
Take care

[guity]

Hi DrVinod ,

Thanks for your information.  Perhaps you would be willing to make a connection for me that my doctors either will not or can not: what is the mechanism by which the kidney stone is causing the groin pain?  How is the pain being stretched all the way over to another section of the body?

Now after the lithotripsy I do not get the groin pain any more.  However, if I exercise too many days in a row, and especially if I eat anything more complicated than bread or milk or plain meat, I am still getting intense stomach pains.  They feel as if a little man is located directly below my belly button frantically jabbing a bare-ended electrical wire into the walls of my intestines resulting in a constant stream of short sparks of pain.  

This again raises the same question for me as the original problem: by what mechanism are these kidney issues transferred to cause pain in the stomach/groin area?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

[Dr Vinod]

Your urine passes from kidney into your bladder through a ureter and then from bladder into your male orgain by urethra. When a kidney stone gets lodged in the ureter or some place between loin to groin the pain is unbearable like the jabbing burning pain you are explaining. Just have to check with urologist if anything is there on the way, if there is nothing in an X-ray and also  after passing dye then you are clean and try taking some anti inflammatory drugs and also get yourself checked for hernia by a surgeon.
Your case can be diagnosed by visiting a proper surgeon
Please follow a right course and take care!

[guity]

Thanks DrVinod.

I saw the urologist yesterday and he had the results of a ultra-sound test I took 4 days before.  The test showed that the lithotripsy shrank the kidney stone from 1.2 cm to 1 cm, and that there a few fragments scattered around near (and perhaps in) the ureter.  

The urologist is telling me that the 1 cm left is actually not one hardened mass any more but a collection of dis-associated fragments.  He says I should go back to my exercise routine and grit my way through another month to see what I can pass out of my system, then he will hav an x-ray (KUB) taken of me and we will go from there.

Truthfully, I am a bit nervous about exercising again because I have been happy to go a few days without the pain and am not eager to get it strated again.  On the other hand, if exercising helps me get this wentire ordeal over with more quickly, I guess I will have to just grit my teeth and get back to it...

Thanks again for your input.

[Dr Vinod]

Yes the pain you have explained in the post is "the pain" suffered when you have fragments of stones or small ones dislodged in the ureter, and the smooth muscle contracts and expands to pass on them, which is a natural process by your body to eject the stones. So it was easy for diagnosing your case, because you explained the classical symptoms.
Drinking lots of water and exercise will favour passing on the stone fragments. Take enough pain killers for this and take care and always stay connected with your urologist.

[guity]

Just called the urologist after a follow-up X-ray.  He is reporting that all the stone fragments have passed out of my kidney, but there are two still stuck in my ureter.  He says that one is smaller, and there is a larger one that is .8 millimeters.  He wants me to take a prescription of Flowmax to try to dilate my ureter to try to get rid of the last two stones...

These last 2 stones have not caused any pain for some reason, and for the past month I have been able to work out without pain.  I guess if I can just get rid of these last 2, I will be a very lucky person...

[Dr Vinod]

Very nice to here that. The pain only comes when your ureter contracts contiously to flush out the foreign body. The remaining particles might not been obstructing your urine and for this you are lucky.
Well, dilating the ureter is a good option if it does not come out with Flowmax. There are other methods also, if it fails, discuss with your Urologist, you would be fine. Take care!

[guity]

Thanks very much, Dr Vinod, for all your information.  I think I have a reasonably good doctor but he doesn't spend much time filling me in on the small details.  I called him back today and checked with him and found out the larger stone is not 0.8 millimeters, but 8 millimeters (ten times larger)!  It is actually 2/3 the size of the original stone that was supposedly broken up by the lithotripsy.  I drew a little diagram of that and am now wondering how that is ever going to fit through the narrow part of my ureter!

[Dr Vinod]

Ureter is quite elastic and it has smooth muscle and the stone will fit into it, and that is the reason for being a common site for stone obstruction, if the edges of the stone are not uniform there is an opportunity of  no urine obstruction, as the fluid will pass from the asymmetrical edges and  so less pain. Take care!

[inlove93]

i have the exact smae problem i love to run and exercise but sometimes i get this pain and it wont go away and i cant even stand up for like 30 minutes. but what works for me is siting down for a little while and eating and drinking water to make me hydrated again

[Dr Vinod]

Drink enough water and go for simple tests and examination as each case differs from the other case. Do not exert yourself and you can know yourself what would be your limit. Have healthy breakfast and also see if your mineral intake is proper. Design a proper diet chart for yourself in consultaion with a dietician. Take care!

[Cathy343]

Hi Dr Vinod.  My problem is similar but not quite the same as those presented by others.  Lately, when I exercise for 20 minutes (usually on the Stairmaster), I get very painful stomach cramps within minutes of completing the 20 minutes.  It usually lasts for about 10-15 minutes.  It feels very much like menstrual cramps.

Cathy

[Dr Vinod]

You have to go for testing of your minerals in your body. If you sweat a lot you have to replenish yourself with water and salts.

Balanced diet and healthy breakfast is recommended for you.

You need to strengthen your abdominal muscles by doing some floor exercises and also weight exercises which you can discuss with the trainer. Take care!

[tennisoprano]

I am getting frustrated.  Stomach cramps used to happen to me when I was in my teens playing soccer.  My gut would cramp up severely for hours afterwards.  I am finding this again in my 40's, lately after playing tennis .  I played last night (and won!), but my gut is still spastic.  Is it dehydration?  I still am in pain, almost 12 hrs later...help....

[Dr Vinod]

Do not worry about having cramps intermittently. It depends on practice of tennis in a continous way, energy level in the body, hydration in the body, warm ups, abdominal muscle strength and many other factors.

Remember you might have had a full working day yesterday. Replenish yourself with water and some salts and see the difference.

If it happens in a continous way you have to find the reasons. Take care!

[guity]

Hi Dr. Vinod,

Hope everything is going well with you.

I had another x-ray recently and the doctor informed me that I still have 2 stones in my ureter.  One stone is 8 mm wedged in just about an inch and a half from the bladder.  The other is 2 mm and is further up the ureter.  The doctor wants to do another lithotripsy procedure to get these stones out, since they haven't show any movement for quite some time.  I am worried that the ureter might not take lithotripsy as well as a kidney does and am wondering if there is a more efficient way to get the stones out (ureteroscopy)?

The doctor is saying that the lithotripsy will be much easier and have much more chance of success with the stones in the ureter.

What do you think?

Thanks,

Guity

[Dr Vinod]

Hi!

There is no harm in trying lithotripsy.

You can always go for more surgical options if this does not work.
Discuss with your urologist.
Always go for conservative methods and keep surgical options as last resort.

Come back to us if you are not satisfied or have further queries.

Take care!

[Soccer46]

I have the sameproblem, it normally occurs when play soccer and push my self. However, when run on the T.mil or take the psenning class I do not get the pain. The pain starts 10-20 minutes after the game and often last for about three to four hours with diarhoea.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Try to acclimatize yourself slowly with more of cardio and play soccer for small spurts of time.
With decreasing pain you can attempt for longer duration. Do not exert yourself and always practice the most comfortable form of exercise your body can cope. Rehydrate yourself properly with fluids and salts and always have some food before your exert yourself. A glass of juice, milk or fruit platter will also help.

Take care!

[ACE351]

I am a female and i am19 years old, i am a sprinter and I train 3 days a week, I am very fit, healthy and strong. however when i push myself when i am running i start to get really bad stomach cramps, it feels as if the whole of my stomach has a stitch and it hurts when I breathe. It last for about an hour but this only happens when i am pushed.

does anyone know what this may be?
thanks
ACE

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

You need to have healthy diet and have some fruit or juice whenever you are having these workouts, 3 times a week. Glucose also will help you. Rehydrate yourself with proper fluids and salts.

Visit a gastronenterologist for a routine checkup if you continue having symptoms.

Take care!

[birch31]

Hi there, ive been suffering with this problem for years and a friend showed me some realy good exercises to do before I play football and it realy helped I would lay on the floor and stretch mt toes and finger tips out as far as i could then relax and do it again a few times. Also try laying on the floor and then arch your back and push your knuckles into the ground so you can fully strecth your stomach, I forgot to do this yesturday and it was the first time in a long time that it happened to me again , hope this helps. Ian

[mangus]

im also 16, play soccer, have asthma and i have similar pains except mine is more in my bladder area and it is like a burning pain. very uncomfortable and only happens when i also push myself to my limits.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Burning pain in the bladder or while urination can be suspected to be urinary tract infection. Rule out infection, drink enough water, get your urine tested.  

Fluids and salt replacement are very important for an athlete.

Always avoid allergens and take preventive medications for your asthma.

Take care!

[invest6]

This is my first post on this forum.  For the past 3 years I have had a very strange pain in my lower right abdomen and I am really at a loss for what it is.  I'm 26, played college football/baseball, run and exercise regularly, am fit, and eat pretty healthy.  My condition started, as I said, about 3 years ago, when I noticed a strange "gnawing" pain in my lower right abdomen - and what feels like possiblt my back as well.  I thought it was caused by drinking, eating bad foods, etc.  A few key points about the pain: when it sets in I'm usually standing up - and if I stay standing up it continues and really bothers me.  If I sit down, it abates pretty quickly, until I stand up again.  After a lot of tracking to see what sets it off, I'm convinced that working out/exercise is the culprit.  I run/work out about 6 times a week.  There have been times when I have gotten off my routine (I haven't worked out for a week or so) and the pain goes away.  It also depends on the kind of workout I do.  When I strain my back/stomach or run on the treadmill for an extended period of time (30 - 60 min) the pain seems to invariably set in.  In some of my longer runs (60+ min) I've had a little blood in my urine, which I've been told all my life is normal for distance runners.

I had a c/t scan done, an endoscopy, and had blood/urine tests and everything checks out.  However, this pain has really been plaguing me for the past 3 years.  I feel very stuck and would appreciate any guidance.

I haven't shared the fact that I think this pain is set off my exercise with my internist yet, as this is a recent revelation.  However, he doesn't seem to know where to start, so I thought this forum may be more helpful.

I hope someone out there has some kind of answer/suggestion!

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Do you have a healthy breakfast before you work out?

I would suggest you to have a healthy breakfast and also to rehydrate yourself with water and salts after your episode of sweating. Have a balanced diet after discussing with a dietician.

Get your mineral balance checked. Go for an abdominal scan and follow up with a gastroenterologist.Also get your abdominal muscles checked for any problems.

If all your vitals are stable then there is nothing to worry and you can continue your workouts in a reduced way and till you are symptom free. The most important thing for you is diagnosis of your problem and in some cases the pain occurs without any reason and you can only reduce the intensity of workouts and just try different other forms of exercise.

Take care!

[Nicki987]

like many people on this forum, I have suffered from abdominal pains for over a year now. They are worst when I'm running (i run 5 miles 4 times a week) I have tried no exercise for a month, taking ibruprofen before exercise, but it doesn't help. I have had an ultrasound and blood tests, these were both fine, I saw an (extremely harrassed & busy) gastroenterologist who didn't really give me the time of day saying he couldn't feel a hernia or anything.

As for me, I eat relatively heathily, and have tried varying what I consume before running, from nutritious soup to a filling jacket potato, nothing makes a diference.

This pain is constant, ie when i'm at rest, sitting down it feels like something's swollen in my middle-right hand side abdomin (abdomen). Can anyone help me!
Thanks,

Nicki

[quitoquit]

Hello.  Today I ran my first 1/2 marathon.  My training program was a 12 week program, where the farthest distance I ran in one day was 12 miles.  During training, I had no problems.
This morning, I woke up, ate a yogurt, and went to the race.  I drank fluid at every water stop (both water and poweraide), and used sports beans (which I used while training).  Ever since the run was over, now 12 hours later, my stomach has a horrible pain.  I've tried to drink small amount of fluid, and have only been able to eat some chips, and a bagel with peanut butter.  I do have some diarrhea, with small amounts of blood.  But, I know that when you push yourself you can break small blood vessels, that's why I'm seeing the blood.  But the pain.... anyone have any ideas?  I've tried Pepto, and it doesn't seem to be working.  

Any advice would be wonderful!

[searunner]

I am reading this forum because I have been having terrible stomach pains related to digestion after running long distances for 5 or 7 months now.  I was training for a 1/2 marathon and I would come home and eat dinner about an hour later.  First, I found that I need to wait to eat 2 or more hours after running.  Then I found that fiber helps.  For me, I don't have the D problem, but the C problem, which I think is inconsistent with a lot of runners.  As my digestive system is working there is so much pain and cramping sometimes it is unbearable.  After my first 1/2, my pain was so bad that I thought I might need surgery or something.  So, I ate a LOT of fiber tablets and eventually the pain went away.  During training I stuck to a high fiber diet, but that didn't prevent the pain whatsoever.  I have found that dried apricots have more fiber than the fiber tablets you can buy at the store and they taste much better!
I'm still looking for tips on how to prevent this terrible cramping.

[Dr_G402]

One thing as a physical therapist that we see quite often, are Psoas strains that maks themselves as abdominal and back pain. The Psoal is a muscle the runs anteriorly (forward) off the spine and connects into the hip. It's function is hip flexion. So those whose symptoms are reproduced with exercise and running (i.e soccer and football) this is most likely the culprit.
How to treat? Self treatment is very difficult, however some stretching can provide some benefit. Find a clinician who has knowledge in treating the Psoas (or sometimes called the Illiopsoas).

[shanemchamed]

hey iam just 17 year old boy.I have taken 100 abdominal exercise  for the first time.after that i feel pain as it was the first time.i ignored that.but after some time i feeled very pain around my abdomen especially the areas around my bladder.when i asked my friends they suggested me that dont take over exercise for the first time.they also said that improve the amount of exercise slowly.now i feel very pain around my bladder and  very uncomfortable.can any one suggest me please

[almostalice]

I've got the exact same thing, I'm 18 and have been running for years, the last three of which have included cross country and track, and the past two years without fail I've been getting severe stomach cramps about a mile into my runs which force me to stop anywhere from 5-30 minutes. They feel remarkably similar to menstrual cramps, but I know they're definitely not. While they used to occur once every few months when I was 14-16, they now occur every single time I exercise and have steadily been increasing in intensity to the point that I'm afraid to exercise because I know I'll be in incredible pain for at least 20 minutes, and will more than likely vomit as well (a new symptom as of the last month or two).

I've been to a gastro, but naturally, he has no idea what's wrong. It seems like this is one of those things that the doctors can't fully wrap their heads around, and not being able to exercise without wanting to pop a cyanide pill kind of *****.

[DL729]

I am a sixty-three year old woman who ran her first marathon in November 2008. After a bad stomach virus around the first of the year (2009), I started having a lot of abdominal pain. Did not do anything about it until in May 2009 I had to go to the ER with severe abdominal pain and fever. They diagnosed diverticulitis (without a CT Scan), sent me home with some Augmentin and that was supposed to be that. When they did my bloodwork they found that my lipase (pancreatic enzyme) was elevated three times normal so an ultrasound of my pancreas was done. Ultimately, they found that I have some small pancreatic cysts that are pre-malignant. I continued to have terrible abdominal pain and also lost 15 pounds which I could ill afford to lose. After a hospitalization where I was fed through my veins, I came home and managed to gain back the lost weight by packing in three Ensures a day plus meals. However, I am still plagued by abdominal pain that gets worse when I run five or six miles or do 5000 meters on the erg. Also, yoga seems to set it off. All of my doctors have assured me that the cysts in my pancreas are so small that they could not be causing the pain. After reading these posts, I believe that post-exercise abdominal pain is not such a rare thing even though my GI doc does not seem to want to hear about it.  I cannot manage a life without exercise so am trying to deal with the pain but sometimes it is so bad, I have to take something for it. I have found that eating yogurt with probiotics seems to help but I will continue to read this forum to search for other ideas.

[Bloodstone316]

first i would like to say that I never post anything, yet i feel inclined to post on this topic

I as well get all the symptoms (16 years old) and have been to a doctor who has no idea.  I have been to a gasterologist or somthing for 'ulcer' symptoms. no solution.

i also get this on occasion throughout the day if i dont eat.. especially if the first thing i eat is fatty, etc.

i think i know a solution though (at least something to try)
i eat a few tablespoons of mustard after i start feeling these symptoms and it tends to go away pretty quickly...  the more mustard i eat, the quicker it goes away.  


just something to try at least, I know mustard doesnt sound too great, but its way better than that stomach pain!

Let me know if any of you try it and it works for you!

[c4logic]

Unlike most people on this thread I HAVE NEVER had this problem until today. I ate a poor breakfast, didn't drink enough water and trained extremely hard. Halfway through my workout I ate yogurt (dairy), a promax bar and some Gatorade G2. Apparently when your stomach is digesting things, especially things that are already difficult to digest (it's different for everybody), the organs in your body need blood flow to aid in digestion. By exercising so hard you are robbing those organs of the blood flow that is need by redirecting the blood to your muscles. This seems to have what caused my problem today. So you shouldn't eat a lot right before your workout. Eat a sufficient breakfast with snacks throughout the day. The biggest key is not to eat right before your workout and hydrate yourself properly. Hope that helps

[c4logic]

High fiber foods before or during your workout can cause these problems too.

[jbzer49]

For those that have kidney stones, i had pain on my side and back and an ultrsound revealed a lentil sized stone in my kidney.  The doctor gave me some pain killers and told me to go home and wait for me to pass it.  He said I needed to pee through a filter to catch the stone and that the pain would be what a woman experiences giving birth.  Well I saw my wife give birth and I knew I did not want to go through that.  I then went to the internet and found an ad for a product called Uriflow.  I ordered and took this product and the pain went away.  Six months later I went for a physical and tests showed elevated liver enzymes so back to the sonogram I went.  My liver as fine.  I asked the technician to check my kidney and she said I had no kidney stones.  When I feel a slight twinge in my kidney area, I order Uriflow and take it and calcium citrate as a prophylactic ( I live in the desert so drink hard water and get dehydrated).  So far so good.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

Yes the kidney stone pain is very painful. "Typical loin to groin painful burning pain"

Good to know that uriflow did the trick for you but follow up with your kidney specialist and change your diet and have properly treated water in the future. Even with drinking lots of water if you are lucky and the stone is small it passes off in a natural way.

Take care!

[RachelLovesYa]

i used to work out about three times a week. well i have gone almost a year without really working out. i started working out 5 days ago and 4 days ago i had really bad cramps. i was guessing that they were from doing crunches on my first day back in the gym. i worked out the next day and they still hurt but not as much. slowly the pain went away and yesterday it was completely gone. today i worked out again and did ab workouts again and now the pain is the worst of all. it feels exactly like period cramps but my period isn't close so i'm kinda annoyed with this. what should i do?

[HarryKochar]

I have had a similar problem for almost a decade and read this for the first time. It is not as severe as many have complained - all I get is serious bloating and a lot of gas (which could lead to headaches and throwing up ... maybe one in ten times). But no cramps. It happens when I suddenly (without thinking) accelerate my exercise regimen. I have always thought it to be related to hydration ... as once I had the same issue without exercise and that was entirely related to me getting dehydrated.

After reading this, I am thinking of seeing a doctor.

However, there is one thing I have been trying with reasonable success - not to avoid the issue, but control it post-facto. Your mileage and capacity to do this may vary as it is a typical Indian drink made with either Jal Jeera or Pani Poori powder. It is generall used to help with digestion. I mix it in gatorade and within minutes it starts releasing gas much more rapidly, but also relieves you much sooner.

I have also found that walking at a moderate pace ... walk for a minute, relax, walk again ... keep doing it for an hour ... also helps. In general, all walking is good, but this seem to build gas when walking, release gas when resting, and helps finish through the cycle much faster than just lying down.

[Sheen000]

I have found that eating bananas help a lot with this. In high school I went from top 3 runner to last runner because of this problem until my coach suggested eating bananas before running. This is because bananas have a lot of potassium in them and for whatever reason helps. Good luck.

[sjs11]

Im 17 and i just ran a couple miles and my stomach afterwards had unbearable pain much like everyone is describing above. It lasted about twenty minutes.  I got dizzy and somewhat blacked out. I have low iron like someone mentioned above but i am taking iron and my level is ok so i dont think that its causing it and i have asthma but i am very much in shape and can out run a lot of people so i dont think it is related either. I think i am going to go to the doctors to get it checked out and ill let everyone know if i got any answers but if anyone hears anything let me know please.
Thanks,
sjs11

[miki_jayne]

i get this too!!
i play netball and two or so hours after some games i get very strong pains in my belly that come and go, sometimes its a ache and sometimes its like someone is stabbing me. last time i got it i was waitressing and i had to run to the bathroom where i curled up in a heap with tears pouring down my face.. it wasnt nice..
also ( on a bit of the grosser side) ive noticed after netball i can get a sudden urge to really need to fart. if im in a public space and try to hold it in it can get very painful, and i usely have to run to the bathroom. im getting the pains are coming from my intestines too, as i can feel irregual movement when i get the pains in my intestines (hand on my stomach)....
i will try no caffene before games not too much sugar and to stay hydrated and fingers crossed that this works!!

[Maverick6017]

Yeah, I have this same problem and it would seem that after I drink about two bottles of water and maybe a granola bar the pain subsides.  I run moderately fast 5k and the trail I have for myself is a hard trail. Furthermore, I don't sweat much until I stop and it just comes pouring down and then the pain comes after so I did if I drink the (2) waters and put a little something on my stomah I am good. Hope this this helps give it a shot! 3L

[marimba]

Hello Dr. Vinod,

I'm 16, and to be quite honest, I don't exercise daily (or that often) or eat the healthiest. I also don't feast on junk food or watch TV all day either. Well, every once in a while I have the urge to run, like today. I woke up, put on my running clothes, and then ran. I full-out sprinted 100 meters, walked 100 meters, then jogged home. When I got home I took a shower and just like times before I got a sickly feeling in my lower abdomen. I got very uneasy and at times felt like I was going to throw up, so almost like a flu or fever, and then I got extemely light headed. I curled up on the couch for fifteen minutes and then it suddenly went away.

I've gotten similar disgusting feelings when I was running track in the spring but they were never enough that I had to sit down. Always a strange pain near my private parts. I was wondering if maybe I'm just so out of shape that this happens or if something might be wrong. I'd prefer not to see a doctor unless I had to. Also, if something like this can be prevented, or just endured (I'd really like to not have this happen again).

And I thought I'd be good to add in that there's no real health problems in my family. No cancer, diabeties, heart problems, et cetra. Thank you so much.

[GusterBuster]

There is some great stuff here. Thanks everyone for their posts.

I am a 37 year-old male; about 1 - 2 hours after exercising I start getting gas, stomach churning and cramps. Depending on the intensity of the exercise this can last from 1 day to 1 week. It has been occurring since I was about 21 years old.

I saw a gastroenterologist in 1997; he did a barium enema, a barium swallow, a CT scan and an MRI. At the end of all of this he diagnosed me with exercise-induced mesenteric angina. He prescribed nitro-lingual spray, which did give me a headache but did not do anything for the abdominal symptoms. I have also had an ultrasound of my heart and I have worn a monitor for a twenty-four hour period (which included an exercise session); these were both clear.

I have found that if I keep my heart rate under about 150 during cardiovascular exercise (not running - usually riding an exercise bike or using a stairmaster) and go no longer than about 30 minutes, I am okay. I still have some discomfort, but it is manageable. I can also do pushups, situps, chinups and dips for strength work without much difficulty. However, I cannot lift weights without the same kind of pain, or do Yoga, or swim. I am somewhat frustrated with the condition, which seems to be largely ignored by the medical community.

Do you have any thoughts about the tests I should request? I have a decent diet and I am otherwise quite healthy.

Thank you for your time.

Robert

[Siz2741]

This last week or so I have jsut started cross country pre season training. I have been running all summer with no problems but when I started going to practices, I was getting intense stomach problems during and after. Lower stomach craps, intense diharrea, lack of appatite, and barely wanting to drink water. I eat enough during the day and drink a lot of water but still I'm having problems.

[lauren153]

I took the pill for years and didn't get any stomach cramps after running.  I stopped taking it about 6 months again and I am now  back to how I was in my pre pill years as a teenage runner.  I am fine if I don't push myself, but if I do interval training I am fine until I stop and then get intense lower stomach cramps which lead to vomiting and visits to the toilet.  It takes about 15 minutes to go away and then doesn't come back when I go back to the treadmill.  I wish there was a solution as it makes you think twice about wanting to push yourself in your training.

[soccerchick1981]

I am a 29yr old female who plays soccer three to four times a week (with training and matches included). After every session or match (its worse after a match!) i get intense stomache cramps.  It affects me that much that i'm affraid to travel to away matches incase i cant get home in time.  Sometimes I just get Stomach Cramps other time i get D, Vomit and feel really faint as well. I have had an ultra sound scans and polysistic overies showed up. Is it related?

This used to happen to me on a regular basis after (nearly monthly) and I was constantly at the doctors being told it was gastrotinetus or sometimes food posioning although I knew full well that my food intake was good.  I am very careful of what i eat due to these pains.  
2 yrs ago without warning i was crippled with stomach cramps, D & V. I was rushed to hospital where i had my appendix taken out.  After a recovery period I was back to soccer and pain free.  That is until the last 6 months where i feel like i am back to square one. I drink plenty of fluid during training and matches and eat a nutrigrain bar at half time.  

How can i get my life back? I dont want to give up soccer just yet!

[jessewenger]

This is the first night this has ever happened to me.  I also have asthma, and usually have heartburn.  But this pain in my stomach is definitely not heartburn.  Even if it was, I take alka-seltzer for it, and it goes away.

I've got a stomach ache from exercising before tonight.  This hurts a lot.  I'm going to go out on a limb and take a guess.  I think the pain is caused from not doing a proper "warm down."

Doing intense physical exercise and then suddenly stopping might be harder on our bodies then we realize.  My body might be dumping all kinds of kinds of acids and chemicals stored in my fat cells into my system so it can burn it up, but if I suddenly stop, then all that crap just sits there and hurts like heck until my metabolism slowly burns it up.  

Like I said, I also have asthma; and I am 30 years old.  But I am very physically fit and I'm a former Marine.  

If anyone can tell us what the problem is for sure then I would be happy to hear it.  But I would say it's the sudden stop of our physical activities that is causing the problem.  I'll just have to start doing a warm-down, or cool--down, whatever it's called; from now on.

[Volfer]

I am a 23 year old male. I quite often play football or jog atleast 3 times a week. Because of my friends I got the sudden urge to join a gym. I spoke to the instructor mentioning that I was not interested in weight training and i just wanted to lose weight. I did the usual running and cycling. After that he made me to do a series of floor exercises which exerts ur stomach. The ones where u lift ur legs moving up and down and I pushed myself so much on the first day that its been 3 days now and i am in extreme pain in my stomach region.

Its getting difficult for me to reach my feet as it hurts when i bend similarly wen trying to lie down. I have no past stomach pains of this sort but my dad does suffer from kidney stones.

Do i continue only doing my running and cycling or should i take more rest until the pain stops.

[deadgamegrrl]

You are probably experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).  This happens when a muscle (in this case all your abdominal muscles) is overworked to the point of causing microscopic tears in the fiber.  Usually DOMS peaks at about 48 hours after the exercise but in your case you overloaded muscles that had not been used much so its taking longer to recover.
You may find heat, either a hot shower or a heating pad, will help, as will OTC meds like Advil.
If you can run without causing additional pain it should be ok, otherwise just rest until you feel better.
I would also consider getting another instructor.  Good trainers don't push their clients beyond their capacity to the point of pain, especially those new to a training program.
Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!

[Jennyct10]

I had and still do have abdominal pain after using my abs, even doing push ups.  I found that I had diverticulitis, an inflammation of intestinal pouches, and adhesions.  After being treated for the diverticulitis, I felt better, but now it's coming back.  I can't discern whether it could be more adhesions or another attack, or even premenstrual cramps.  After 3 or 4 abdominal cat scans and antibiotics to which I am starting to have reactions to, I want to avoid more testing and drugs.  Guess I will just have to wait it out until it's more obvious.  I also have a kidney stone that's been hanging around for years (I know this from all the testing!)

[marylander38]

I am a 39-year old female and have had stomach cramps after intense workouts for the last 13 years. What has worked for me is to warm up and stretch before working out.  I sometimes do spinning and start growing the intensity little by little but if I feel the stomach cramps, I start lowering the intensity to the minimum until they are gone. Then I move it back up and the stomach cramps are gone. If I ignore the stomach cramps, I start feeling my stomach bloated, I start bleeding as if I was on my period, and I get the chills. I have to go to the bathroom right away and sit there for a while and eventually the pain goes away.

[Jake14H]

I have very similar symptoms to the original comment. It started about 2 years, and has become gradually more frequent. I now suffer from stomach cramps after every game, and training, this is frustrating as you could imagine. I'm well hydrated, I drink the recommended daily amount every day, and eat healthy. I start to feel stomach cramps during my match, they soon fade, and i then get them around 20 minutes after the final whistle. I'm not sure whether it's worth noting that my testicle's feel a bit more sensitive during these pains as well.

[Jac2801]

I also get cramping to my abdo during exercise, similar to period pain. Sometimes the pain goes into my lower back / kidney area. I have got this for years. Not neccessarily after long bouts of exercise but after short intense bursts. I have seen many doctors and none of them have any idea what it is. I am fit and regularly keep well hydrated. I willI document my fluid intake and exercise and test this dehydration theory anyway, will let you know how i go.

[bilaal87]

me also have upset stomach after intense workout and have to get my back cracked to get relief does anyone know about this problem?

[Tricyclist]

Solution to my stomach cramps: I am a triathlete and cyclist. I have had stomach pain after intense workouts for years. This sometimes lasts into the next day. Years ago I started taking Pepto Bismal before a workout (2 tablets a half an hour and an hour before) I also crush four tablets and put it into one of my water bottles. On long runs I'll bring tablets along and take about every hour. I then take tablets every hour or so for a couple of hours after my workouts and this has solved the issue. I have also taken Imodium (immodium) - and that solves the issue pretty well - although has lead to constipation (sorry to be so detailed). Today I had an intense 60 mile ride. It felt like cramps were coming on even with the Pepto afterwards. I took 2 GasX tablets and I have been good since. I will probably add the GasX to my pre-workout regimen and see how that goes.

[gymlovr828]

I used to get stomach pain like that... But then I started drinking 2 bottles of water (33.8 FL OZ) and one with Powerade, the day before I work out. :) It got rid of my stomach aches and headaches. I think u might be dehydrated cuz I love sweets and they havent stopped me from working hard lol Its the water and electrolytes. u lose a lot of them when you sweat...

[17soccer]

I found this thread and some of these posts seem to contain the same symptoms as mine, but it is hard to sort out what can possibly cure my specific situation.

I play soccer 3-6 times a week, and I am usually okay, even during tryouts which has 5 hours of soccer a day for several days.  However, every 3-5 weeks I will have intense pain in my stomach while playing, which becomes gas, which can sometimes even become diarrhea.  The pain quickly disappears when I sit down as long as it has not reached the gas or diarrhea stage, and the stomach pain is more sever the more strenuous my movements.  I doubt doubt its dehydration since I make sure to drink plenty of water. The pain feels more like my stomach is empty than that I am still digesting food I recently ate.  I have had no sweets for three years, but I do eat a high fiber diet, so I am considering cutting back on how much fiber I eat because it might be the cause.  Any answers would be appreciated!

[atwitsend89]

okay, so I've had the exact same problem as everyone else- I play soccer too, I run cross country, I exercise, I've always eaten a lot of sugar, but it never affected me until I got a little older. I'm 22 and I don't exercise anymore cuz it really hurts.

I think I found a solution.

Someone earlier in the post mentioned psoas muscle strains. this guy
http://collinsdc.com/blog/2008/07/02/psoas-strain-and-back-pain/
talks about what the psoal muscle is, or illiopsoas muscle (who the heck knows what that is) and explains things that basically match up to what everyone is saying. I'm SUPER EXCITED I found this because I've been browsing the internet for the past two years trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I'll try out their recommendations (making sure I'm hydrated and stretching the muscle- (pictures here at the bottom of the page: http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/10428650/hip-flexor-strain-hip-flexor-injury-iliopsoas-.htm) and let you know if it works

this makes the most sense, because I've always eaten the same and always pushed myself (for someone who is used to running at least four miles per day in the blazing sun, I shouldn't just randomly go into pain- but the muscle gets strained I guess, from overuse- and we all eventually overuse our muscles if we play intense sports).

anyway, the dummy version (don't quote me on this, I'm no doctor- I'm just an athlete) is that the muscle connects from the front of your spine, down through your pelvis and onto the inside of your hip, I guess. If the muscle isn't working right (strained or overused or weak) then you have to fix it. It affects all sorts of things, like back pain, hip movement, etc. I found, as I read more on the muscle, it all correlates to things that have been disrupting my life patterns (bad posture, horrible abdominal pain when exerting self during exercise, back pain, clicking hip- ya I know it's weird). anyways, I hope this works, cuz it correlates with everything people have been posting- drink lots of water, stretch your stomach, etc.

some of the sites recommend you should see a physical therapist, and they can also see if anything is torn, but personally, I'm fed up with all the doctors I've gone to who don't know what they're talking about (though I never tried a physical therapist- I always thought it was a stomach problem). Hopefully this works, cuz I'm sick of people acting like I'm crazy and asking, "Are you sure it's not just a side stitch/sideache?" duh, I'm an athlete, I think I know what a side ache feels like haha. I'll post when I see if this solves the problem. Thanks!

p.s. I think it's great that the nickname atwitsend was already taken, haha. apparently you have to be really flustered to post on one of these things

[Jules17003]

I am an R.N. and my 17/18 year old daughter has been having severe cramping that tends to get worse the second half of intense soccer or field hockey games.  It only comes on under very intense exercise of long duration and lasts a couple hours after stopping.  She also says that her stomach gets bloated during the game. She has had this for about 6 months or so.  I can remember that It all started after she was on a couple rounds of different antibiotics for a sinus infection that kept hanging on.  I suspected that her normal flora in her digestive tract was killed off but since she would go weeks without complaining again, I just let it go because I thought it resolved itself.  It hasn't so I am going to try giving her broad spectrum probiotics and digestive enzymes twice a day and lots of Activia yogurt to build up her normal healthy flora again.  It may take a little while until she feels completely back to normal.  I will let you know how she makes out.

[Jules17003]

I am an R.N. and my 17/18 year old daughter has been having severe cramping that tends to get worse the second half of intense soccer or field hockey games.  It only comes on under very intense exercise of long duration and lasts a couple hours after stopping.  She also says that her stomach gets bloated during the game. She has had this for about 6 months or so.  I can remember that It all started after she was on a couple rounds of different antibiotics for a sinus infection that kept hanging on.  I suspected that her normal bacterial flora in her digestive tract may have been killed off by the antibiotics but since she would go weeks without complaining again, I just let it go because I thought it resolved itself.  It hasn't so I am going to try giving her broad spectrum probiotics and digestive enzymes twice a day and lots of Activia yogurt to build up her normal healthy flora again.  It may take a little while until she feels completely back to normal.  I will let you know how she makes out.

[guity]

Too bad Dr. Vinod seems to have gone away...He was a very helpful soul...Since my kidney stones got lithotripsied for the 2nd time, I have been running as much as I want without getting stomach/pelvic pains.  It really helped to get Dr. Vinod's comments -- hope you come back again, Dr.!

[lovelylbb1999]

I love to exercise everyday of the week 2-3 hours, but one day I do rest.  I started having this some pain in the abdominal/stomach area.  I had it for about a week.  It happened when I cooked something wrong and when I eat I will feel like I was going to throw up but I couldn't.  On Tuesday night my head was hurting, but I felt better the next day.  I still have the pain, so I wonder what it is?  When I exercise I feel better, but it hurts a little when I do the abs?  What should I do about it?  

[wmh526]

I recently worked out really hard in a 2 hour cycle class.  I have had the same issues of menstrual like pain before following intense exercise, but this was debilitating.  I had to pull my car to the side of the road and call 911.  The cramps were what I imagine labor cramps to be and I had bleeding from the vagina.  I was given two doses of Demerol (which took the edge off but did not stop the cramping) I was then given a muscle relaxant and finally three agonizing  hours later RELIEF!

I have done a ton of web browsing on this and I think I have figured it out (not a doctor) but this makes SO much sense.

The pain from your period is thought to be the result of uterine contractions, caused by prostaglandins (a hormone-like substance, normally found in your body). Prostaglandins are known to stimulate uterine contractions.

Intense exercise/stress itself increases prostaglandin production.

Prostaglandin gel is actually given to women to INDUCE labor and it may even stimulate mild contractions and, for some women, this is enough to start labor.

Why taking ibuprofen may help.

It is aProstaglandin inhibitor
Aspirin is a mild prostaglandin inhibitor, another prostaglandin inhibitor is ibuprofen.

So I think the body gets super stressed, produces too much prostaglandins which wreak havoc on the uterine muscles and basically make you feel like you are in labor.  The fact that some folks have spotting clearly distinguishes these cramps from being just normal muscle cramps – they are MENSTRUAL cramps caused by the Prostaglandins.

Also, the one thing all of us complaining about this have in common is “period-type cramping” this leads me to believe there is nothing structural about this, rather something biochemical as a result of intense exercise.

I really think I am on to something here that is missing from the internet conversations.  Anyone who is seeing an OB/GYN about this – it would be great if you could run my theory by them and return their input.

[ChucksMuscles]

I have experienced stomach and esophogeal pains like you.  One morning I drank some moderately strong coffee and I felt like my stomach got electrocuted with caffeine, stress and tension.  I have doing high intensity running on a treadmill by sprinting 10-14 mph with a 3-7% incline slope, however, the irritation and vibration of the sprint running for 1-2 minutes per interval has aggravated my gastrointentinal track.  I can not consume caffeine currently because of the higher stomach acid secretions during sprint running; I almost fainted a few times!

[dao4deuce]

Try doing more core workouts to build up those muscles. I find if I am not doing ab and glute workouts, my stomach will hurt for the next day or so. This is mainly due to the fact that when you really push yourself in soccer or running, your core is really important to keep the rest of your body working properly and keeping your form and posture.  Try doing crunches, squats, leg lifts and lunges in a regular regime. You will, of course, get stomach and glute pains from them at first, but it will be rewarding in the long run.

[futuresailor]

Hi peeps, I'm looking at the list of posts here and a lot of good info was posted, so I thought I would give it a whirl too to see if I can get some answers too.

Some backround: I am 28 years old, I was an athlete in high school, but after leaving high school I stopped training like an athelete and gained weight, about 15-20 lbs over 10 years. All of it went to my gut. I recently enlisted in the Navy, so I got a gym membership and started taking my fitness seriously.

I went from not working out.......period.......to working out 2-3 times a week for about an hour and a half at a time. I start off with stretching, I start with the Military requirements of 30 pushups/and SITUPS in 2 minutes. Keep in mind that I havent done regualr situps for almost 10 years. After that I go and run a 1.5 miles in 15-20 min on the treadmill. Then I go and and shoot hoops on the Baskeball court in pickup games (which can burn a lot of energy depending on how many games I play). Sometimes I go back to the treadmills and walk another mile or so. I keep myself hydrated at all times, before and after workouts.

So my problem is my stomach, its been lasting since about Christmas time, probably since I started the heavy situps (about a month ago) I have been feeling like there is a huge weight in my stomach, constant pressure, I have been passing gas way more often, and have been passing stool 3 to 4 times a day vs once a day before. Also some minor vomitting when eating certain food combinations.

Am I working to hard? Is it my diet? Is it growing pains of my stomach growing muscle back or my stomach shrinking?

[dalyjt]

my 17 yr old daughter has experienced sever cramping/pain/vomiting after running a 60 race.  just went to a PT who specializes in pelvic floor pain, particularly women.  she diagnosed her with connective tissue restriction and has prescribe myofasical release, which is basically massaging the affected area in her stomach.  lots of info on the web regarding connective tissue restrictiona and myofascial release.

[wazzu]

I have those problems a lot too, commonly reffered to as a side ache. they get pretty intense and coaches always say to put your hands on top of your head and drink water slowly (too much to fast can result in more pains) I have been getting the same pain in a different location and it feels like menstral cramps (even when im not on mine) the pain lasts around five minutes and its impossible to stand up strait and painful to use the muscles needed to go to the bathroom. any ideas what it is?

[cassandramarie]

I get the exact same thing and i suspect it is related to ovarian cysts. I am going to get an ultrasound done. Do you have a history of ovarian cysts?