burning abdominal pain while playing tennis

During very strenuous tennis practice I get a terrible burning sensation in my abdomen.  I've been to my gastroenterologist. I've had an endoscopy and colonoscopy plus abdominal mri.  Nothing shows anything unusal.  I've also had a cardiology workup.  My gastroenterologist is telling me to simply cut back on the workout.  He thinks the only thing left is to be evaluated by a pulmonologist.  What are your thoughts?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. With a normal gastro evaluation possibilities that may need to be considered include muscle fatigue/ injury, dehydration, referred pain from other regions etc. I would suggest following your doctor’s advice of cutting back on the work out and indulging in warm up and cool down exercises before and after the work out. It is also important to keep the body adequately hydrated during the workout. If these measures do not seem to help your may consider an evaluation by an internist for a detailed evaluation and suggestion of an appropriate management plan.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!