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Stomach muscle spasms under rib cage

For about fourteen years my stomach muscles below my rib cage on left side, the muscle spasms, charlie horses, has a numb spot and sometimes has a crawling feeling.  I have tried loosing weight, excersise also had a cat scan in 2005, no hernia, or any other problem.  It is getting worse lately for about a year maybe a little more.  It is everyday all day sitting, bending cause charlie horse like effect.  Standing no problems unless I bend in anyway.  This started when I was pregnant with my youngest son.  It felt like he was trying to push his foot up through my stomach right below my rib on the left.  This is really stopping me from doing a lot of things.  I can't do any excersise that requires bending because of it.  I would appreciate any answers I can get.
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Avatar universal
Man...all posted having the same issue, and not a single solution. Color me discouraged...my poor husband is having this problem, went n bought every suggested vitamin yesterday, but until they really get into his system to help, I was hoping to find tips on what to do during these attacks to stop the cramping or at least help some! Been all over, all sites are this same thing: so many with this problem - no answers for them. This is awful, and I'm on a mission now - I'll come back n tell you all if I find out anything!
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Avatar universal
i,just had another muscle cramp happens undr rib cage both sides feels like labor pain all I can do,,a try to breath takes all I have out of me been happening mpre,frequent but they go away after 30 minutes or so but they hurt so bad I want to cry.
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1 Comments
can anyone answer this please
Avatar universal
Hi Everyone!

I too have these  spasms/cramps under my rib cage and sometimes along my spine or along my sides.  They happen when I twist or bend...and are excruciating!  I don't remember ever having them until after I had my child in 2006.  I have asked countless doctors about this...I always seem to get a blank look and they just ignore me.  Once I was being examined by my Gyno and had to have her stop several times so I could stretch out the cramp.   She never said a word about them...go figure.   Then I had to get on cholesterol medicine, so doctors have attributed my cramps to that med...but I'm pretty sure they started after having my son.    I've seen several posts about having that in common too.     I do remember him seeming to jam himself up against my ribs all the time...ha     Anyways,  

FINALLY  this last year I made a doctor really listen....whether because of the cholesterol medicine or not (who cares at this point right?)...she told me to try taking CoQ 10 and Vitamin D3.   I must say my cramps have definitely lessened.  I still get them...hence me still doing research on the problem, just not as often.  You might try this...what do you have to lose?

I'd be very interested to know if this combo has helped anyone else.   I noticed a difference before 2 weeks was up...please keep me informed about yourselves.
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Avatar universal
I have had stomach spasms in my upper stomach / rib cage area for the last several years. It feels like my upper stomach is in a vice and someone is squeezing it as hard as they can. It is quite debilitating as I am unable to breathe, move or function when I am having an attack. It can last for a short time or for a very long time as the latest attack has been for over 1 week. I have lost time off of work and from major events due to it. I have been doctoring for a long time with this and my doctor is not sure what it could be. I have had many tests including xrays, ultrasounds, nuclear scan, MRI, breath tests and upper and lower GI test as well. There has been no Diagnosis. My mom was recently diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her duodenum and it scares me as we share the same symptoms and in the same areas. I am going to be getting a referral to a major local hospital for a second opinion to hopefully get some answers as I cannot continue to live with this or like this. If anyone has any answers or possible ideas or anything that may help figure this out, I would greatly appreciate it! Please feel free to send me a private message or post to let me know what you might be able to help with. Thank you so much.
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Avatar universal
hello, i was looking up muscle pains and found your posts.  I too have this pain on my right and left sides below my ribs.  It feels like a pinchy burning numb pulling pain and sometimes causes a cramping feeling.  I had this pain 25 years ago when i had my tubes tied after my second child was born. It just went away on its own.  This time i had ischemic colitis in November and Had a colonoscopy.  When i came home from hospital this pain came back. Bending and exercise seems to aggrivate it more. I told my gasterologist when i went for follow up.  He said it is not colon related and ischemic  colitis is gone. He put my on probiotics and said it is probably gas and my abdominal wall muscles and nerves are sensitive.  I was starting to feel good again but it came back today when I started to work out.  
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Avatar universal
Wow, I have the above mentioned symptoms as well, happening after a hard delivery 2 years ago. Wondering do any of you also experience discomfort after eating? I'm regularly taking anti acid tablets which don't really fix my sense of uncomfortableness. I also went through a stage of excruciating constipation, it took me hours. After trying all sorts of things I found Ayurvedic medicine triphala powder really sorted out my constipation, but I still have the crippling muscle spasms under both sides of my rib cage. Personally I think it's something to do with the intestines/ top of the bowel, and as suggested above smaller meals do help..
Anyone with any new information please share with me.
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Avatar universal
I have also been suffering from these muscle spasms under rib cage for twenty years since pregnancy; there diffinately seems to be a link between the two when reading other peoples blogs. I'll try to eat more bananas and see if it improves
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Avatar universal
I have had this same problem for about 20 r so years, i have asked many doctors about it and have never got an answer, so people just be ready to deal with this for a long time. I have tried almost everything to figure out what causes it to happen, and so far the only thing that has helped any at all is i have started eating smaller meals and snack on something in between. So i am guessing that it has something to do with our intestines.
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Avatar universal
Look up descending colon spasms and potassium deficiency. If you aren't eating 7 bananas a day, you like 99.9% of the rest of us Americans aren't getting enough potassium, and I have suffered from this before. It's very very uncomfortable. It's ok to take multiple of the 3% of your daily allowance vitamins that they sell over the counter. I take 8 pills twice per day with meals and lots of water to wash them down. It only give me like 48% of my daily allowance however, so bananas, potatos, prunes/prune juice, or OJ are also great support for this.
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Avatar universal
The first thing I'd do is get on a hefty does of magnesium citrate as that is the spasm reducer they use in hospitals in IV's for many things including stopping early labor pains. And don't be afraid to read up on how much of an epidemic there is in our country of the deficiency of this. And then look into Potassium deficiency as well, then calcium if you get tingling sensations in your lips/tongue/jaw or numbness as well.
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Avatar universal
I have this as well.  It started 8 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter.  It has never gone away.  It can do many things, tighten up so tight if I cough wrong.  Or just be a nagging burning pain while I do the dishes.  I try to stretch to make it go away but doesn't really help much.
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Avatar universal
I have muscle spasms or charlie horses around my rib cages on both sides, that just makes me freeze as it is difficult to breathe or even move cause it hurts so bad.  My doctor said I was lacking in calcium, magnesium and zinc.  So I have been taking those vitamins once a day for the last year and the attacks are more often now. I had my gall bladder removed in 2006 so I don't know if this type of thing is an after affect or not. The rest of the emails above are about muscle spasms in the stomach area, below the rib cage. Mine is happening inside my rib cage.

begee99705
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Avatar universal
I, too, experience abdominal muscle spasms. I don't work out but every time I bend down to pick up something or if taking a bath, reach to wash my feet, my stomach muscle will spasm and all I can do is bend backwards and wait! I have talked to many, many Doctors about times and they basicly just blow it off. My biggest fear is if I have a stroke and am unable to communicate, that I might have these cramps and no one will be able to help me bend to get rid of the pain. I have toldmy daughter about this fear I have. My mother also would get these muscle spasms and would cry  out with pain.
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1 Comments
if you're having a stroke your concern would not be on the muscle spasms
Avatar universal
Hi Lauren

Did the doctors ever find out what the pain was? I have the same pain and my doctors keep giving me the run around.

val
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Avatar universal
I have the same thing!  I had my gall bladder removed last Feb and this week I started feeling everything that you describe.  I just got over H1N1 and a nasty sinus infection.  Had to go to ENT for continued hoarseness of my voice & he is sending me for a barium esophorgram (sp?) in the AM.  I am hoping the test my reveal the cause of the sensations I am having under my ribs on the left side.  At least I know I am not alone.
I will let you know if I hear anything useful.

Lauren
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Avatar universal
This is exactly what i have. Been seeing doctors for 5 years. No answer. It seems to be worse now. after one of these charlie horse attacks now it hurts for months now. I feel your pain.
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