Sharp stomach pain?

[highflyers14]

Hello, my name's Jessica and I'm 14 and need some help! I've been playing volleyball ever since I was little and about a year ago I had this very very  sharp pain in my stomach while we were conditioning. It was the most painful stomach cramp in my life! The area where it hurt was very spesific and when it reocurrs its always in the same spot, on my right side of my stomach in the middle of my belly button and my hip bone, if you drew a diagonal line from my belly button to my hip bone it would be right in the midde. (Sorry thats the best I can describe it!) When the pain first occured I grabbed at the area and pulled my skin away from my body in my fist and that barely did anything but it somehow helped. I was hunched over the pain was unbareable! It was like someone stabbing me with a knife, and twisting it around until I would sit down or stop doing the exercises. After about a month of this weird thing, (occuring at practice) sometimes I would get the sharp pain randomly for a minute or two while I was sitting down but it would go away until practice, but finally we went to the doctor. After she pushed on the tender area she decided to get an ultra sound of it. After those results came back they showed a little bruising but the advice was take some Aleve when it comes on and just keep an eye on it for a few weeks. If it persists, call the doctor. Well being from my family, if it improves even in the slightest way, just grin and bare it. Over the summer I didnt do much volleyball so the pain didnt really come that often. Slowly working my way back in to volleyball.. here's the pain only now a milder pain has come with it on the other side, just a bit lower though. Now the area is almost constantly tender.. doing simple exercises will cause it to flare up. I would like my life to be normal again! Im tired of this pain and I NEED it to be treated! If you have even the slightest idea of what this is please help! I am in desparate need and I plan to see my doctor soon.
PLEASE HELP. ):

Thank you.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
This kind of pain can be due to side stitches, muscle strain or an inflamed appendix. It can be due to side stitches or muscle sprain. Side stitches on this side occurs due to friction caused by the movement of liver against the diaphragm. Coordination of breathing and stepping pattern may help.

If it is due to muscle sprain or strain, application of alternate warm and cold compresses and over the counter non steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic (pain reliever) like acetaminophen may be useful. Application of muscle relaxant on the part also helps.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[gymdandee]

It is important to know that this type of injury can take some time to heal (time will depend on the severity of the injury). Often in the case of a complete muscle tear the pain is instant and very intense. The pain description most patients give is knife-like or sharp pain at the site of injury. The pain results from abdominal muscle strain - lower/upper - symptoms, treatment, preventionmicro-tears in the musculature that occurs during torsion (twisting) movements. Other common signs and symptoms of an abdominal strain or tear can be tenderness and inflammation over the area.

Unfortunately, basically everything we do during the day is aided with the contraction of the abdominal musculature, since it is an important muscle of core stabilization. As a result, an abdominal muscle strain can cause pain all day long, and any movement involving flexion of the trunk can also cause an increase in pain. Examples of this are as simple as sitting up or getting out of bed in the morning.

Muscle strain grades

     1st Degree: Minimal damage to the muscle, tendon, or musculotendinous unit
     2nd Degree: Partial tear to the muscle, tendon, or musculotendinous unit
     3rd Degree: Complete disruption to the muscle, tendon, or musculotendinous unit

One of the reasons it can take so long to recover is because you constantly use the muscles while breathing; and, as I mentioned above, we use our abdominal musculature in basic stabilization throughout the day. However, it is possible to have a minor strain that can heal in a relatively short period of time, if the appropriate steps are taken.

Another result of abdominal muscle weakness is an increase of the lumbar curvature (hyperlordosis), which in many instances can lead to low back pain. If a complete tear of the musculature occurs there is also a possibility of a further complication, such as a hernia.
Abdominal Muscle Strain Treatment

Kinesio-taping, although fairly new, has been shown to have great results with this type of injury. The specific method of kiabdominal muscle strain treatment - kinesio taping | upper, lowernesio-taping depends on which muscle has sustained the injury and can be determined by your doctor.

an oblique injury, The external oblique muscle fibers run downward and medial (toward one another), and they cooperate in the flexion of the trunk by resisting one another. If the fibers on only one side are contracted, then the action performed is lateral flexion and rotation of the trunk to the opposite side.

The kinesio-taping method for this type of injury is fairly simple. For an external oblique injury your doctor would find the muscle in question and apply specialized tape in the direction of the fibers. Do not read this and think you can tape yourself. Remember you must use a specific type of elastic tape, and the application and direction of the tape is very important. If the taping is done properly it will provide increased stability to the area. If done improperly it can result in an ineffective treatment.

One of the other most effective types of treatment for this injury is everyone's favorite advice: ice it and rest it. After the initial injury, apply ice to the area in question quickly to prevent it from further developing unnecessary swelling. The second part of the recommendation, rest, is of course the last thing any athlete wants to hear, but it is an important step in the recovery process. Remember that with an injury like a muscle strain, if you do not give your body time to heal then you can damage the muscle further or risk tearing the already weakened muscle all together.

Supplementation

There is no quick fix for an abdominal muscle strain. However, there are supplement protocols out there to help reduce inflammation and promote healing.

     Many studies have shown that ginger root has many benefits, one of which is the reduction of inflammation. Many traditional herbal practitioners use ginger root to aid in the treatment of arthritis, bursitis, and ulcerative colitis, all of which are inflammatory conditions.
     Omega Fatty Acids are also very beneficial in the healing process.
    *Vitamin C and other bio flavinoids are also beneficial in the healing of connective tissues.

Abdominal Muscle Strain Prevention

The best things you can do to prevent an abdominal muscle strain is to properly train your body. You may ask yourself, then why do professional athletes suffer from this injury? Are they not properly trained? Well in most instances yes, they are properly trained; however, it is also possible to strain or tear the muscle from abdominal muscle strain prevention | symptoms and treatment | upper, lowerover training your body. The best way to prevent injury is to consult your doctor or trainer and set up a program that helps to strengthen your core. Some common exercises for this can be done on the physio-ball and many are free weight exercises such as the plank maneuver.

Another important prevention method is to make sure you have the appropriate technique when performing your exercises. Whether you are swinging a bat or lifting weights in the gym, having the correct technique is very important to protecting the body from injury. If you want to take it a step further, you can see your practitioner or a sports therapist to see if there is a muscle imbalance or something altering your posture that may have a weakening effect on your core.