Lower abdominal muscle strain... how to treat it?

could actually be a sports hernia, or pubalgia. The pain typically is just what you describe.

a sports hernia is not actually a hernia - it is a misnomer. It is a tear, I believe, of a piece of something. The pain moves around from the lower abdomen down to your groin and often around the top of your right leg.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=559820

I have something like what you are describing - no pain except when I race, or run more than 60 minutes, or sit in a chair for an hour.

I am trying to run through it - it isn't slowing me down yet, so I continue.

I lost 7 months to symptoms you described. By the time I finally admitted to myself I had to stop running, I was in agony each time I sneezed or coughed. But hey, I got Boston in that spring before quitting -- I was winning as Sheen would say! I know, focking, idiot. But the pain would diminish several miles into a run and wouldn't return until I cooled down. So why stop running?

A physical therapist put me on this regimen:

http://www.udel.edu/PT/PT%20Clinical%20Services/journalclub/sojc/04_05/oct04/Holmich.pdf

following the active training program, which probably saved my running career. I substituted this (http://www.amazon.com/Fitness-Quest-17700-4C-Exercise-Machine/dp/B000SSLEXQ)for the Fitter rocker and got a little creative for some of the other exercises, too.

At first I tried limited running while recovering, but twice during the first four months I built back up to 15-20 miles and the sharp pain returned until finally I just went down completely for about 3 months, while continuing the above regimen.

For the first six months after returning to running, I avoided all speed work, but managed to build up to 60 mpw without back sliding, although, the soreness didn't go away completely until the end of this period, over a year since I had begun to mend.

I've run into other runners with similar symptoms, who in fact had hernias. Their stories of being operated on one week and returning to running the following week left me envious.

I would do surgery, but it costs $10,000 minimum and my insurance won't pay.

agip wrote:

I would do surgery, but it costs $10,000 minimum and my insurance won't pay.

Surgery can't be THAT expensive.

pain in the wrote:

I somehow strained my very lowest abdominal muscle on my right side, all the way down where my pubic hair is.

Don't strain so hard next time you're in the bathroom.

Hey I've been wondering about the holmich protocol. All the exercises make sense except for the "one leg cross country ski" coordination exercise. What the heck is that? HOw does it work?

Wanna bet?

dont think so wrote:

agip wrote:

I would do surgery, but it costs $10,000 minimum and my insurance won't pay.

Surgery can't be THAT expensive.

mister bear wrote:

Hey I've been wondering about the holmich protocol. All the exercises make sense except for the "one leg cross country ski" coordination exercise. What the heck is that? HOw does it work?

I started by standing on the floor on one leg, while swinging the other leg from front to back with the opposite arm swinging in sync with the leg. Progressed to doing this on a wobble board, then began roller blading for short easy distances in the neighborhood.

It keeps the abs/groin active and limber.

Did you use the slide board for the skating movements? Is there a break/recovery between the “ five times 1 min continuous work” ?

Any updates on your condition?

I'm glad I popped in here. I was going to mention to be very careful, whatever you do. I had the same thing happen to me, which I traced back to doing strides while I was having other issues (probably stemming from a hamstring problem) which caused me, purposely, to change my stride in order to complete a set. Stupid, but it was going on two years since I could even do strides, which are essential, in my opinion, to good running. So, I was desperate.

Anyway, that's how it started. The pain was very, very minor at first, and very gradually got worse, until it was quite painful, and sneezing would darn near put me in tears if I didn't get in a bent over position. But, I continued to run for months, thinking it would eventually go away.

Finally, it got the best of me mentally. I just got tired of being in pain all the time and decided to stop running, for good if need be. Well, fast-forward two months and I'm starting back up, and feeling fairly good. Still not sure if that is going to continue, though. I ran 60k last week, and will probably end with that much this week as well.

All that, just to say, be careful, and honest. I wish I would have gotten things under control earlier. I missed my marathon because of it (did get some unrelated things checked off my "rainy day" list though).

Brent. wrote:

The pain was very, very minor at first, and very gradually got worse, until it was quite painful, and sneezing would darn near put me in tears if I didn't get in a bent over position. But, I continued to run for months, thinking it would eventually go away.

I just got tired of being in pain all the time and decided to stop running, for good if need be.

Same here, been doing the Holmich for a few weeks. Feel a little better but realize that it's going to be a lot longer. In mod 2 phase, each session takes time but it will be worth it if healed.

Hello. I have pain that is like the pain reported here. It started after playing flag football in August of 2011. I then was diagnosed with two hurnias and had them repaired in early November. The hurnia repair seems to be fine though I still have the pain that I was experiencing prior to the surgery. I suspect the hurnias are not what was causing the root issue. This is very frustrating. The majority of the pain comes when I use the core muscles. Sprinting, pull-ups, sit-ups, and doing multiple pushups cause the pain in my very lower right abdomen. I have been jogging about 10 miles a week for about 3 weeks now and the pain is minimal though I feel slight discomfort at times. My Dr. told me that it must be muscular and that it will take time to heal. Just continue exercising and take Ibuprofen to bring down inflammation. I'm going to keep doing as the Dr said though I'm concerned since I rested for about 2 Months after the surgery and the pain still exists. Please advise if you have run into this to give me hope that it will eventually heal. Thanks.

I'm experiencing the same. Did you solve this issue? Thanks.

You are recommending surgery for a lower Rectus Abdominal strain ?????? You dont know if its a grade 1,2 or 3. You dont even know if it is a strain vs an inguinal hernia. You obviously dont know that a grade 1 or 2 strain is not an operable condition. Is there anything on this subject you do know that would warrant such an extreme and ridiculous suggestion ????

Mike Vandeer wrote:

You are recommending surgery for a lower Rectus Abdominal strain ?????? You dont know if its a grade 1,2 or 3. You dont even know if it is a strain vs an inguinal hernia. You obviously dont know that a grade 1 or 2 strain is not an operable condition. Is there anything on this subject you do know that would warrant such an extreme and ridiculous suggestion ????

Thanks for finally saying this. For the last two years we've been anxiously waiting for your input.

What we have is a sports hernia. Surgery to repair this is upwards of 30k actually.(from what I hear they open you up with no idea what is actually wrong, its a shortening/lengthening of the muscles, like a piano)

You need a Massage therapist to work the muscles in the lower abdominal area to cure this, maybe even a chiro based on your area of pain. The basic function is within the hip, groin, lower abdominal regions Each area is affected by the other and from my understanding certain muscles, ligaments and so forth are not working correctly, which overworks some and leaves the others out to dry.

A massage therapist is where this comes to play. They are able to regenerate the correct firing sequence of all muscles. While it hasn't healed my injury thoroughly, it has moved from my left hip/leg/groin region to the full lower abdominal area. Which makes sense that all these muscles in the lower abdominal region are starting to fire correctly. Or I HOPE.

A sports hernia requires a surgical intervention. It won't heal on its own. But there needs to be a mechanism and running rarely causes it. You need to get a surgeon who repairs these things to diagnose you. if it is not a sports hernia, it will need to be shut down for a month or so. My bet is not a sports hernia, but you keep aggravating it. Don't stretch it. Been there; it's a slow road.

Iam going through this exact scenario as the others on this thread. A few things are helping. First ice the area, LIGHT stretches, replacing running with stationary bike or elliptical to keep up my cardio and finally taking end arnica Montana. This is an excellent herb that you find at a health food store for reducing inflammation and bruising. It comes in pill form or cream.

Cheers

Cheech

I'm a runner and I pulled my lower abdominal muscle in June of 2012 while playing softball. I went to a physical therapist and was told i had a sports hernia. I took me a long time to get over it. I rested it for several weeks and tried almost everything...icing it did nothing, working my core abdominal muscles at the gym only irritated it and made it worse. Here is what finally strengthened it and got me back to 100%: Around January of 2013, i started doing leg strength exercises at the gym. I've always gone to the gym on a regular basis, but i always focused on my chest, shoulders, back and core...ignoring my legs (stupid). As soon as i started doing leg exercises, my sports hernia slowly got better. Here are the exercises i did: lunges, squats and step ups with dumbbells. I feel the long leg lunges helped me the most...i could really feel the pain in my lower abdominal/pubic area getting stretched out and feeling "worked" as i did them. If you're suffering what you believe to be a sports hernia...start slowly with the lunges. First do them with no resistance or weights, then begin doing them with 5 pound dumbbells in each hand, then 10 pound, 15 pound, and work your way up. If you've recently injured yourself with this sports hernia, you should probably wait a few weeks before doing lunges and leg exercises. I wish i would have started mine a little sooner, but i probably began doing these 7 months after my injury. I'm so happy I discovered this and it allowed me to get back to 100%. My advice to you: start working your legs. if you don't do anything, this injury will not go away, it will only linger and make your sports life miserable.