Q: Why am I Getting Stomach Cramps? (problem solved)
Dear Readers of ALF,
I’ve been having a problem, on and off, throughout the past 12 years of my running career, and its pissing me off so I want to submit to the running community for some insight.
Since I was 17, I’ve been getting stomach cramps, always in the same spot (slightly above my belly button and a little to the right). Usually they come on during long tempos or VO2 max workouts. It shortens and shortens and shortens my stride and makes it impossible to breathe properly. When I push through it, (which I usually try to do) eventually I’m hunched over running like a 92 year old, and I end up sore for days. In extreme cases, I feel it shoot through to my back and then down under the iliac crest. If I stop and stretch it out, most of the time I can make it go away as quickly as it came. Sometimes it returns later, but not always.
I’ve had years where its very infrequent, and periods of time where it happens A LOT. Lately, I can get sore in the area 15-30 minutes after a meal, without even working out.
So there’s my problem, peeps! I have great faith in the collective wisdom of the running community. Got an inkling of what road I should start sniffing down? Researching online makes me think I have every disease known to man, so I’d rather ask people based on their experiences. What you got for me?
-L-Train
A:
The most recent diagnosis is posted at the top! Looks like the problem is solved!
8/3/11 diagnosis: Stomach ulcer with possible visceral and muscular fascia disturbances resulting from training through it for a long time.
I had an ultrasound of the abdomen that showed normal organs and thankfully no gall stones or kidney stones. I had less than a week before the next race, so there was no time for more advanced scans, so Dr. Lorenzo at Pure Sports Medicine in London suggested we treat it as an ulcer and if it improved within two days, we’d know it was the right diagnosis. Sure enough, with some acid suppressants and an altered diet (no alcohol, coffee, black tea, or spicy foods) I felt like a new woman!
Concurrently, I saw Alex Fugalo twice, an osteopath in London at Beyond Health, for body work. He is a visceral therapist and he did a lot of work releasing my diaphragm and intercostal muscles between the ribs. He also helped free up my liver from the ribs, which was sticking a bit.
Our team massage therapist, Jon Murray, took over from there to make sure I was nice and loose before my London race, and I had a pain free race!
The final thing to do is to get a blood test to see if my ulcer is caused by a bacteria that causes recurring ulcers (responsible for 70-90% of ulcers). People that have the bacteria can solve the problem by taking an antibiotic.
I miss coffee so bad it hurts, but not as much as an ulcer does!
_____________________________________________________________
Older Update from 7/23/11: The problem is very near being solved, thanks to all the awesome help provided on here. I can’t thank you guys enough!
I went to a doctor in France and we couldn’t communicate at all due to the language barrier, so he laid me down on the exam table, tapped my stomach like a drum and said “GAS!” and sent me on my way. At least the doctors in France only cost $30…one less dinner out on the town, no harm done. Luckily there is a lab that is totally weird that you can just walk into and order whatever tests you want done. I’ve ruled out a few things that were brought up:
- stomach infection or other infection that could be seen on a blood test
- food allergies to wheat and dairy (haven’t tested for other food allergies, but those were the most likely since I’ve been consuming French baguettes, croissants and fromage like its going out of style)
- Stress response: my stress hormones are in the normal range. Also, once the cramps started happening on easy conversational fun runs and when I was just hanging out with friends in the peaceful mountains of FRANCE, I knew stress only played a minimal role if any.
- Altitude (never had problems at altitude before and this is only 6000 feet. I do altitude quite often).
- General Wussiness (thanks buddy for the personal email on that one).
- Being a chick (I always appreciate some good gender humor, but no).
Thoughts for the Final Investigation:
That leaves a few ideas that were recurring themes from readers that I’m still looking into:
- gallbladder dysfunction (either gallstones or general dysfunction). This requires a visit to an English speaking doctor, an ultra sound, or a nuclear medicine test if its not gallstones. Or as one friend put it, I could just swallow a cup of fat and see what happens, since the gallbladder is active with fatty foods. Could do…
- muscular or fascia tightness around the diaphragm, ribs/inter-costal muslces, shoulder/back/chest/psoas/obliques/hip flexors or anything else that is in the general area that could be pulling funny on my stomach. This requires some expert body work, and I’m already seeing great results from this. I’m seeing a visceral therapist after Stockholm who will be checking the fascia around my organs. Kinda freaked out about what that will feel like!
Gallbladder attack? Ever notice it comes on with certain foods? My wife walked around for about 5 years with what she thought was just a problem with certain foods. When we ended up in the ER at 3 am we finally had an answer. As I understand it it can radiate all the over the place depending on where the stone gets stuck.
I always imagined gall bladder attack was something you would absolutely KNOW you were having, but in doing some research after your comment, it appears that symptoms can be less severe for quite some time. That is a definite possibility. Blood tests can help with diagnosis as well as certain scans, and there is a doc here in Font Romeu. Thanks for the lead.
Make sure to get an ultrasound!!!
My wives pain was situated in her upper back between the shoulder blades, thats why we never expected it. The doc said the pain could radiate anywhere in the torso area. Depending on what she ate (the fattier food being the worst) it could be a mild thing that would linger for days or severe for several minutes. It’s an easy test, either blood or US.
I also experience something very similar. Always on the right side and it can linger for days even when I’m not running. Feels very much like a cramp/side stitch. I never experienced this until after I had my daughter over 3 years ago, which is very interesting because, when I was pregnant, she would kick and get her feet stuck in my ribs on the right side. I know that doesn’t help you much, but you’re definitely not alone. I can also go long periods of time with no problems and then be plagued for a couple weeks … Good luck – definitely interested to see if you find an answer.
When I was doing research online for pain in that area, the majority of links led to pregnancy chat boards! The only thing I can think of that I’d have in common with the maternity cases is a potential hernia in that area. I’ve had a small hernia in the abdominal area before, so its not out of the question. Have you ever been checked for one? I’d imagine a baby kicking + extreme muscle stretching could be sufficient to cause a small tear in the abdominal fascia.
Karla…. That’s when my wives problem started, right after our first kid. You are describing the same thing she had.
Do you take any sort of protein supplements? I started using whey protein in homemade smoothies a while ago, and at first suffered no problems but then, probably a month or two after I started drinking them, I started getting horrific cramps during my longer runs and, like you, even getting them without running. A team mate mentioned having seen the problem before, recommended getting off the shakes, and it stopped almost immediately.
Interesting thought. I have started putting whey in my smoothies this season. But I always have the smoothie AFTER I run, and I would have thought it would be cleared out of my system by the time the next day’s run came.
Hmmmm…
Since college I’ve avoided high lactose foods (dont drink milk, only eat low lactose cheeses, etc), but that is based on one bad season where I was a toot machine and lactose was suspected as the clear culprit. Small amounts since then seem to be just fine, and now that I think about it, I’ve been much more relaxed about the dairy.
I just read that whey contains a huge amount of lactose. I knew it was milk based, but I had no idea it was so much higher in lactose than actual milk. This could be it.
Only problem with this theory is, dairy related stomach problems have always been pretty obvious for me: lets just say they have a very particular…aroma (and bathroom consequence). I haven’t had any of those usual effects with whey protein…only this cramp.
Well it could be anything, but everything you just described fit into how I was feeling from thewhey. Totally different symptoms than I ever got from just dairy, and it was never out of my system between runs (which could sometimes be 24+ hours). Hope you figure it out soon though! I’m psyched for your next diamond league appearance and hope I can see you running it at 100%.
it could be a food allergy. I would get severe stomach aches (i kno this is a lil diff than u getting a “stich”) until i finally did a blood test to reveal a plethora of food allergies (i was actually pulled from my 10k bc i chewed trident gum that day and didnt know it had SOY in it! i too looked like a 92yr old g-ma bc of such pain i was experiencing). So maybe its some type of food allergy…just my two cents:)
Soy is in so much stuff. Wow, it must be hard to avoid that!
What can be done to reverse the eftfecs of weight gain associated with adrenal fatigue? I was underweight much of my life until I became a parent in my late 20s. However, I gained an extraordinary amount of weight in my 30s due to stress and anxiety related to my law practice and parenting a child with special needs. I’ve NEVER been an overeater but I have always tried to control things in my life (and obviously its not working for me). There were a number of other comorbidities that originated around the same time that I became overweight and I believe that each one of those conditions was caused by adrenal fatigue (e.g. Adult onset asthma). Do you have any advise?
Could be something you’re eating, but hard to say for sure what. I had terrible problems with cramping, side stitches and having to make pit stops during long runs and also during races. I quit eating red meat altogether and also quit eating dairy products a day or two before a race, and the problem went away.
There is definitely a dairy trend here on this post. That’s interesting, that such a small adjustment in your diet was so effective. Very encouraging.
Had similar problems and it ended up being related to dairy for me. Pretty much am lactose intolerant. I would say some type of slight food allergy. Have you gone through the full range of food allergy tests? If not, definitely look in to it. Not cheap but obviously worth it if it’ll solve your cramping issue!
I think some allergy testing is in order. I have a question for you regarding your symptoms. I always thought lactose was associated with fart-type gas and bathroom issues. But, my cramp seems to alleviate with burping. Different kind of gas, but I guess its still gas. Is burping something you’ve experienced?
I’m not Jenny (obvi) but here’s something from a Hopkins website. Although “they say” lactose intolerance not related to burping, I suppose its not out of the realm of possibility. The main symptom of lactose intolerance, if I remember correctly, is watery diarrhea—an osmotic diarrhea caused by undigested lactase in the colon (water follows the solutes so water goes into the colon and then out of you…) So, if you’re also having watery diarrhea, then consider it. I can’t believe I just wrote about watery diarrhea on a website.:
Most cases of gas are normal. But an unusual amount of gas (more than 23 episodes of flatulence or belching/burping a day on a regular basis) or symptoms like abdominal bloating and discomfort may indicate lactose intolerance or a more serious disorder. If this is the case, you should make an appointment with your doctor.
Chronic belching can be a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or a peptic ulcer, while stomach bloating can be a sign of irritable bowel syndrome, gastroparesis (delayed emptying of the stomach), or Crohn’s disease. People who’ve had hernias in their digestive tract, have undergone many surgeries to their digestive tract, or have scar tissue in their digestive tract may also have problems with bloating and pain. From a review of your diet and the number of times you pass gas a day, a doctor can often determine the cause of your symptoms. If a diagnosis is not obvious (for example, excess gas is not related to lactose intolerance or consumption of a large amount of gas-causing foods), your doctor may suggest you have a sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or upper GI series to determine if you have a serious disorder.
With the onset during exercise it sounds like possible ischemia to bowel in that area, being female ischemia to ovary or something on that side, gallblader can cause pain along with female organs that radiate to back, ? to crest. I suppose you have been worked up by a good G.I. or OB/ Gyn MD- possible MRI, or CT vascular study. Also spasm due to ischemia with eating or exercise could cause S&S’s
I have issues with both dairy and with gluten. I know Jesse doesn’t do gluten, but do you still eat it? I used to have issues with cramping even without running, and for years I could not figure out why. The odd thing is I developed these intolerances in high school (now in college and diagnosed for about seven months).
Did you get diagnosed through a celiac screening? Or an allergy test? How did you go about the testing specifically?
Lauren: I too am plagued with gluten and lactose issues: lower intensity than you seem to be experiencing, but looong term. I just try to avoid the stuff. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned that plagues me is excessive meat consumption, especially beef or pork. I can get away with single meals, but two or three consecutive days and hoo boy: cramps, gas, the works. Wonder if this and Greg’s gall bladder comment tie together somehow? Geez: we gotta be able to eat something!
Interestingly, when I was doing research on Gallbladder, the “Gallbladder Diet” that was recommended said to avoid Pork and Poultry. They didn’t mention beef specifically, but one would think it would be a problem since it can be a higher fat food (depending on the cut of meat of course).
Lauren-
Weird I stumbled on this…reading ultra blogs!
I’d put a month’s salary that it’s your DIAPHRAGM. It’s that big, muscular layer that separates the entire trunk — attaching to all of the areas you described, but namely the ribs, the vertebral column (around T11 to L1) and aspects of the pelvis.
I’ve had this issue, similarly, and for me it came down to two issues:
1. A sideglide in your trunk – be it glaring (like mine, at times) or very subtle. Lower leg injuries (of which I’m sure you’ve had many) tend to make the brain “shift” the trunk a bit to the “strong leg” to decrease pain. Unfortunately, this “habit” can persist. And it tends to appear when we fatigue most.
2. A backward lean/forward pelvis when we get tired! So you’re hammering on the track, and that fatigue causes us to “dis-engage” and start to lose our core neutral and forward lean.
You combine those two mechanical forces — a sideglide torque and a backward stretch — and you’re gonna strain the diaphragm. And, once that muscle (which the diaphragm is, by definition) becomes strained, it tends to stay tight and be more prone to re-strain.
The solution is also two-fold:
1. Manual therapy to the diaphragm and thorax. Have someone who knows what they’re doing perform a manual therapy assessment to your trunk: not only the diaphragm and it’s soft tissues, but also to other “kinks” in the area, such as the thorax. I’m partial to Orthopedic Manual PTs (as I am a PT) for a truly skilled assessment and treatment (as opposed to an LTM “beat-up”). You need to “re-set the tissue” first.
2. Careful monitoring of your form, especially with hard running. A sideglide or back-lean may or may not be present, but some other subtle defect might arise when you’re at max effort — it only takes some sore of shear/strain in the trunk to cause this.
Best of luck! I hope my response “wins” and I can score a few of those Pickybars! :p -J
Do not consider what i wrote before : I have’nt taken into account the fact that the main problem was a stomach ache.
here is what i found while i was doing research online : (picked up from the same website: http://entrainement-sportif.fr/point-de-cote.htm. The translation follows )
Le point de côté à l’estomac est lié à la digestion
Ce point est sous le sternum et au-dessus du nombril. Il apparait lorsque l’estomac n’a pas terminé sa digestion. La règle des trois heures entre la fin du dernier repas et la course permet d’éviter ce type de point de côté.
Which can be translated into :
“The stomach located side stitch is related to the stomach to digest
This stitch is under the sternum and above the navel. It appears when the stomach has not completed its digestion. The rule of three hours between the end of last meal and the race will prevent this type of side stitch. ”
Voilà 🙂
Hi Lauren, First off, you are an incredible athlete/runner who is an inspiration to so many! You are gifted with the talents of not only a long distance runner, but also as a teacher and motivator. I am a 51 year old daily runner averaging 25 mi. a week and rarely take days off. Most all my running is on the track these days, to preserve knees and joints.
I think that maybe your stomach cramps have more to do with an emotional flap that manifests itself in your stomach area. I am not a medical expert of any magnitude, but I think the mental pressure that all world class runners experience at your level of competition can cause various stomach and core-related ailments as that’s where nervousness lands.
With all your years of experience, you are still racing against the clock consistently and on a very tight schedule with slim margin of error. This could easily cause your stomach to tighten up I think.
You have to try and psyche yourself out of these cramps before they begin. I know this must be tough, but I believe if you approach this problem as a mental block you will make progress in alleviating it.
Best of luck with your racing and training Lauren!!
Hal Lifson
HalLifson.com
Hey Hal,
Thanks for your comment! Very thoughtful.
I can confirm that stressing out about it makes it worse once its come on, FOR SURE, and making it settle down requires deep breathing, stretching and relaxation. Unfortunately, recent symptoms coming on during totally chilled out times, or enjoyable easy runs while chatting with friends lead me to believe that something else is involved in initial onset.
Hi Lauren –
I think Joe Uhan’s answer might be right re: Diaphragm. Time will tell of course. Just remember, experienced assessment/treatment of the Soft-Tissue is a must.
The Manual Therapist should also check your Psoas Major and Iliacus muscles. These are your prime hip-flexers. P.Major attaches itself to the lumbar vertebrae whilst the Iliacus basically sits itself in the fossa of the iliac bone. Both muscles and their connective tissue can cause pain and discomfort around the iliac crest.
Trigger-points contained in those muscles and fascia may be a cause too.
Happy training,
Dream big!
Hi Lauren!
About a year ago, I had a very similar problem in my side (which radiated into the back). It hurt when I ran hard, while also being incredibly painful after eating. I’m not sure if this helps at all, but I ended up getting an MRI and the diagnosis was a strain/torn outer oblique muscle (which is quite odd for long distance runners). Nevertheless, with some physical therapy (ultrasound, stim, massage, strength etc) it’s pretty much healed now. They said the tugging when the muscle was torn made my psoas and iliac crest react, because everything was out of balance. Again, its very odd for a runner to have a torn oblique, but I thought I’d share just incase it helps =)
Thanks a lot Leah. My obliques and rectus abdominus were checked, and were good, but it appears that there is a lot of tension around my 12th rib, in those little muscles and fascia on either side of it. I’m getting that worked on, (ouch!) so hopefully it helps. Just curious, were you perhaps doing a lot of abs or russian twist type exercises when you hurt your oblique, or maybe some side planks that you hadn’t been doing before? Asthma problems? I’ve seen people do oblique damage with those types of things. I actually gave myself a hernia doing abs once with a medicine ball that was a little too heavy! Not cool.
Are you talking about side stitches? I used to get them all the time with I was in high school and college, but never anymore now that I’m old (48!) and slow. I remember I had a friend in Dallas back in the early 1980s who was a low 28 minute 10k guy who actually retired out of frustration from this issue, so I understand how maddening it can be for anyone!
Looking back, I realize that I never did any Ab work back in the day, but that can’t be the issue with you, because you’re ripped! It also wasn’t diet-related with me, since I always raced on a completely empty stomach. But I only ever got it in race-intensity situations where I was totally red-lining it effort-wise.
Yeah, those types of cramps happen to me as well. I’m familiar with them and they are just a factor of running hard and pushing yourself…and somethings gotta give! Usually the diaphragm. But this feels much more intense and happens even on easy runs, and the pain even comes outside of running now and then. The points are starting to add up to something dietary I’m afraid. Tests have been taken.
That’s amazing that you’re a foreigner visiting a European country and getting better medical attention than most of us would here as citizens in our own country. Talk about “something’s gotta give”!
Good luck with the tests!
Hey Lauren,
I had pretty much the same thing you described – on and off for years as well as a history of anemia. I finally had a blood test for celiac/gluten intolerance and it came back positive. I have been gluten free for 4 months now and have never felt better – no more weird cramping, iron has gone up and overall energy has increased dramatically. Perhaps it is worth getting this tested?
Elly
I just had the test this morning. In France, it only costs $50 and you get the results in 4 days! Wow!
Hi Lauren, BTW love your writings! When our daughter started running h.s. XC, she would get extreme pain in her lower back around her hip area that would cause excruciating cramps and bend her right over. Her coach said she was oxygen deprived (another term for being out of shape I imagine). Maybe you can attribute the timing of these episodes with your training level? Nevertheless, a hit of H2O wouldn’t hurt anyone!
Thanks June, for the complement and the overall comment. Actually, I CAN attribute the timing of these episodes to my training level, usually. Every year I get it in the early season, when I’m not in shape yet and I’m attempting to do some hard workouts. But this year its a bit different because I’m past that part of my training season where things normally turn around, and yet this time its getting worse by the week/day. Strange. Your point about oxygen is interesting because of the altitude up here. I’m sure I’m getting way way less oxygen than usual. Interesting thought.
Hmm interesting I have the exact same symptoms, in pretty much the same way. One day it was cramping so badly I ended up in the ER with the doctors thinking I had appendicitis. After CT scans and ultrasounds…there was nothing. I pretty much gave up figuring it out assuming its either some weird kind of muscle thing I just can’t pinpoint or endometriosis, which also would not show up on ultrasound. The diaphragm thing sort of makes sense though.
Hi Friend!
One word: gluten. Just sayin 🙂
Alicia
P.S. I only say this because I had similar cramps for two to three years. There definitely was a soft tissue component but it wasn’t the underlying cause. I would have the various areas worked on (by JB) and feel better for a couple of days and then the cramps would come back in a way that made it hard to stay upright, especially while running. After I cut out gluten I not had a single cramp!
Alicia! Your message and the other gluten sufferers on here inspired me to get tested, (finally) and I tested negative on all accounts (celiac, gluten and dairy). Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can find the culprit and be cramp free like you! Miss you lots friend! xoxo
I have always gotten side stitches when running hard, but normal ones. After I had my second baby, like a year after, I decided to start running again. Every time I would run I would get a major cramp in the area you speak of. The more I would run through it the worse it would be in days following. I couldn’t go more than a half mile. This was really upsetting as I was a cross country and track runner all through school and I couldn’t bare the thought of not being able to run anymore. I saw numerous doctors about it. Had tests done to check my thyroid as my doctor thought it could have something to do with that. I had my gallbladder checked because sometimes the pain would be in my back too. It was a CT Scan for that, nothing found. They did an upper abdominal/chest scan because I was also having rib pain. Sometimes I thought it might be related to eating. I was sent to a GI doctor and she said I had Costochondritis, which is defined as an inflammation where the ribs meet the breast bone. Also, she said the my lower ribs moved around too much and caused scar tissue to build in my abdominal fascia. She prescribed my ibuprofen 3 times a day and stretching and warming up more. Needless to say, I was not happy with her generic diagnosis. The pain was hardly in my sternum and ibuprofen 3x a day with no end in sight was not a favorable option. The thing she did bring my attention to was that I did have scar tissue. After talking to my regular doc about it, she thought that maybe physical therapy would help. The physical therapist, and later my chiro both recommended massage, which has not made it go away, although I do have some good runs with not a stitch, and then I have bad weeks sometimes. Actually right now is one of them. I’m feeling pretty sorry for myself…I’m trying to train and know that I can’t push too hard or I’ll be worse off in the long run. I have gone from not being able to run a mile to pulling 40+ mile weeks and finishing in the top at a lot of local races, sometimes winning. I’ll never be as good as you though, you are seriously an inspiration! I should also mention that the massage I do is all self massage as I just don’t have the time to go to a real massage therapist, but I should since my insurance covers it.
I have to say, the diaphragm theory is a good one, I find many trigger points in that area. Also the torn oblique theory and a chain reaction from that is interesting since I do remember being pregnant and picking my sleeping 2 yr old up and feeling a terrible ripping in the area. I didn’t think much of it, but I do think I have a lot of adhesion action in there now. The stress theory is very good also. I know the more I brace myself when I’m nervous, the worse my symptoms seem to be. I have not been so good lately about relaxing those muscles, I feel tense and anxious and it’s all in my core. Maybe because I recently started drinking coffee again…maybe I should stop. I know how upsetting this is. If you find it’s not dietary, you should look into the diaphragm/adhesion/tension. Definitely.
Melissa, thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. I’m getting to the bottom of my problem now and learning just how important fascia work is through a qualified body worker. I’m seeing incredible results from having someone loosen the fascia that connects to my ribs from all angles, between the ribs, below, underneath, behind. Some of the work requires me actively moving through a range, or breathing deeply while they push very uncomfortably on an area, and sometimes the treatment is slow as molasses allowing the fascia to release in its own time, which isn’t painful in the slightest bit.
You can get away with self-massage for some things, but a professional is worth making the time for, and paying money for. If your problem is fascia related and you get someone good, you could be totally better in 2 or 3 treatments. Maybe even one! I’ve learned that research is showing that the structure of your fascia can change completely in only 11 minutes of changed demand on an area. Running while pregnant would create different forces through the torso that the fascia would have responded to and changed accordingly. One hard kick in the ribs could create scar tissue in the fascia that needs to be adequately stripped back down.
Do yourself a favor and make time for a pro, but do your research first for someone whose expertise is myofascial release.
You have a lot of answers already and I’m sure you’ve tried everything under the sun! That said both of my roommates (pretty good runners) have had a similar problem off and on with seemingly different causes and results.
My boyfriend notices he gets his more often when he resumes a steady habit of beer drinking (mostly during base training). He claims it’s his liver complaining (maybe) but it’s more likely dehydration. When he drinks less he has the cramp less.
Moral: Try cutting beer (that is if there is any beer you need to cut:)
My teammate’s cramp is more severe and impacted her breathing like you explain. She tried everything, even putting KT tape on her stomach which gave her a lovely stripe tan. Our PT (who happened to be the official PT for the last 2 Olympic snowboard teams) figured out it had a lot to do with hip, hip flexor, and psoas tightness. Now this girl is pretty flexible, and puts her time in stretching, but she does drive a lot which tightens the area. She now pays extra attention to stretching the area and gets her psoas released every so often and things seem to be much better!
Moral: I’m sure you do all the little things (as my roommate does, but sometimes because we are doing so much we get complacent with some things/areas.
Good luck and its been fun reading about your Euro adventures! Keep them coming!
Thanks for the info Mo. That is really helpful actually. You know, I’ve cut the gluten the past 3 days and my cramps have improved about 80%. Pretty remarkable. Beer has a bunch of gluten in it, but you probably already know that.
Also, as for the psoas tightness, etc, and getting released…this week I’ve seen a few people and signs are starting to point to fascia that is tight that connects all those areas up and down my right side, both on the front and back of me. Lots of massage therapists focus on and release major muscle groups independently, but very few pay correct attention to the fascia that connects them all together. True fascia work is very light, gentle, subtle work. You don’t use any cream or oil, and you might hold your hand in one spot for up to 2 minutes before it releases in its own time. Few therapists have the subtle touch or the patience to do this kind of work. The good news is, a lot of therapists accidentally loosen up the fascia somewhat when they are doing the major muscles. If your friend is having temporary relief from deep tissue massage, but still having some recurring problems, she might have residual fascia restrictions that, if addressed properly, could make all the difference in the world, and make it so she doesn’t have to get treatment quite so often.
Update on this:
Since I approached the cramps from a fascia release perspective and a dietary perspective at once, it was kind of hard to know where the 80% improvement came from. However, I just got my blood results back and tested negative for Celiac, gluten intolerance, and dairy intolerance. So it looks like addressing the fascia has contributed to the improvement.
There still may be another factor at play like gallbladder or fascia that is more visceral. My plan is to get the gall bladder tested (especially since it runs in my family) and see a visceral therapist after Stockholm when I get to London.
The amount of improvement I’ve already seen is enough for me to feel confident stepping on the starting line in Stockholm so that’s great news!
Thanks again for the help.
So I like some people up there think it could be gluten. Food intolerances and sensitivities have the weirdest ways of showing up, and can show up ANYWHERE. Human being’s intestines were not biologically engineered to be able to eat and digest gluten ( cavemen came in evolution before agriculture) so it makes sense why you’d be having these problems. And plus your stomach takes 2 weeks to rebuild the cilia and insides of your stomach back to normal state, so it makes sense why you’d feel it when you’re not running too. I never had a problem my whole life with gluten and have been tested and im not celiac or allergic to gluten but i have some WEIRD reactions to it so i dont eat it. I get cramps all over my body – calves, shoulders( and seriously the only thing different is gluten) also my skin becomes incredibly sensitive and agitated. But my stomach is relatively okay so i just stay away from it. Weird eh? My suggestion would be to 1) stop the gluten and see if that is the culprit ( but id say wait 3+ weeks for full effects) and if it’s still a problem 2) stop the whey
but a 3rd thing it could be, and it sounds far fetched but it happened to me last month : i had the same awful pain you describe. It turns out : my muscles in my shoulders/ lats and even under the armpit are so tight they were pulling on my ribs/ diaphragm – in a zig zag form. I went to a great body healer/ massage therapist and it turns out the tiny muscles in between my ribs and under the diaphragm were soooo tight and unhappy that they didn’t allow me to breathe properly. it took 3 2 hour sessions and seriously SO much pain. try breathing through that one when they have full pressure and bony fingers between your ribs, but after it’s like night and day. Now I can breathe again, pain is gone and my workouts are even better. I know it sounds weird but its always the tiniest little muscles( or bigger groups, in my case my shoulder was the culprit but had NOTHING To do with my ribs) have huge impacts on the rest of u!
let us know how it goes! this is mind boggling.
Oh wow I never thought of the rib thing! That’s it for me. Thanks for pointing it out. I actually had my chest x-rayed because my rib on the right side is displaced 1.5″ from muscles being too tight (in my case pectoral muscles)…and that is the cramp side. Stretched out those muscles today and…no more pain on my run yaaay! Weird that it showed up in abdominal area though.
Yay! I love seeing problems get solved! Hopefully mine will too. Getting closer…
When I reach overhead with the right arm, and go across the body to stretch out the entire side of the body (the side that gets the stitch), it is WAY WAY tighter than the other side. I feel tons of tension under the armpit and down the ribs. My trainer had me do “around the worlds” where you stand up tall with your legs a little bit apart, and you reach both hands up over your head and interlace your fingers, reaching far up for the sky. Then you do big, huge, slow, sweeping circles with your upper body, bending and rotating from the hips all the way around the circle, both ways while continuing to pull your arms away from the body to create maximum stretch in all directions. Its an incredible way to identify where any tension in your upper body is. After doing that, I know exactly where to have the massage therapist dig in!
Oops I left a comment in the wrong spot. So I am a Canadian runner and also a physician. I think that what you are describing could be acalculous biliary colic (which means a gallbladder that isn’t functioning properly – not peristalsing correctly – giving you some symptoms similar to a gallbladder attack). See your doctor about getting referred for a HIDA scan (a nuclear medicine scan) which can look at the function of your gallbladder. An ultrasound is also a good idea (but if you have acalculous biliary colic – the ultrasound will look normal). Good luck and be well.
Danielle 🙂
Hi Danielle! Thank you so much for writing in and sharing your expertise here. Its a huge help.
This morning I received negative IgA and IgG test results for gluten and negative IgE for dairy, so the gallbladder just got bumped up my list to #1 potential offender.
Is there any kind of blood test that I could get as an alternative to the HIDA scan so look at how my gallbladder is functioning? I only ask because there is a lab down the street here in Font Romeu that literally lets you order whatever test you want yourself, with no doctors orders or anything, so long as you know what test to ask for. I’ve been to the doctor here in France, and there was a complete language block that led to him simply tapping my stomach, saying “Gas!” and sending me on my way. When I said and wrote gallbladder on a piece of paper, he simply said “No” and shook his stethoscope at me playfully.
If there isn’t a blood test, I could just plan the HIDA scan for when I get home.
If I do have to wait until I’m home, is there a dietary protocol that I could follow that would help me avoid pissing off my gallbladder in the meantime?
Thanks Danielle!
I’m glad to see you’re starting to figure it out. My only other question is if you have every had abdominal surgery — ie if you have adhesions. However, you differential (what you call your diagnosis list) seems right on and I’m curious to see which one it is!
Also, I want to know how that whole fascial thing works out, especially the visceral fascia thing. For a couple reasons – first, because when I was in yoga the other day and homeslice was saying something about your visceral organs feeling uncomfortbale I was like “I really don’t think my small intestine or kidneys care right now if theyre being stretched”. Second, because I’m convinced my adductor magnus (well, I don’t know if thats the exact muscle, but what I think it is) that gets angry from time to time along with my SI joint has gotten inflamed a lot –> fascial adhesions –> general muscular angry-ness –> wrong resting tension –> annoying. I just want some to go up in there and break up all the fascial adhesions that I imagine are existing, but I’m not sure if you can actually do that with then not causing re-adhesions.
Long story short – I want to know if that fascial person works. Good luck!
That’s a posting full of inthsig!
Thanks for this discussion Lauren (and all who posted comments)! I’ve been having side stitches off and on for years and could not really figure out where it was coming from. Given that my neck/shoulders/back are really tight, and the chiropractor I went to told me one of my ribs was out of alignment, this discussion helps to give me some ideas on next steps.
Hey Lauren,
I have been fighting diaphragm tightness for over a year as well, and one thing a physio said to me besides getting rid of gluten and nay other foods that could possibly be a sensitivity, is lying on a ball (i bought on from the dollar store with a smiley face on it) one of those hand sized ones filled with hair, so not too hard but not super soft. You first place it on your belly button and lie there for 3 minutes. If its anything like me, it’ll kill. It will burn, feel like you wnat to vomit, hurt in various place son your back etc.., then you move it higher up as close to the connection fo the rib cage as possible, anywhere really that you feel needs it. The first few times will not be fun at all, i promise you, but after a few times, as ina few days whatever is going on inside will begin to loosen up and then not feel quite as bad when you go back on it. The physio also said to only do it ever 2 days and hold each position of the ball for no more than 3 minutes.
I also do this yoga series, just youtube “neck and shoulder series yoga” and its the second one, 57min long. Its pretty relaxinf, and relaly gets you focusing on your breathing and stretching out your back which can also eb the cause for diaphragm discomfort as it attaches to the back muscles as well.
Let me know if these do anything for you They’ve only mildly helped me, along with osteopathic work. But i think this and professional help, helps more than just the professional help.
holla for H. pylori! (or maybe not actually) Go get yourself a proton pump inhibitor, some antibiotics, and you’ll be as good as new…if it is, indeed, an ulcer.
I’d cry if someone told me no coffee. I drink at least 20-32 oz/day.
Hey Lauren,
First of all, you are a balla! What an incredible race on Saturday, and what an amazing journey to pain-free training and racing! Your timing will be just right for London 2012!!!
I have followed your wonderful website since your AZ trip this spring, and I now have the urge to post. I just wanted to let you know that if your ulcer ends up being caused by H. pylori, you will be just fine. I had an H. pylori infection in 2002, and the antibiotics (2 types) and acid supression drugs did the trick, although they were pretty darn powerful and made me feel pretty weird for awhile. The worst of your days are over, for sure, but you may want to baby your stomach lining for some time so you do not have to deal with any more pain. You certainly have my sympathies– H. pylori pain is the WORST! Here’s a virtual hug until your drugs start to kick in– I feel ya!
Greg you mentioned your wifes pain was all over where did they finally find the gall stone I have been to the hospital and been seeing a doctor but they are unable to find a stone or what the problem is, Did your wife have gas like stomach cramps and then a sharp pain in the gallbladder area. The pain runs up my chest and sometimes to my back. Did she have any of these pains? Thanks Greg
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I find that I only got cramps when i was running competitively – of course the worst time to get them. I live in a fairly hilly area so training in the hills might have given me a bit of an advantage to runners on the flat but I also put it down to a little over competence thinking I did have an advantage when doing runs on the flat. I’d be doing okay then bang I’d get a cramp. Maybe a bit of nerves too – we all get that. Anyway now I actually do about 10 minutes meditation (I went to a teacher) a couple of hours before the run. I find now that I’m quite relaxed at the start and can think more about strategy than taking off like a bullet in the cramp days. Anyway, thanks – interesting post.