Why do I feel stomach pain when running?

I don't know if you have had this experience before. Sometimes you get a stomachache while running. This often forces many people to cancel their running exercise plan. So what causes a stomachache while running?

Why does running give me a stomachache?

1. Lack of exercise

Right upper abdominal pain is usually caused by lack of exercise. People who lack exercise need more oxygen when exercising than well-trained athletes, so they breathe more quickly.

Under normal circumstances, when a person inhales, the negative pressure in the chest cavity increases, which is beneficial to the blood return to the hepatic vein and other places. When breathing is rapid, the chest cavity pressure decreases, and the blood return to the liver is blocked, resulting in liver congestion and causing liver pain.

2. Chronic diseases

Patients with chronic hepatitis, cholecystitis, gastric ulcer or chronic appendicitis may also experience pain when participating in strenuous exercise due to stimulation such as pulling and vibration of the affected area.

3. Gastrointestinal reflux

Swallowing a large amount of air during exercise further expands the stomach, which can easily lead to gastroesophageal reflux, belching, heartburn or nausea, resulting in upper abdominal distension and pain.

Why does running cause stomach pain? Causes of running stomach pain

4. Gastrointestinal spasms

Running on an empty stomach or after a meal, eating too much or drinking too much water before exercise (especially eating and drinking too much cold food) can all cause gastrointestinal dysfunction, leading to gastrointestinal spasms and abdominal pain.

Eating too fast, eating too much, or eating difficult-to-digest food before exercise will produce too much gas. In addition, strenuous exercise will increase abdominal pressure and stretch the peritoneum, causing abdominal pain. At this time, cold abdomen, stool accumulation, ascaris stimulation, etc. can cause intestinal spasm and produce abdominal pain.

5. Rectus abdominis spasm

During intense exercise in summer, due to excessive sweating, the body loses salt and water, which cannot be replenished in time, resulting in water and electrolyte metabolism disorders. Coupled with fatigue, it is easy to cause rectus abdominis spasm. This type of abdominal pain often occurs in the later stages of exercise.

6. Insufficient blood supply during exercise

The blood supply to skeletal muscles increases during exercise. The increased blood volume is mainly drawn from the internal organs. Therefore, the blood vessels that control the internal organs contract and the blood supply is insufficient, causing spasmodic contraction of the gastrointestinal smooth muscles and causing abdominal pain.

What to do if you have stomach pain while running?

If you have stomach pain when running, please prepare yourself well before running and run gradually. Eat or drink a small amount of water before running, and do not run or exercise immediately after a meal, because this will not only cause abdominal pain, but also lead to indigestion over time.