What causes abdominal pain after exercise?

Many people like to run around after eating, which eventually leads to abdominal pain or even physical discomfort. So how long after a meal should you wait before exercising? Why can't you exercise immediately after eating? What is the reason for abdominal pain after exercising after a meal?

How long after a meal should I exercise?

It is recommended to rest for 1-2 hours after each meal before exercising. For people who often participate in sports, they can exercise after resting for about 30 minutes after a meal, except for vigorous exercise.

Why can't you exercise immediately after eating?

Generally, after a full meal, most of the body's blood is concentrated in the stomach and liver. If you exercise right away, the stomach, which has stored a large amount of food, will be shaken and will constantly pull the ligaments that hold the stomach in place. Over time, this will cause the ligaments to loosen, leading to gastroptosis.

The second is to disperse the excitement points of blood and nerves, weaken gastric motility, and cause food to enter the intestines without being fully ground, which is not conducive to further digestion and absorption.

Vigorous exercise immediately after a meal will inhibit the secretion of digestive juices and the peristalsis of the digestive tract, because during vigorous exercise, the blood flow to the muscles throughout the body increases, while the blood flow to the stomach and internal organs decreases relatively. These reasons can easily cause indigestion and malabsorption, affect metabolism, and even cause chronic stomach problems.

What causes abdominal pain after exercise?

Running or exercising after a meal can sometimes cause abdominal pain. The reasons may be as follows:

1. After a meal, the stomach is full of food, and the gastrointestinal tract vibrates during exercise, causing the mesentery connecting the gastrointestinal tract to be stretched, causing abdominal pain.

2. During exercise, blood distribution shifts from the digestive tract to the skeletal muscles, causing ischemia in the digestive tract and leading to spasm of the gastrointestinal smooth muscles, thus causing abdominal pain.

3. During exercise, the body's oxygen demand increases. People who lack exercise usually have small lung capacity, so they tend to breathe shallowly and quickly when they try to breathe hard. This reduces the negative pressure in the chest cavity, causing blood return to the liver to be blocked, which leads to liver congestion and increased tension in the liver capsule, causing liver pain, which manifests as pain in the right upper abdomen.