stomach pain

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[rachmass]

Hi All,

Has anyone had any experience with stomach pain when you started to learn to roll? My husband has been getting some unusual pain in his stomach and thinks it might be related to taking some bad rolls. He is also sore around the rib-cage, but that I can pretty much guess is aikido related.

Please relate any similar experiences you might have with this phenomenom, and what you did to cure it (other than get more comfortable with ukemi in general).

Best,

Rachel

[MaylandL]

Hello Rachel

Yes, I got regular stomach pains when I started doing Ukemis in both Ju Jitsu and Aikido. The pains I got were in the lower/floating rib area and across the muscles above the diaphram and just below the solar plexus. I still get them now and then and as a consequence of not warming up properly or poor form and structure when doing the forward or backwards rolls. Instead of my body being relaxed, "round" and curved I am tense and bent at the hips with my back being too stiff and straight. There is quite a lot of muscle tension on the stomach and lower back.

Hope this helps. All the best for training. :)

[Jucas]

I'd say it has to do with one of two things:

1- He using muscles he doesnt even know existed.

2- For me, if I eat before hand, at least 1-2 hours before aikido it can really mess up my stomach and I get "cramps".

Try to get him to extend his center when doing rolls. The feeling is such when you are riding a bike, you can "slouch" and bend your back when riding, but if you "reverse flex" your stomach muscles then you are able to straighten your back and your back wont lock up.

I hope that makes sense.

-J

[Edward]

I guess it would be useful to specify whether you think the pain is muscular or in the stomach itself.

[erikmenzel]

Hi,

I always get stomach pain when I have eaten to close to training, which in my case means less than 3 hours before training.

Another thing nobody mentioned yet: If you worry, or the pain doesnt go away or does not feel right or whatever then go see a doctor!! (or in your case sent hubby to the doctor)

[rachmass]

Thanks folks!

Actually, his pain seems to be under the breast bone and into the digestive track area (not lower into the belly). I have asked him to go see a doctor about it, but he seems to think it is aikido related, as he started aikido three weeks ago, and the pain started shortly after. It remains during the day, but doesn't seem to bother him when training. I am going to pass along all your sound suggestions to him, maybe it will help.

Thanks again!

Rachel

[ross_l]

Yikes,

Rachel, I'm not a doctor but anytime someone mentions pain under the breatbone that should be taken very seriously. It may only be heartburn caused by rolling but it may also be something more serious. Insist that he see a doctor.

-Ross

[rachmass]

Thanks Ross,

I am trying! I sent him your post, maybe that will make him go...

Thanks for all the suggestions folks,

Rachel

[Jeff Tibbetts]

It remains during the day, but doesn't seem to bother him when training.
Has anyone else noticed this? For me it's not stomach pain but I have bad knees. When I'm training it never bothers me, but the next day or at home or whatever it may hurt. Sometimes it hurts right up untill I'm on the mat, practically. Why is that? I'm no doctor, and I'm not athletic at all in any other way so I guess it could be normal.

[Dangus]

Don't overlook the back as the possible culprit, but also make sure you do adequate Seiza before tumbling, because that breathing loosens up the diaphram muscles, which sit right in that area. Try talking to a chiropractor and see what they have to say about your back. I have a subluxation in my back that happens to be right in the area where the nerves that control my diaphram muscle come out of. I have a problem relaxing and breathing normally. I believe this to be back related and as such am working on it, with some success so far.

[TR6]

I hate to break the news to you, but your husband may have strained one of his stomach muscles.

When I started Aikido, in only my fourth hour (second week) of training, I seriously strained my left rectus abdominus (stomach muscle with a Grade 2 strain.

A Grade 1 strain is simple muscle pain like any other sore muscle and can be easily overlooked.

A Grade 2 strain is where you have significantly torn the muscle and you feel a severe, long-lasting burning pain anywhere around your stomach.

If you ignore a Grade 2 strain, it will VERY easily turn into a Grade 3 strain. In the stomach area, a Grade 3 strain is a complete tear of the muscle, causing a small to severe hernia (your bowels push through your torn muscle area). This strain requires emergency surgery!

My Grade 2 strain required FIVE WEEKS of recovery. Please take stomach pains seriously... As others have previously stated, I think I was strongly pulling on my stomach muscles because I didn't know how to fall correctly. My injury was not immediate, but very, very gradual, so watch out for this one!

[paul spawforth]

Hi Rachel

The only advice i can give is for him to try and relax as much as possible and let the roll come naturally rather than trying to force it to be good. Also eating too close to training time can cause stomach pain. ( i know it's easy for me to say but i understand what he's going through, ukemi and rolls are very difficult to learn)

Hope this helps

Paul.

[Evie Pond]

I have bend having bad stumick panes. but i ame pretey shore mayn is not from aikido. I have a tare in may lowear intestines. dowing the rouls herts alout alont with othear things. it is healing now and i ame starting to beabel to be more active in class. I still haf to be carfaill thow not to retare it or make it worse. may segeston is to slowdown some still dow the rouls but dont dow so maney and kepe tham slow and in comtroul untill the heart stops.