Sports Tips and Advice for Female Athletes

Located between the ribs and the pelvis on the front of the human body, abdominal muscle supports the trunk of the body and allows movement. Four abdominal muscle groups: (1) Transverse abdominis, (2) Internal oblique, (3) External oblique and (4) Rectus abdominis – constitute the abdominal muscle and in turn combine to cover the internal organs.

A strain is the term used to describe a stretch or a tear of a muscle or tendon. Therefore an abdominal muscle strain is an injury to one of the muscles of the abdominal wall. This injury is caused mostly during a forceful activity when the muscle is stretched too far. In such cases the muscle fibers are torn and, most commonly, it would mean microscopic tears in the muscle. But at times in severe injuries the muscle can rupture from its attachment. It is usually the Rectus abdominis muscle which is damaged in an abdominal strain but other muscles in the stomach area can be affected.

Though serious abdominal strains are very rare, sportspersons are at high risk of acquiring moderate abdominal strains because of the amount of stress they apply on the abdomen muscle during their sports performances. Ruptures occur in weightlifters, throwers, gymnasts, rowers, wrestlers, tennis players and pole vaulters.

A violent, poorly performed movement of the trunk may become the reason for an abdominal muscle strain. Other reasons include- overstretching and overstressing the abdominal muscles.

Symptoms of Abdominal Muscle Injury

• Immediate pain in the area of the injury
• Difficulty to flex the injured muscle due to extreme pain
• Muscle spasm due to injury
• Swelling and bruising visible
• Unbearable pain and immobility if the injury is closer to the ribs, pubic bone or hipbone

The severity of the injury is graded according to the discomfort caused by the injury:

1. Grade 1 (Mild): Only a few muscle fibers are injured. This usually does not limit activity. Symptoms include stiffness; discomfort when moving the affected area and bruising. Recovery time is around three weeks.
2. Grade 2 (Moderate): Large numbers of muscle fibers are injured. This will limit ability to perform activities such as crunches or twisting movements. Symptoms include pain while stretching and the injury site is tender to the touch. Recovery time is up to six weeks.
3. Grade 3 (Severe): The injured muscle is ruptured. Severe injury that can cause pain with normal activities. Symptoms include intense pain. In some cases, abdominal organs push through the tear (Abdominal Hernia - occurs when there is weakness in abdominal muscles allows stomach contents to bulge through the muscle wall. Abdominal hernias can occur in the lower abdomen near the groin, near the belly button, and in the area of previous surgical scars.). This requires surgery. Recovery time is around three months.

What the Specialist or the Doctor does?

• An anti-inflammatory medication
• Ultrasound for diagnosis
• A full rehabilitation program to avoid re-injury (laser treatment may be used)
• A steroid injection if there is inflammation of the tendon followed by rest for 2 weeks.
• Operate in severe cases

Things to be taken care after the injury

There is a high risk of an abdominal pain getting misdiagnosed and the consequences in such cases could be serious. The pain should be investigated properly with appropriate diagnostic equipment. Proper rehabilitation methods should resort you back to the state of perfect health.

It is difficult to cure the abdominal injury as there is no way to splint the abdomen and give it a complete rest. Therefore, it becomes imperative to allow the muscle to cool down and allow the inflammation to come down. Exercise should be avoided in order to let the muscle heal on its own; otherwise it might lead to further spasm or pain. However, gentle stretch that doesn’t stress the injury can be done. If the athlete returns to training before the injury is healed completely, inflammation might occur.

The sooner you give your abdominal muscle sufficient rest, the faster will you recover. In case of severe muscle rupture the recovery will depend on how bad the strain is.

In all cases a regular stretch and warming up prior to exercising, cooling down afterwards and awareness about the right stress to put during the exercise will prevent any such state of discomfort.