Pain in a lower abdomen

[Evka]

Sometimes, if a heavy hill is included at the beginning of the class (e.g. after a 10 min warm-up), and I do it too vigorously, I get a pain in a lower abdomen. Today it got so bad that I had to walk out for 10 minutes to get rid of it. :(
Is that normal? Does that happen to others as well?

[LBTC]

For me, that kind of intense pain indicates that my internal organs are pretty unhappy. My massage therapist explained to me that there are muscles in our abdomen (the ilio-psoas) that kind of wind through the large intenstine and are fascailly attached to the organs. If the muscles are unhappy - too tight, suddenly straining under a load without being warmed up, etc, they pull on the fascia, and thus pull on the organs. If the organs are perfectly healthy and the muscles and fascia are quite flexible, it's no big deal. If any of them is a bit unhealthy, the pain is worse, and the effects can be felt for longer than you might expect.

So - you might want to see if you have any other symptoms that could indicate a problem with digestion, food allergy, etc. And you might want to assess if your hip flexors have been getting enough stretching. And you might want to warm up longer before hitting the big hill.

Sending butterflies to help you figure out the messages your body is trying to tell you so you can ride pain-free!

Hugs, too,
~T~

[tulip]

s-l-o-w down. Are you hydrated (do you drink enough water throughout the day)?

[Miranda]

OK, here's my bookreport... but I hope it helps...

Part of what my answer to you will be is somewhat related to exactly what LBTC has posted to you. Fashia.

I'm only in my 30s, but have had a couple pelvic repair surgeries for prolapse after I had my big babies. Usually you hear of women getting their bladder, and other related organs "pinned up" in their 60s after age and babies. For me, the docs were shocked when they operated and one said, "omg, I have operated on 80yrs with stronger fashia than you!". Hense, why I needed the surgeries.

I will need to have my surgeries redone in my lifetime. How soon, not sure. I have had several docs tell me that your fashia is something that is part of how your body is made... meaning no kegal execises etc. will change that. It's seperate from the muscle itself. The doc's words were "no more lifting, straining, impactive exercise, etc. with the exception in a dire emergencies your kids and grandkids for the rest of your life".

Great. There went my execise burn love of high impact stuff. Except... for good ole spinning and I found one another. Then biking outside. I lift weights, but follow a very specific routine from my docs, PTs, and trainer of things that do not get into this lower ab area. Squats are a "no no" for my quads, but a seated isolation within what my quad isolated alone can handle strengthwise, vs compensating with other parts of my body (like my lower abs) are ok. Same with the spin bike and outside.

Spinning is meant to be like Jonny G. wanted, like cycling outside (JG is the founder of Spinning, and I"m cert as an instructor btw thru this program)... but that's hard to do. You only have one gear. Your dial. Outside, I think you would be hard pressed to find a cyclists on this board that would say, "oh yea... I grind myself to the point of pain on a hill and don't change gears". You use your gears, leg speed (heart if healthy to recover), stand engaging other muscles besides just stressing one and use of body weight etc. to make it up the hill without agony... OR, you dismount and push it up.

For me, when I start using things that I should not, my lower abs, about in the region of your bikini line, it feels someone is ripping my gutts out. This is my fashia pulling, or basically failing, on my uterous, and other organs screaming "I am getting stressed and am too weak to take it, STOP".

In this situation, I modify. Use less resistance, and use leg speed. Don't stand, take the hill in the saddle etc. Whatever does not hurt you. You are still getting a good workout. That to ME is the most beautiful thing about the Spinning program... it's your ride!

Hope the pain improves... next gyno appointment, could not hurt to mention it also, btw... there's a way the can check how strong you are there, fwiw.

Good luck.
Miranda

[Natural Beauty]

I can identify with that! I had that when I was spinning after my first baby (9.6lb preemie) I luckily didn't have to get my plumbing put back, well, not yet anyway.
I increased my stretching (hip flexors, low back, it band) and made sure my posture was pristine. This is hard to do if your instructor is less than phenomenal.
I know half the fun of spinning is trying to kill oneself with increased tension but maybe that isn't for you quite yet. It also never hurts to get checked out by your OB to make sure there aren't any ovary issues.

[Evka]

Thanks for all responses!!

I stay hydrated, so I can exclude that.
It really can have something to do with a digestion, I sometimes have problems. Though this pain feels more gynae related and that should be OK for me - I have yearly checks and no problem reported. I'll ask about this anyway.

What is bad about this pain is that it's too late to stop / slow down when it appears... I'm trying to say that it doesn't develop, it just appears in all its 'beauty'. That is a reason why I often hold back in training, as afraid of the pain starting again. At least I know what triggers it! (the heavy hills)