Ab, or core, exercises are an important part of any fitness routine, according to MayoClinic.com. These exercises improve your balance, stabilize your spine and help prevent back pain. However, if you're new to exercise, your stomach muscles may protest when you start working them. With a little information, you can decide what is normal and what merits a visit to your doctor.
Soreness
A little soreness is normal when beginning a new exercise routine. According to MayoClinic.com, the technical term for soreness after exercise is "delayed-onset muscle soreness" and usually occurs 12 to 48 hours after you've completed your exercise. This type of pain, reports the clinic, will generally go away on its own within a few days. The clinic recommends maintaining your exercise routine at a low level.
Sharp Or Severe Pain
While soreness after exercise is normal, sharp or severe stomach muscle pain that occurs during activity is not. This type of pain indicates a common sports injury: a pulled or strained muscle, reports MayoClinic.com. These injuries take time to heal and you should not attempt to train through them. The clinic recommends resting and applying ice packs to the affected area.
Side Stitch
If your exercise program contains aerobic exercise, or if your ab workout is intense enough to get your heart rate up, you may experience side stitch. This is a sharp but brief pain on the side of your abdomen, and though scientists have yet to figure out exactly what causes it, it is not dangerous, according to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
When to See Doctor
Some forms of abdominal muscle pain, such as soreness, will resolve themselves with rest. However, there are circumstances when stomach muscle pain requires treatment by a medical professional. MayoClinic.com recommends seeing a doctor if you have muscle pain that lasts more than one week or if you show any signs of infection, such as swelling or redness, around the affected muscle.
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