You know something isn't right when you have belly button pain that occurs or worsens as you exercise. The best way to determine the cause and proper solution is a visit to a health care provider. The possibilities for your pain are numerous, some of which are serious; so it's important to get the correct diagnosis.
Hernia
An umbilical hernia causes pain or a burning sensation in your belly button area that may get worse with exercises such as lifting or when you cough or sneeze. However, signs and symptoms of an umbilical hernia are different from person to person. The most common sign is a bulge in your navel area. This bulge may get larger when you strain during a workout or when you cough or have a bowel movement. An umbilical hernia occurs when part of an organ or tissue bulges out from its normal place in your abdomen. Being pregnant, having a long labor, being overweight, having fluid retention in your abdomen and having tumor growth in your abdomen raise risk for an umbilical hernia. If you do not treat your hernia, it may become incarcerated meaning a health care provider won't be able to press it back into place. This can cause intestinal blockage. The hernia also may become strangulated. When this happens blood supply to the area that bulges is cut off, which puts you at risk for the life-threatening condition gangrene. Surgery is the top treatment for an umbilical hernia.
Appendicitis
If you have pain that starts in the belly button area and then migrates to your lower right abdomen watch out for appendicitis. The pain in the belly button area will likely be mild or vague at first. However, it will worsen progressively. The pain is likely to worsen when you exercise, walk or cough, notes Medline Plus. Sudden movement is especially likely to cause pain. Loss of appetite, fever, chills, diarrhea or vomiting are other signs of appendicitis. You need immediate medical attention for this condition.
Interstitial Cystitis
Interstitial cystitis often causes pain in the belly button area. However, your pain also may be located in your pelvis or along the insides of your thighs. Other symptoms include frequent urination and an urgent or continuous feeling that you need to urinate. This is a chronic disease that affects your bladder, prostate or urethra in any combination. Your pain or symptoms may flare with a workout or with sexual activity. Oral medications and instilling a therapeutic solution directly into your bladder are two possible treatment options. The exact cause of interstitial cystitis is unknown, but one medical theory is that the mucous layer that lines your bladder is not protecting it enough, which leads to damage from the salts in your urine, according to the University of California Dan Diego Health System.
Constipation
The root of your belly button pain may be simple constipation. This is actually one of the most common causes of belly pain. Your pain is caused by retained stools putting pressure on your intestines. Movement while exercising may increase this pressure, making the pain more noticeable. A low-fiber diet, not consuming enough fluids, waiting too long to go to the bathroom, and a lack of exercise and stress all may contribute to constipation.
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