Your abdominal muscles provide your body with balance and strength to stabilize your spine and neck through exercise and workout. Stretching and pulling on your abdominals through exercise can lengthen them, but excessive pulling and stretching can lead to severe abdominal pain. Learning how to stretch and exercise your abdominals effectively can help you strengthen them and improve your flexibility. Consult your healthcare professional if you experience any severe abdominal pain or before attempting exercise.
Abdominal Strain
According to the Cleveland Clinic, lower abdominal strains are found in individuals that participate in sports and workouts that require continuous twisting and turning movements. If the strain worsens, it could lead to long-term to your trunk and muscles and spine. You can identify abdominal strain if you feel pain during activities such as sprinting, striking a ball or muscle stiffness due to prolonged sitting. The Cleveland Clinic recommends light, daily stretching to ease pain and to consult your healthcare professional for further information.
Proper Stretching
Stabilize your spine before any abdominal exercise by engaging your core muscles, and perform different abdominal stretches to target the muscles that stabilize your core muscles experiencing pain. Stretch your stomach muscles by balancing on your elbows, or on your hands as you fully extend both arms and keep your hips on the floor. Raise your chest and hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds. If comfortable, challenge yourself with each stretch by twisting to one side and holding that position. Repeat the same movement for the opposite side.
Improving Abdominal Function
Gentle isometric exercises that contract your abdominal muscles can help stimulate natural recovery. For your abdominals, lie down on your back and place your feet flat on the floor. Engage your core muscles as you press your back into the floor, and hold this position for five seconds. Perform three sets of 10 to 20 repetitions. For your obliques, stand in front of a door opening, with your right hand on the doorframe. Keep your upper body straight, engage your core muscles to stabilize your spine and gently push with your right hand until you feel tension in your obliques. Hold this position for five seconds and perform two to three sets of 10 to 20 repetitions.
Considerations
Abdominal strain is an injury that occurs when your abdominal muscles are overused, and recovery should start 48 hours after the abdominal injury occurs. After several days to a week most of the pain should subside and allow you to resume training. Stop your training routine at the first sight of pain and consult your health care professional; exceeding your pain threshold will only prolong the healing process.
