Abdominal strain is a common abdominal injury that typically happens when abdominal muscles are overworked and strained. This condition usually requires rest to heal.

Once the strain injury heals, abdominal strengthening exercises can help prevent future injuries from occurring.

Are you experiencing abdominal strain? 

This article will talk about the common causes of abdominal muscle strain, what it feels like to have the injury, and some of the treatment options available for you. 

We’ll also be discussing a  kinesiology taping protocol that you can try to help alleviate the discomfort brought about by this condition. 

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What causes abdominal strain?

Usually caused by repetitive movements when playing sports or when exercising, abdominal muscle strain is the result of the muscles being stretched or torn. 

Some of the most common causes of abdominal pain include: 

• Twisting suddenly 
• Excessive exercise
• Not giving overused muscles time to rest
• Lifting heavy items 
• Improper technique when exercising or playing sports 
• Coughing or sneezing 

How is an abdominal strain diagnosed?

Abdominal muscle strain can be diagnosed by a doctor or our healthcare provider by doing asking about your medical history, doing a physical exam as well as taking note of your symptoms, 

What does an abdominal strain feel like?

The primary signs of an abdominal strain include pain when:

• Coughing, sneezing, or when laughing 
• Doing sprints or when doing intense workouts 
• Standing up after sitting down for a long period of time

What are the risk factors for abdominal strain?

Risk factors for abdominal strain include:

• Obesity.Obesity can make it harder for abdominal muscles to support the body's weight, putting more stress on abdominal muscles. Obesity is often associated with excess fat around the midsection which increases pressure on abdomen muscle groups.

• Poor posture.Poor posture during everyday activities may increase abdominal strain risk. Good abdominal muscle strength helps maintain good posture while abdominal weakness makes abdominal muscles more likely to be injured. 

• Not warming up.Abdominal strain is more likely when abdominal muscles are not warm and flexible like they should be, for example, after a long period of inactivity (such as sitting down for a long time or remaining inactive during travel). 

Abdominal strain treatment

• Ice. Applying an ice pack on the area helps relieve pain, swelling, and even bleeding. It’ll also help with inflammation. When using a cold pack, make sure that you protect your skin from b wrapping it with a towel or cloth. Apply it to the affected area for ten to fifteen minutes at a time. 

• Heat Therapy.Applying a heating pad on the affected area helps relax our muscles and relieve tension. This then helps in decreasing the pain you feel. Additionally, heat also increases blood flow which can then promote healing while reducing inflammation. You can apply the heating pad to the affected area for twenty minutes at a time.

• Rest.Rest for a period of time until abdominal pain and cramping subside. 

• Over-the-counter painkillers.Taking painkillers such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium may help reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain. 

• Kinesiology taping.Applying kinesiology tape may help with abdominal strain by relieving pressure off the affected area. It’ll also promote fluid circulation which may aid the healing process. 

• Strengthening exercises.Doing strengthening exercises after abdominal muscles have healed from the strain. This can be very helpful in preventing future abdominal strain injuries.

If your injury doesn't heal with rest and home care treatment within two weeks and/or it's getting worse instead of better, see your doctor right away. There could be another health condition such as appendicitis or some abdominal tumors that need medical attention.

Kinesiology taping for Abdominal Strain

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While kinesiology taping is often seen on athletes it’s slowly making its way into the mainstream. With  various kinesiology tape benefits, it’s proven that not only sportspeople can make use of this sports tape. People who work in an office, people who love to work out, and even pregnant moms may rely on this tape for support and more! 

If you’re new to taping, you should read more about all the kin taping basics here. And, don’t forget to read up on the kinesiology taping tension guidelines - it’ll be really helpful when you’re applying the tape. 

Here are the kinesiology taping steps to aid abdominal strain: 

1. Start by leaning back to give your body a bit of a stretch. 
2. Then, take a strip of tape, take off the paper backing at the end of the tape without touching the adhesive. 
3. Anchor the tape to the area of concern in a diagonal position. Then, give the middle of the tape 25% tension before applying. 
4. Apply the end of the tape with 0% tension.
5. Get another strip, and apply the tape just above the first strip. Again, make sure that you apply 0% tension for the anchor and 25% tension for the middle part of the tape. Apply 0% tension for the end of the tape, as well.
6. Rub in the tape to activate the adhesive and get a better stick. 

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Conclusion

If you’ve been experiencing pain or discomfort in your abdominal muscles, then this article may help provide some useful information on common causes of the injury, what it feels like to have a strain, and treatment options. 

We also discuss kinesiology taping as an option for alleviating the symptoms caused by abdominal muscle strains. To read more about other injuries that are commonly experienced in athletes like ankle sprains as well as shoulder impingement, check out our blog!

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