PREGNANCY-BIRTH Messages for July, 2001: Re: Upper ab muscle pain

Re: Upper ab muscle pain

From: Lynn D. Montgomery, MD (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 11 Jul 2001 11:48:38 -0500 (CDT)

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In reply to: SarahB: "Upper ab muscle pain"

At Wed, 11 Jul 2001, SarahB wrote: >
>Just wondering if anyone knows what this is or has had the same thing.
>
>This is my 4th pg. After my second (c-section at 31 weeks) I started
>having trouble with my very upper abdominal muscle - if I sat up in bed
>for example by using my abs I would get a tremendous charlie horse in
>that muscle which was very painful and you could see and feel a big knot
>in the muscle. It would take several minutes to go away and I would
>just have to lay on my back until it did. This continued for the next
>several YEARS (I saw the doctor and PT with no clue as to what was
>happening). Prior to this pregnancy I had been able to work up to maybe
>20 situps without it happening (this took 18 months!!) but I still had
>to make sure I was careful getting up after I was done because it would
>knot up again if I was not careful. Now I am 28 weeks and that upper ab
>muscle has started to have a burning sensation all the time.
>
>I am 5'7" and normally thin and very active (105 and my friends always
>have given me a bad time about having a flat and tiny waist even after 3
>kids - it must be genetic because I wasn't able to work the muscles very
>much!!).
>
>Any ideas on what is happening - can this happen with the rectus
>abdominus split and if so can it be fixed somehow after pregnancy?
>
>--
>SarahB
>

Sarah, What you describe does sound like a muscle spasm or "charley horse". It is likely that the stretching of your muscles associated with pregnancy cause enough damage and stretch in that area that they are very slow to come back. Your efforts toward strengthening when not pregnant are a good choice. As to the current burning, this is likely related to the same stretch... Lynn

--
Lynn D. Montgomery, MD
Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Rocky Mountain Perinatal Center
Missoula, Montana

**Note:  Opinions expressed here are for educational purposes only and, as such, do not constitute a physician-patient relationship.  This information is not intended to supplant the need for you to consult with your physician prior to choosing therapeutic options and/or interventions.

**Private e-mails cannot be entertained due to time constraints, consequently no private e-mails will receive a response.

**Thank you for your understanding ;-)

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