IBS and Sit-ups???
#281129 - 09/07/06 07:13 AM
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shandy
Reged: 12/21/04
Posts: 85
Loc: Alabama
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Okay, here's a weird one... Is there any possible way that sit-ups or other abdominal exercises can irritate the gut? I have IBS - neither D nor C but the kind where you never feel empty. I have always done ab exercises and now at 39 have a nice flat tummy. Bully for me.
On August 3, I had major surgery and had to stop my exercise routine for three weeks. Since my surgery, I've had very few IBS episodes - in fact,I was almost sure I somehow cured myself (the surgery was unrelated to IBS). Halleluiah!
Last week I started doing my crunches & sit-ups again and the old symptoms came flaring back. Almost immediately.
Could there possibly be any connection? That stimulating the abdominal muscles with exercise irritates the gut and sets off the IBS? Can it be that... oh my ... I'll never do sit-ups again?
Would love to hear anyone's thoughts on this...!
Jennifer
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Jennifer
42 years old
Neither D nor C - just sluggish
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I've had the same problem with exercise in general. For a while I was working out a lot (although not much ab- always aggrevates my tummy). I had to stop because of an unrelated surgery and when I tried to work out again my stomach went nuts even just doing cardio. Might be related or just a fluke, I'm not sure but I feel your pain.
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Courtney (IBS-D)
"Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible." Romans 12:18
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I always wonder if there is some connection as well. When I exercise I get a major gas build up. But I love exercising and want to stay in shape. So I do it anyway. I also do crunches every day. Sometimes I think they help, sometimes I think they hurt. Who knows??? I do think it has some kind of effect, though. Do you get trapped gas? I do, and I think part of my problem is that when I work out or do crunches it gets the gas moving...but then it can't get out...which causes pain. Sometimes when I'm on vacation and not working out like usual things calm down a bit. So, I think what you're saying is valid. Maybe try a few days w/ crunches, then a few days w/o...not varying anything else. Let us know if you figure out the connection.
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~Mary
Had surgery for rectal prolapse in Sept. '06 and feeling good now! Loving life with our IVF miracle #1.
 
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So, when you say it aggravates your tummy... how do you mean exactly? Wow, what a concept... Gee, I can't exercise because it irritates my IBS!
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Jennifer
42 years old
Neither D nor C - just sluggish
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Hey, maybe we're onto something! I mean, if you have a sensitive intestinal tract and you vigorously work out the muscles down there, how can it NOT have an effect? I, too, usually feel better on vacation (where I'm certainly not doing ab crunches) and always "blamed" it on the ocean... the warmth... the stress relief. But maybe...
Trouble with diagnosing me is that once I get an "attack" (I call them episodes - for me an "episode" means that I have to do an enema or suppository every day to get everything OUT), anyway, once I get an attack, it lasts for days, so it's hard to isolate the cause. So, No More Sit-Ups for me for a week or two. If I get much better... then maybe we can add that to our list of "things to avoid".
Surprisingly, my stomach got flatter and trimmer during my hiatus from exercising. I've noticed over the last week since I started up again, that it doesn't look quite as flat as it did.
Jennifer/Shandy
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Jennifer
42 years old
Neither D nor C - just sluggish
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That's funny. I always attribute feeling better on vacations to stress relief as well.
An episode lasts a while for me too. I am IBS-C. It is very hard to isolate anything. But let me know if you think you figure anything out.
Sometimes I wonder if the crunches are the real key to a flat stomach too. Sometimes I do a ton w/o noticing much of an effect. Then I'll slack a little and my stomach will feel flat. I think it's more related to what I'm eating and hormones. I'm not ready to give up my crunches yet...I've been an addict since about 9th grade! But maybe I'll have to cut down if it will help the IBS.
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~Mary
Had surgery for rectal prolapse in Sept. '06 and feeling good now! Loving life with our IVF miracle #1.
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Well, there you go! Me too, I've done sit-ups religiously since the same time period...and have always had trouble with food. At times in my life, it was an obsession (IBSer's obsessed???) and I'd be miserable if I missed a day. No so anymore, but I do feel guilty every time I walk by my exercise ball. Anyway, I won't be doing any more sit-ups for awhile and see what happens.
Thanks for sharing - good to know I'm not loony.
Jennifer
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Jennifer
42 years old
Neither D nor C - just sluggish
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Gosh, I HOPE there's not a connection!! I go to an abs strengthening class twice a week, and pilates once a week, and I LOVE it! And actually, I NEED to keep my abs strong because I had back surgery two years ago. Because of disc degeneration (I'm only 27 - go figure!), I need to keep my abs strong so my back doesn't have to work so hard.
But - I, too, have noticed a decrease in symptoms when on vacation, and I, too, always attributed it to stress relief since I knew I was eating way more crap than I do at home!
I've never noticed a direct correlation between abs workouts and IBS, but I will pay more attention now...
Lisa, IBS-C
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Lisa, IBS-C (Vegan)
Stable since July 2007!
Mommy to Rhiannon Marie (Dec. 13, 2008)
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I don't know about the sit ups but my doc told me to take a tennis ball and rub it on my stomach with pressure. I'm c to get the muscles moving. It didn't work but may in some may have similar response as sit ups.
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Yeah, see what you think. The more I think about it, the more reasonable it seems. My boyfriend also commented that perhaps abdominal exercise stimulates the Ileocecal Valve (the connection between the large & small intestines) which I've been told by various chiros has caused a lot of my symptoms (the valve is supposed to "swing" but sometimes it can get stuck open or closed).
Taking the three weeks off from my crunches was eye-opening. My stomach was actually flatter and trimmer. Once I started them up again, I got thicker right away.
I don't know if it's dangerous for you to stop doing the ab stuff for a few weeks, but I'd love to hear from others if it eases the symptoms. I'm looking forward to a guilt-free/sit-up-free month!
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Jennifer
42 years old
Neither D nor C - just sluggish
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