# Exercise-induced IBS?



## Guest (Jul 18, 2000)

Does anyone have any experience with IBS occurring only during vigorous exercise?I have a Div 1 athlete that suffers from severe cramping after playing one half of a soccer game or playing basketball. Could exercise induce IBS?


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2000)

My IBS is made worse by running and or stomach exercises (ie. crunches) but I go to the gym or swim eberyday and that does me good.Good luck sorting it out. Would be more likly to be a food problem (try dairy, fruit or wheat) than an exercise related problem. If it goes when the sports stop, I guess the sport is the cause.Take careMuse


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## becjo (Sep 16, 1999)

I'm a big Jazzerciser - aerobics and body sculpting classes. I'll have some cramping near the end of the classes. I have read that exercises that get the blood really flowing can affect IBS. Because our systems are so sensitive anyways, when the blood is flowing at a fast past when your exercising, it tends to run through the gut system faster also making your IBS symptoms more noticable. I have never had any really bad episodes at class (knocking on wood) but I have felt like it could happen. I just try and concentrate back on the class and it passes soon afterwards. I think knowing a bathroom is downstairs is always easing on my brain too. I think it would be different if I was out in the middle of nowhere running and realized there was no torliet anywhere - the situation would definately be different. Don't give up exercise though - its the best thing you could ever do for your body!







------------------Rebecca"Knowledge is Power"


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## RitaLucy (May 3, 2000)

Does the athlete have IBS? Until I knew for sure I might suggest him getting it checked out. It probably is nothing more than a stomach ache but anything that keeps happening again does deserve to have a look at. It could be the time in between eating and playing, could be consuming too many fluids before or during working out, and it could be anxiety. My 12 year old will exhibit signs of anxiety through a stomach ache sometimes before she is about to perform in a play or something. (Just a thought).I will get cramping when I have overdone doing crunches and ab work but it doesn't happen very often for me. I have had cramping afterwards that lasted a couple hours or so.


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2000)

SoccerDad:1. What does the athlete eat before the competition, and what is the timing of the meal? 2. Does the athlete keep hydrated during the event? E.G., weigh him before and after, to see how much water is lost.3. What type of diet does the athlete follow? e.g. high carb, low carb., high protein.


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2000)

Thanks for the replies.Originally, we thought the abdominal pain might be related to volume reduction (blood leaving the abdomin for the legs)- so we made sure he was adequately hydrated well before games and during games. We also have tried Zantac, on the theory it was acid related and that sometimes helped, but not always.We have not done too much experimenting with diet since we don't know what we are dealing with. We tried candy before games to see if might be low blood sugar. We have started him on Metamucil to see what that does. Doctor told him to eat fats and protein before games and stay away from carbos.He typically does carbo load before games. We will have to see how that works. The pain he gets is quite debilitating. The info on this BB has been pretty helpful in terms of learning from other's experience.The issue is not so much D & C as it is severe cramping. He has had upper and lower GI's and xrays with no indications.


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## Guest (Jul 20, 2000)

Soccerdad:Seems to me that these sorts of stomach related problems are more frequently associated with endurance athletes. Sounds like you have some good possibilities. I'll add a couple to the fire.1. What about carbohydrate intollerance? Try staying away from carbo loading and see what happens. During competition, (not before), take in as many simple and complex carbs as possible, but not before. I sure don't understand a lot of CI, but the subject has been written about at length by the likes of Dr. Phil Maffetone (www.philsbar.com). It may be worth looking into.2. What of the role of salt/hyponatremia? Do the events typically take place in hotter environments. A lot of endurance athletes suffer from this problem, having low sodium levels, so that when they do take in fluids, there is no where for them to go, causing a heart attack of the gut.Good luck. Please let us know how things turn out. There are many of us on the board who suffer from these problems.


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## AD (Jan 23, 2000)

Unfortunately, I get hardly any exercise. I just started walking to help my IBS, but after 2 minutes, I get painful cramps in my kidney. I guess it will take a very long to get used to a normal minimal exercise routine.


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## LEELEE47 (Apr 11, 2000)

Hi Soccerdad,I also play soccer and I do experience cramping with D after a game, especially if I play in the heat. However, I have Crohn's disease. You should make sure he is always hydrated (even after the game), especially during warmer seasons.


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## LoriLee (Mar 3, 1999)

Hi Soccerdad:My son (now in college) was a 4 year high school wrestler, and after tough matches would get horrible lower abdominal cramps. He also got them while training especially running. We had him evaluated and nothing impressive came up. The pediatric GI doc informed us that in some athletes, the excessive exercising causes peristalsis to start and occasionally become extremely violent. To try to avoid this situation was his only hope of continuing in the sport and he would never eat within 3 hours of a competition, and usually something neutral such as toast. He always stayed hydrated. This worked for most of the time, and he finished with an impressive senior record. He still will every now and again get cramps after activity, and for this reason declined to wrestle in college. It is less often tho. Good luck to the young athlete. Lorilee


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## Batty (May 20, 2000)

Thsi is just a thought.....Could your player be dehydrated? Not getting enough fluids? This could cause alot of abdominal pains. Also is this athlete very nervous? And has he seen a doctor? Just wondered?!


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2000)

My 13 year old son has a serious case of IBS and has had a terrible year.Although we cannot pin point what precipitates the attacks, he is (was) a hockey player and this year usually only made it through the first period before the cramps started. He has given up cross-country running, baseball and anything that requires vigorous exercise because he always gets sick in those circumstances. However, he can also have an attack just sitting there doing nothing. The doctors( and we have seen many) offer no solutions or advice and tell us they hope he will grow out of it.Last year he missed forty five days of school.Hope your soccer player is o.k. Best of luck.


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## Guest (Jul 24, 2000)

Have any of you tried calcium supplements? Here is an interesting bit about Evian water which contains calcium and which would be something an athlete could use. I'm going to add it to my arsenal of IBS-D treatments for myself. http://www.parkviewpub.com/bulletinboard/F...TML/006496.html If you try it, keep us posted. tb


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## Guest (Aug 11, 2000)

I participate in kickboxing and at times I feel like not going because of pain. If it is really uncomfortable..I don't go. If I can get up I go....feel much better afterwards. When I first start the class I hurt,once I get into it It's gone. Maybe it's because the workout is so intense..I forget about it. Before I was diagnosed...If I didn't work out my bm's would be irregular. When I would resume physical activity my bm's would be better. I believe exercise helps promote proper functioning of the digestive tract.NEVER STOP EXERCISING! Be sure to contact your physician though if you are not currently active.


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## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

Hi SOCCERDAD.Just 2 cents worth of questions...everyone is very thorough1. Is the abdominal cramping at "halftime" generalized or localized in the abdomen(where is it felt). 2. What happens if he just takes a low-dose of an anticholinergic antispasmodic before the game? I just wonder what the effect was/is/would be (assuming a pretrial for side effects and assuring proper hydrationa nd electrolyte balance). It should reduce the cramping.I used to do some medium-distance biking and took Bentyl pre-ride for the same reasons...used to get really bad gut cramps after the first 6 or 7 miles (used to do 12-15 mi three times a week...not bad for a smoker.)Good luck in getting to the bottom of itMNL


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## laxplayer (Oct 30, 2012)

This is an old thread but I can't help but reply because I haven't really seen it discussed elsewhere. I get severe symptoms after playing vigorous games of basketball. I play really hard for a couple hours at the gym 3 nights a week. It gives me very bad gas, cramping and D. It's been this way for awhile but I never made the connection. I run and play other sports but they don't seem to bother me. I play lacrosse which is somewhat similar and still no problem. I suspect if I didn't eat 3-4 hours before hand it wouldn't be as bad. But I've basically just had to live with it because I don't want to give up the sport and I get a great workout.


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## insertnamehere (Sep 21, 2012)

I started a thread about excercise triggering IBS about a month ago but didn't get any replies. In my case, during my recent/current flare up, I've gotten more severe symptoms when doing aerobic exercise. I think the extra stress on my abdominal muscles from exercise is triggering more cramping, spasms, and muscle dysfunction.

I wonder if it could be that basketball puts more of a strain on your abdominal muscles...or the specific muscles that come into play with ibs...than the other sports/activities.


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