Having a nagging sensation in an aching belly could be pretty uncomfortable and really disrupt your daily life. The good news is that some gentle stretches can actually help release the tension and discomfort. Here are 10 simple stretches to relieve abdominal pain, focusing on various areas of the abdomen, along with recommended durations for each.
Cat-Cow Stretch
Duration: 60 Seconds
How: Start on hands and knees. Draw your wrists under your shoulders, and your knees under your hips. You have to breathe in as you arch your back towards the ceiling then lift your head upwards and look straight ahead. Exhale, round your back like a cat, as you tuck your chin in.
Benefits: This stretch increases flexibility and reduces spasms in the entire abdominal region.
Child’s Pose
Duration: 1-2 minutes
How: Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together, then lean forward and down, reaching for your toes and letting your torso sink between your legs.
Benefits: This pose gently stretches the lower back and abdominal muscles, which may help reduce some discomfort caused by lower abdominal pain.
Seated Forward Bend
Duration: 60 to 120 Seconds
How: Sit with your legs out in front of you. Breathe in, lengthen your spine, and exhale, reaching forward toward your toes.
Benefits: These stretches for lower abdominal pain can help reduce tension in the lower and overall abdomen while loosening it up.
Spinal Twist
Duration: Hold for 1 minute on each side
How: Sit on the floor with straight legs extended out to the sides. Bend the right knee and press the right foot into the outer left thigh. Twist to the right and support your body with your left elbow on your right knee.
Benefits: Twists give massaging pressure to the internal organs of the abdominal cavity. Such a twist will also alleviate pain when one experiences tension on the left side.
Side Stretch
Duration: 30 seconds for both sides
How: Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Bend one arm overhead and lean to the opposite side, bringing stretch along your side.
Benefits: This stretch opens up the sides of the body and can relieve tension in the obliques, which may help with overall abdominal pain, particularly left abdominal pain when stretching.
Knees-to-Chest Stretch
Duration: 1 minute
How: Stand with feet a wide distance apart, keeping your eyes straight ahead of you. Reach up in the air with one arm and twist all the way to the opposite side while feeling the stretch along your side.
Benefits: This is one of those fundamental stretches that unlocks the entire lower back and abdominal region. After you do this stretch, you will find that the ache in the abdomen subsides.
Bridge Pose
Duration: 30 seconds to 1 minute
How: Lie on your ba]ck with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Raise your hips up toward the ceiling using the pressure from your feet, holding there for a few breaths.
Benefits: Stretches the abdominal region to remove tension in the hips
Cobra Pose
Duration: 30 seconds to 1 minute
How: Lie on your abdomen with your hands under the shoulders and press your chest off the floor while keeping the hips down on the floor.
Benefits: It assists in stretching the abdominal muscles and can reduce potentially sore stomachs due to decreased blood flow.
Seated Side Bend
Duration: 30 seconds on each side
How: Sit cross-legged, stretch up overhead one arm, leaning forward to one side.
Benefits: This stretch follows down the entire side of the body and can relax tension in the abdominal region.
Lying Torso Twist
Duration: 1 minute per side
How: Lie on your back and bend your knees. Let your knees fall to one side so that your shoulders remain on the floor; repeat on the other side.
Benefits: This stretch favors mobility in the spine so that it can help with any remaining tightness in the abdominal region.
Conclusion
One can add these abdominal pain stretches to one’s daily routine and find relief from the discomfort as well as from making the abdominal area more flexible. Time each stretch by its recommended time and recall that a person has to listen to his or her body: “If pain or discomfort feels drastically sharp, then stop and discuss it with the doctor.” Stretching regularly can be quite simple but highly effective management of abdominal pain and general well-being.
