Abdominal muscle tightness

Posted by learningstudent @learningstudent, Aug 22, 2020

Well I have a lot of symptoms. But I would like to focus on one first. Around April and May I started having bloated stomach and abdomen and this happened once a day and only occurred at night time and it is progressing worse. At the end of May this also occurred in the morning. Even I did not eat, I still felt bloated. But that lasted for a couple hours and then subsided. Right now it has changed from bloating to tightness. This happened the day after I had acupuncture. And I do not think acupuncture caused that. In the morning if I do not eat it is slightly better but after I eat I could feel a little tight. But in the evening or at night the abdomen muscle or to be more accurate internally abdominal muscle becomes really tight and it becomes worse if I eat. This happens particularly when I stand up and I feel something inside my abdomen pushing my abdominal muscle out. This makes it difficult to breathe and move. I feel slightly better when lying down or sitting but worse when standing up. Do u know what causes that? I do not have any injury or anything to my abdomen. I have been to the GI doc and have had endo and colonoscopy done and everything was normal and have had empty stomach test and still waiting for the result because I do not really feel hungry and I am fine with eating a small meal that could last for a whole day.

This is really bothering me the most because that affects my movement and it is worse when I crouch and squat.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

I agree with having a Doppler ultrasound. I had the same problems and also had a CT scan and they found Mals (Mesenteric Artery Ligament Syndrome), Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome, and Nutcracker. There’s not many doctors that know, or treat these but with your symptoms it’s worth the check.

REPLY

Does anyone have any thoughts on stomach tightening severely after eating and if you lie down you can feel tight lumps in the stomach that can be massaged but come right back---almost like hard bubbles. I cannot eat much and have lost a lot of weight. I am sure my digestion has stopped but in the morning I'm much better--then it starts again.

REPLY
@veruca68

Does anyone have any thoughts on stomach tightening severely after eating and if you lie down you can feel tight lumps in the stomach that can be massaged but come right back---almost like hard bubbles. I cannot eat much and have lost a lot of weight. I am sure my digestion has stopped but in the morning I'm much better--then it starts again.

Jump to this post

Hi @veruca68 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. There are a number of people that have discussed abdominal tightness, so I moved your post to a conversation where you can connect with other members like @lasirvent, @woot, @amyma and @learningstudent.

Have you seen a physician about this yet? Have they done a gastric emptying scan?

REPLY
@astaingegerdm

@learningstudent - It’s good that nothing was found inside stomach and intestines. Have they done an abdominal ultrasound? Also, an abdominal Doppler ultrasound, which can detect abnormalities in the blood flow of abdominal organs. This particular test helped diagnose one of my abdominal pain problems. There was restricted blood flow in one area, causing pain and discomfort after meals. I also didn’t want to eat or just eat small meals.
It was not something the doctors were thinking of right away. If no cause is found after your last tests, maybe you could mention this to the doctor. The Doppler ultrasound is an easy, noninvasive test.

Jump to this post

What happened with your blood flow. Did it get better? What treatment did you do?

REPLY
@hkroon

What happened with your blood flow. Did it get better? What treatment did you do?

Jump to this post

@hkroon
There was a ligament originating in the diaphragm that put pressure on the celiac artery in the abdomen, severely restricting blood flow to stomach, liver, intestines etc.
Once the ligament was cut there was good blood flow. I also had a stent placed in the artery where it was kinked by the ligament.
This is what we call MALS = Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome.

REPLY

Did you figure out what you have? @learningstudent I have similar symptoms and am seeking a diagnosis

REPLY

@irongal -
I’m glad you asked about @learningstudent !
We have not heard anything for a long time.
Hope @learningstudent connects again.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.