Stomach Pain in Children after Running

Stomach pain in children is a common occurrence. Every parent has heard the child complain about pain in the stomach, at some point of time in their life. Sometimes, tender love and care, along with a little ginger ale is enough for the child to get rid of the stomach pain. In other times, medicines might be required.

However, whatever the cause of the pain may be, it must be identified at first, as pain in the stomach is a really discomforting condition and children find it really difficult to cope with. Besides, if the pain in stomach is a consequence of another serious health issue, you might have to pay huge for procrastinating in seeing a doctor. Sometimes, children also experience stomach pain after running. This can be really challenging to understand and requires a thorough evaluation of the situation.

• Stomach Jarring as a Cause of Stomach Pain in Children after Running: With every single stroke of the foot, there is a significant amount of jostling and jarring of the stomach up and down. This causes an unpleasant feeling for the runner. When a child feels stomach pain after running, one of the causes is this. However, the child can get used to it over time, if he or she indulges regularly in running.
• Food and Liquid Consumption can Cause Stomach Pain in Children after Running: A heavy or full stomach may cause pain, when your child runs. Hence, ample amount of time must be given to the stomach so that the food and liquid are digested. Moreover, there are a few types of foods and liquids that one must avoid before running. These include –
  • High fibre foods
  • Greasy and oily foods
  • Dairy products.

Even if these foods and liquids are consumed, there must be a gap of 24 hours before running. Undigested stomach encounters more jostling after the running session.

• Dehydration and Cramping: Dehydration is a major cause for the kids to experience cramping and stomach pains after running. The stomach requires significant amount of hydration or water content, in order to prevent the cramping. Otherwise, there are muscle cramps in the stomach as well as the other muscles of the body. During the pre-workout session, drinking plenty of water is a must.
• Inappropriate Clothing: Many parents do not pay much attention to this fact, but the clothes can contribute significantly to stomach pain in children after running. This is because, during running, the breathing increases and the tight belts or waistbands of the child’s clothing may reduce the room for breathing. The kid should be able to ‘belly breathe’. Otherwise, the pain can be difficult to cope with.
• Fitness Level as a Cause of Stomach Pain in Children after Running: Often, the parents will find that the kids, who were complaining about their stomach pain during the initial period of their running sessions, will stop complaining in a few days. This is because the fitness level of the kid increases significantly with running and fitness level is greatly associated with the stomach pain. As the child runs, the blood flow to the stomach is seriously lessened. That is why the stomach starts to signal the pain due to the discomfort and unease. However, with increasing fitness level, the stomach learns to continue the digestion process even with low blood flow to the stomach and hence, the pain subsides on its own.
• Stomach Ailments Causing Stomach Pain in Children after Running: In most cases, the pain that occurs after running subsides on its own or after taking some necessary measures. However, if the pain sustains, there are chances that the pain is caused by some other stomach ailment. In most cases, these are –
  • Crohn’s Disease
  • Appendicitis
  • Colitis
  • Inflammatory bowel disease.

If these diseases are not taken care of, or if the prolonged pain in stomach after running is not paid attention to, there are chances that the condition might worsen. The appendix might get inflamed and infected. It may even burst and the toxic infection may spread to the other internal organs. In case of Colitis or Crohn’s disease, there can be ulcers and internal bleedings leading from the intestinal infection.

As a parent, one must look into the matter seriously as to why the child is getting stomach pain after running or after physical activities and how it can be prevented. Here are some easy and simple tips that will prevent the stomach pain after running from occurring in children.

• Do not eat or drink heavy foods or meals at least 2 to 3 hours before and after running.
• Only eat light, plain and low fibre foods.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day and during the running period, drink water in every 15 minutes.

So, if your child experiences stomach pain after running, it is a must that you see a paediatrician. The paediatrician will be able to diagnose the condition and the causes behind it.