Are you wondering what could be the reasons that make your lower stomach to feel hard? Discomfort in lower abdomen can be due to various causes. In some cases, lower stomach pain is caused due to physical exercise while this could be a serious sign of other health problems. Let us understand what it means when your lower stomach feels hard.
6 Common Reasons That Make Your Lower Stomach Feel Hard
When your lower stomach feels hard, it could mean many things. Here are some of the common reasons.
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Physical Exercise
There are many exercises that help to build lower abdominal muscles. Some of the examples of such exercises include crunches, sit ups, squats, etc. Doing certain sports can also contribute to the development of lower abdomen muscles. Such sports include skiing, snowboarding and skateboarding. It can help tighten the muscles for longer period of time. However, physical exercises could be one of the most common reasons why you feel lower stomach so hard.
People commonly practice double crunches, flutter kicks, hanging knee and other difficult exercises during sports or as a part of the weight loss program. Doing such hard exercises can really help strengthen your abdominal area, but at the same time can cause hardening of lower abdominal area. It can result into pain in the area and make your lower stomach feel hard.
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Peritonitis
It can mean problems in the peritoneum when your lower stomach feels hard. Inflammation of the peritoneum may result from an infection around the abdominal area. It is a silk membrane that covers internal body organs in abdominal area from any type of infection such as fungal, bacterial and viral. It is also caused due to complication in appendicitis. When lower stomach feel hard, it is also accompanied with abdominal tenderness, nausea, fever and diarrhea. It is important to seek medical attention in such severe cases.
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Constipation
Another common problem that can affect your lower stomach is improper digestion. When your lower stomach feels hard, it could mean digestive problems and constipation, which is a very common complaint. Constipation and digestive problems often puts pressure on lower stomach, eventually causing pain and hardening. It is important to keep a check on your lower stomach and instead trying best to do something with bowel movements.
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Pregnancy
When the lower stomach feels hard, it can be a possible sign of pregnancy in women. If you have missed out your menstrual period, then it is possible sign of pregnancy. During initial stages of pregnancy, the changes are new and it may take time to get adjusted to it. Initial processes like implantation and period during early trimester is crucial and if your lower stomach feels hard, it must be evaluated.
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Abdominal Issues
Organs that are a part of digestive system include esophagus, small and large intestine, liver, pancreas, stomach and gallbladder. When your lower stomach feels hard, it may mean there is something wrong with these organs. If any one of these organs functions incorrectly, then it may cause hardening and pain in the stomach. Minor problems may resolve in a few days, however, it they don’t it is necessary to seek medical opinion.
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Tumors
When your lower stomach feels hard, it could sometimes even mean tumors. Tumor development in lower stomach area can cause hardening and tightness in lower stomach. Tumors can easily grow inside abdominal area, which can therefore cause stretching of skin or pressure on other organs. It can also cause bloated feeling, dull pain or heaviness in the abdominal area. It is important to diagnose the affected area and in some cases, it is important to get it treated and remove surgically, chemotherapy or using radiation along with the standard procedures available to choose.
Sometimes, nerve irritation, pneumonia and lung blood clot may also be a concern when your lower stomach feels hard. As there are various possible causes, it is important to identify the possible reasons and diagnose the condition. You may be required to make changes in your regular schedule or change in dietary habits as well. Visiting a doctor is always a good way to start your diagnosis and conduct possible tests. It is always a wise option to check all your previous health check reports to assess the situation and understand what it means when your lower stomach feels hard.
Following medical advice is necessary to ensure proper treatment and resolution of the problem. If necessary your diet and exercise routine may be altered, which is best done with the guidance of an expert.