Pain when running

[Tesscorm]

My son was diagnosed last May and his treatment has been Enteral Nutrition since then (only med is antacid). EN overnight (thru NG tube), normal diet during the day. He has few symptoms but tests continue to show some inflammation. At diagnosis, his disease was in his TI and some other small areas in his small intestine, duodenum, colon.

He's normally very active - in the winter, plays on two hockey teams and current phys.ed. class is 1.5 hours of fitness each day (weights and cardio).

His class has been building up to long distance runs and are up to 6 km runs - towards the last third of the run, he says he begins to feel some pain around the TI area but he's not sure if it's just running related cramps or crohns-related.

So, my questions are:

Has anyone else found this to be an issue with running (he said he's never had the pain with hockey)? Could the 'bouncing' be the issue?

And, as he has his EN feed overnight, he doesn't eat breakfast. His phys.ed. class is first period - he's wondering if it could be because he hasn't eaten (though he has ingested 1000 ml overnight)?

He wants to continue with the training but isn't sure if he should 'run through the pain'??

Thanks for any advice

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I'm not diagnosed but I am in remission, and sometimes when I jog I get pain around the TI area as well (Entocort worked for me so it's thought that I probably have IBD in or around my TI area, although nothing has been confirmed). It kind of feels like a side ache but sharper. When it happens I stop running and walk. I'm not sure if the pain means anything but it's not comfortable to run through and I'd personally rather not run through it. I think running in general isn't the best exercise for people with IBD, all the jolting and impact seem to make angry guts even angrier. Even in remission that seems to be true! I know that didn't answer much, I don't know the specifics of why pain happens when running, but my experience is that I stop running and walk it off.

 

[Tesscorm]

Thanks Cat, he's been walking the rest of the way too but, last night, he was thinking that maybe if he 'ran through the pain' it might go away??? I'm inclined to agree with you, that the jolts and bounces may be aggravating to the gut, flare or not.

The only other time he's felt pain was this time, last year - same phys.ed. program (long distance running) but it was right after his diagnosis so the pain made sense considering he was just beginning treatment/recovery. Last year, he just opted out of the running.

If he insists on continuing with the running this year, maybe some sort of ab/back support band might help offset some of the bouncing??

Thanks!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

How funny, I went to the gym a little while ago and jogged on the treadmill and I got the worst right-side pain I've had while jogging, ever! How's that for coincidence! I immediately thought of this thread and for a second I did try to run through it, but it was just too painful. Fortunately it went away after a few minutes of walking, but it was still kind of awful for a bit. I think I would have fallen off the treadmill if I stubbornly did try running through that pain.

I think the jolting/bouncing must be at least part of the issue. I've noticed that even just when I walk, I keep my ab muscles tight. When I try unflexing them and walking, I can feel my insides bounce around more and it's not a comfortable feeling and I go right back to tightening my abs again (at this point I should have abs of steel!). I keep my ab muscles tight too when I jog but apparently that's not enough. Would an ab/back support work? I have no idea! It might help but I don't know if it'd be enough. I would think it'd have to be pretty tight to be effective, but when running a tight support might restrict breathing and that could be dangerous, don't want him to pass out or anything! I wish I had more answers for you. I try to exercise as much as I can too, and it is frustrating when I have to stop or slow down due to my illness causing issues.

 

[Tesscorm]

hmmm, I'm not a runner so hadn't thought of the breathing restriction! :yfaint: Would not be a good thing! :lol:

He actually went to play a game of soccer with his friends now - just thought that if he doesn't have pain during the soccer game (with just as much bouncing but with 'breaks' between sprints) then perhaps it is the unbroken 'long distance' aspect (which, I guess, then could be indicate more of a running-related pain???).

I'll let you know.. maybe some sort of cardio circuit training is easier on the gut???

 

[rygon]

I get that too with big runs and kickboxing (bouncing up and down for an hr). I found it doesnt go away, but doesnt really get any worse. I can normally carry on, but know the next day i will be in pain. It always clears up after a day or 2 (do get blood in my stools though). I have read that runners without any stomach problems can get bleeding in stools anyway and docs have said its of no problem.

I'd leave it down to him. If he thinks the pros outweigh the cons then let him get on with it.

Circuit training does involve a lot of core muscles so may be worse, although i manage to do it and love it.

 

[Catherine]

Sarah has pain while running. She also had it before dx, and was push to run harder because the group could not leave her behind. This resulted two faints while exercising meant heart tests and neuro consultation. GI believes jarring causes the pain.

Acording to Sarah, the pain only get worse if try to keep going.

Also although we believe this is crohn's related if your son does faint while exercising please him straight to the gp or er as there are heart conditions that need to be rule out.

 

[Tesscorm]

Cat - just FYI, Stephen said that he didn't feel any pains while playing soccer (even tho he played, off and on, for close to two hours) - pain is just when he does the continuous long distance runs.

Catharine - I have told Stephen NOT to push it if he's feeling pain. He's had a fever and some ab discomfort since Friday night, not really thinking it's related but is a bit coincidental it came soon after his pains May also mention it to his teacher - this was the same teacher that, last year, after a meeting to discuss his diagnosis still told him 'no pain, no gain' when Stephen complained of the pains last year! :ymad:

 

[rygon]

I hate that saying.
Theres a difference between pain and aching. Yes you do hurt due to aches if running long distances and you can run through it, but pain is totally different as it never gets better by running through it.

Even when im kickboxing my instructor always says to everyone to keep on pushing it, but if he knows you have pain (bad back, sprain etc) he will make sure you wont do exercises to agrivate it, and if it hurts too much hes happy for you to take a rest

 

[optimusmog]

Ugh, I can relate. I was having some pretty interesting pain while doing long distance running but I would be fine during boxing and I still don't know why endurance aerobic things are a problem but short bursts over a long duration are fine. My session with my boxing trainer would last 90 minutes and I would be 100%, but 30 minutes into a run I'd be nearly doubled over.

I've played around a bit with running intervals (like when I start to get the beginning twinges of pain coming on, I start alternating walking and sprinting) and have found that to help a lot, and I know if I don't have any food at all in my system it's usually worse - I try to have a banana or some almonds or something about an hour before I exercise, whatever I'm able to tolerate that week because you know that's always a changing list.

Best of luck!

 

[Catherine]

I have spoken to Sarah, the pain she is talking about is not a stitch. She also does not get the pain with short bursts of running or when swimming long distrances.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Optimusmog, I can't have any food in my system when I exercise. I have GERD and I tend to reflux pretty badly if there's anything in my system when I hit the gym. I stop eating and only drink water for 2 hours before exericising - even then, sometimes I do reflux a bit of water, although at least water is something I can deal with and I don't taste food in my vomity burps or anything like that, and with water I don't feel like I'm going to vomit, and I do feel like vomiting sometimes if there's food in my system when I exercise. So yeah, long story short, I cannot have food in my system when I exercise or it's very bad. Maybe having an empty stomach does contribute to the abdo pain when running, but I guess I'd rather take that pain than really awful reflux issues.

The sad part is, I don't even run long distances. Seriously, I'm working my way up to running a mile. So maybe the emptier the stomach is, the sooner the running pain comes on? I don't know. I usually run on a treadmill, maybe that makes a difference? Like it's a slightly more springy surface than road asphalt is?

 

[optimusmog]

Yikes, the GERD is an extra bummer on top of the pain! I'm so sorry. I really wonder if short burst intervals would help. I mean, it helped me, that's all I can say, but my pain was more of having to dash purposefully to the bathroom style cramps. Do you think you could try to work up to a mile? Like run for a minute or so, then walk, then build up to see how long you can run without having pain?

Although - it could be that you're drinking too much water? Sometimes I really wish I was a doctor... I know my boxing trainer has said something about that causing GI problems but quite honestly, he doesn't know anything about anything other than punching stuff.

I'm a treadmill runner, too - that way you can be by bathrooms and tv :ybiggrin:

 

[elizamt]

I notice that when I drink more than a few sips of water or eat anything within an hour or so before my run, I sometimes get awful cramps/pain after about four miles and have to stop and walk for a few minutes. I usually run at 5 am (during the school year) and first thing in the morning the rest of the year, so I don't have breakfast or anything beforehand. The cramping that I get isn't a typical pain-in-my-side-I'm-tired-of-running -- it literally feels like my abdomen is about to burst open along my scar. It might be the complete opposite of the fact that he hasn't eaten breakfast - it may be that the EN throughout the night is causing the pain. Even though it's throughout the course of the night, that's still a lot of liquid in your body to be holding onto during a long run.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Optimus and Eliza, that's interesting about the water thing. I do drink a fair amount of water before I hit the gym as it doesn't seem to make my GERD act up any more than usual and hopefully helps flush some of the acid from my stomach so that if I do reflux, it doesn't burn as much. But maybe it is causing me the abdo pains when running. I will try drinking less water before hitting the gym and see how that affects me.

Optimus, yeah, I'm sure if I walked and ran alternately I could do a mile easily. I can run 6 minutes (at 5 mph, so that's 1/2 mile) without stopping to walk, 6 minutes is my limit right now. And sometimes at about minute 5 I'll get that pain so it'll be interesting to see what happens now that I'm going to deliberately drink less water.

Tesscorm, it's good to hear that your son doesn't get the abdo pain when he plays other sports. I do weight-lifting and ride my bike and do yoga and have just gotten into hula hooping, and I haven't experienced the abdo pain when doing any of those things - it's only when running, just like your son's experience. I'll keep you posted on how my drink-less-water experiment goes and if it helps me any.

 

[Alin]

I run because my pain goes away at the next day , but after running my gut starts to give me signals (bigger pain) to stop. I stop and then i walk slowly and the pain disapears. Then the next day I don't have any pain at all.

 

[Tesscorm]

I'll mention the water to him as well... from his years of hockey, coaches/trainers have drilled into him drink, drink, drink! So, maybe he's drinking too much before the run (on top of the EN).

Did have to speak to the teacher today though - pain must have been bothering Stephen a fair bit as he actually asked me to call the teacher. Hopefully, the teacher understood, I think he did... but, at least, he's aware that I 'instructed' Stephen to stop running when he feels pain, not to wait until the pain just won't let him go another step!

Oh, by the say, now that the 'real' hockey season's over he's thinking of Tai Kwon Do instead of summer hockey :ywow: Not sure how that'll go but, I guess we'll see...