It could still be a hernia - even if you cannot feel a bulge. Does it hurt all the time or does running exacerbate it? After running (i.e. when your core has been engaged) is it more tender? How about after coughing or (shudder) sneezing? It could be a small protrusion such that it only pushes out when you are working hard and so difficult to identify.

Good luck!

Michael

I rarely post here, but I feel your pain--literally. I strained a lower rectus muscle approximately 15 months ago. I had the fortune of being able to talk to several hernia surgeons and they assured me that it was likely not a hernia.
I did see a PT who attributed the pain to a weak and tight psoas and had me doing stretching and strengthening of that muscle. Several weeks of that did not help.
One day I had the epiphany of trying to stretch the leg adductors on that side. After a couple of days the abdominal pain went away. It hasn't returned, but I do still stretch the adductors from time to time.
I'm not an expert, but I do know that there is a lot at play in that "groin" area. For me, the adductors were obviously tight and contributing to the lower abdominal pain.
PM me if you have any questions and I'll give you as much help as I can.

Thanks for both posts. Its been about 8 weeks and it really fairs up when running or after an isometric abs workout (duh). The major problem is that since my abs are so sore there are also very weak which is requiring all the other muscles in the hips to do the stabilizing so I'm now getting secondary and tertiary injuries from the chronic abdominal soreness.

I strained an oblique almost a year ago today! I was actually afraid it might be appendicitis as the pain was in the exact location and it hurt virtually all the time... it only subsided when I laid down. Took me about a month until I was back to normal. I was able to pick up cycling again after two weeks with minimal pain.

Unfortunately no comforting news here (similar to other posters). Had a small transverse abdominal tear about 5-6 years ago. Occurred halfway into the run during a sprint tri. This was, by far, the worst acute endurance related injury I've had (excepting bike crashes). Confirmed with docs it was not a hernia but it essentially laid me up for a few weeks.

The unfortunate part is it still flairs up to this day. Every now and then it will pop up out of the blue, typically on the run under ~high exertion (> half ironman pace) and then is a constant issue for a week or two before it subsides again. Not constant pain but I know it's there just under surface and have to baby it in training with a constant fear it will get really reaggravated. No amount of rest, core strengthening, NSAID's, stretching etc... has ever done anything for it.

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Of course it hurts. The trick is not minding it hurts.

What is PDAs?

Do you sit at a desk all day? I have a friend who I have run with on and off for the last few years and a couple years ago he kept having abdominal muscle pain after running. He tried all kinds of stretches and treatments for it. I don't know how much medical attention he received but I know it bothered him for several months. He eventually determined that it was a tight (possibly strained) psoas. He switched to a standing desk and that cleared up the problem for him. He also does a lot of stretching (and always had) before and after running and began focusing on stretching the psoas specifically.

We're both office workers who spend hours a day sitting at a desk. He rarely sits at work anymore and hasn't had any of the problems that he was experiencing a couple of years ago. I often go for a run over my lunch break and I have just recently set up a standing desk that I usually use for an hour or two a day, especially after the lunch run. I'm not very good about doing stretching or core work, but I have found that just standing rather than sitting helps a lot with preventing muscle tightness after running. Sitting in a chair really doesn't seem to be a good thing to do after a workout. If you're sitting a lot, switching to a standing desk might be something to try.

I strained a muscle in my abdomen running fast down a steep hill about 8 months ago. It was never very painful but I would feel it occasionally when running throughout the summer. Sometimes I wouldn't feel it for a few weeks at all and then it would flare up again for a few days. I can still tell that my core is relatively weak compared to the rest of my body (I really should do more core work), but getting back to the standing thing, it really seems to help keep down the soreness of a hard workout. If you're not dealing with something more serious, just based on my own experience I would think that you could experience the soreness for months on and off. You could probably put more effort into fixing the weak areas than I did as well which in time will hopefully help it clear up. I don't have any medical knowledge. My comments are just based on experience so take it for what it's worth. Good luck with getting it sorted out. I never really had to back off my training, although maybe it would have healed up a little faster if I had.

I'd get with a good PT. I had an abdominal strain 2 years ago that took 4 weeks of PT work before I could even run. However, still do the exercises he recommended (Endurance Rehab Scottsdale) and no problems since.

I really appreciate all the posts, thanks to all. I am going to the doctor on Friday just to determine if a hernia is a possibility. I noticed today that doing a straight leg lift really aggravates it...Ilio psoas??

What became of injury?

What stretch did you do for the leg adductors, this could be exactly what I need. Been struggling a few months now with an abdominal strain.

Pretty much this one:
http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/rehabilitation-exercises/hip-groin-exercises/adductor-stretch-standing
You can move around a bit in this position and feel the various adductor muscles stretching. Mine was quite tight and I felt it immediately at the medial femoral insertion. Good luck and post back to let us know if it helps.

Thanks will do.