I do primarily short course racing and have been having lower left abdominal pain around the .5 mile mark off the bike in races. It has been off and on for a while. It started after my initial bike fit where the guy slammed my seat and stretched me out pretty far. It would show up right around the .5 to 1 mile mark and stick around for about half a mile during which I would have to just press really hard on the area while running to alleviate the pain. Eventually it would disappear and usually there were no lingering issues. It does not happen during training, however I am rarely performing bricks at race intensity/duration during trianing.
About a year or so ago I had a Retul fit on the bike after which that problem went away, however due to some left exterior foot/knee issues that arose – I went back in for a re-fit roughly 3 months ago. We moved the seat forward a bit and added some shims to the left foot which have resolved the exterior foot/knee issues (although may be causing interior knee issue) and at my last race earlier this month my old friend re-appeared on the run. This time the issue has persisted some. I broke my foot in a minor bike crash during the race so have been off all training other than the pool, however after about 30 minutes of swimming I start to feel tightness in that area again.
Anyone have a similar issue or recommendations to address it? While it does go away rather quickly, it is very painful and slows me down significantly when it shows up.
Lower left abdominal pain can have several causes. Knowing age, gender, and what reduces the pain can help to eliminate some of them.
Intense exercise often discloses symptoms of an underlying condition not otherwise experienced. Yours also seem related to the aero position.
The problem might be something common and benign such as bowel pain due to stricture. Try reducing your intake of dietary fiber 1-2 days before a race.
See a doc (for ultrasound scan) if you experience the same pain without exercise.
Male, 33 and at the onset of pain pushing hard on the area alleviates it. It almost feels like a very severe cramp concentrated in a spot about the size of a quarter. After about .5 miles it usually dissipates and I have no after effects. This time it has been a dull pain when i swim for about 30 minutes that feels like a strain of some kind. Can also feel it if I do a yoga snake stretch.
I will keep an eye on the fiber, however it is not GI pain or even similar to it based on past experience.
Try investigating upper quad tendonitis where the quad attaches to the hip.
A crunched position can impinge that area
I had the same problem for a fee months until I raised my seat slightly (got a fit) and went to a few massage sessions. Massages worked great. In my case I was able to replicate the pain doing decline sit ups and the yoga stretch as well.
Something to think about. Especially from your foot injury/leg imbalances. Hope it helps.
Location, location, location? Reference to belly button, inguinal ligament, and/or pubic symphysis, whichever is easiest.
The above 2 posters seem to think it’s a muscle, not an abdominal organ.
You said that pressing on it with your finger helps. Two possibilities to rule out: hernia and iliopsoas syndrome. The classic hernia has a bulge and pain worsens with bearing down, but not all do. If you rule out hernia, read about impingement and tendinitis of the iliopsoas muscle, which was posted above. It does sound related to bike fit, but that could be coincidental.
Basically right at or just slightly above and inside the inguinal ligament on the left side. Probably in the top half of the inguinal ligament.
The thing that points to psoas is that you said that it appeared after your fit and indicated that the fitter positioned you way back which would reduce hip angle and therefore put the psoas in a shortened state.
I know messing with your fit is not a good idea but could you try to open up your hip angle by moving your seat forward?
Just a couple of suggestion but yeah that’s what i would look into first (and you can investigate it yourself as well).