How to Alleviate Stomach Muscle Cramps

You've just finished an enjoyable meal, when your stomach clenches uncomfortably. Muscle cramping is the sensation of a muscle 'locking' in a very contracted position, restricting movement and causing pain. Stomach cramping can be especially difficult to deal with, as nearly all of our movements involve these muscles.

Try the following techniques to help alleviate stomach cramping. Although it's recommended to try these steps in order, feel free to reorganize the routine or skip steps if you find it works better for you.

Things You'll Need

• Sufficient floor space
• Heating pad
• Warm beverages
• Pain relievers and/or stomach medication

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Instructions

• 1

  Regulate your breathing. Lie down flat and breathe deeply while relaxing your entire body. Proper breathing for relaxation usually means breathing into your stomach as well as your lungs. In some cases, this may cause additional pain. If this happens, breathe into your lungs only.

• 2

  Gently stretch the cramping muscle. Standing upright near a wall for support, lean away from the cramp while inhaling deeply. Hold the stretch for 20-40 seconds. Exhale as you return to upright.

• 3

  Get some light exercise; some crunches or a brisk walk are best. Move briskly for 10 or 15 minutes, but discontinue immediately if this step makes cramping worse.

• 4

  Apply heat. Put a heating pad on the cramping muscle for 20 minutes at a time. Be sure to keep at least a thin layer of cloth between your skin and the heating pad. You can also drink a warm beverage either instead of or in addition to the heating pad.

• 5

  Eat a moderate amount of bland food, if the cramp was not caused by overindulgence. Alternately, try drinking wine or chamomile or peppermint tea, or eating ginger or peppermint. All of these have been known to help alleviate stomach cramps.

• 6

  Take medication. If the cramps are exercise-related, try Motrin or Ibuprofen. If they're digestive, try Pepto Bismol or Immodium AD.