'Stomach gripping' could be causing your neck and back pain – here's how to ease it
Do you suck in your tummy when you're posing for pictures or lying in your swimsuit on the beach?
Sadly, many of us do. The pressure to live up to unrealistic expectations of the body dates to early in life and we've likely been tensing our stomach unconsciously for years.
What you might not realise is there is a medical term for this action, and that doing it too often for too long can have health implications.
Referred to as 'stomach gripping', holding in our stomach can lead to back pain, urine leakage, breathing issues among other issues.
What is stomach gripping?
Stomach gripping refers to the process of repeatedly and extensively contracting the muscles of your upper abdomen to pull your stomach up and in and it can lead to an imbalance called 'hourglass syndrome.
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Hourglass syndrome is unrelated to an hourglass figure and it can be both painful and problematic. It's found more in women between their adolescence and mid-thirties, perhaps at a time when we are most self-conscious.
I must add that not everyone who sucks in their tummy is doing it intentionally, some of us will have formed the habit in response to pain, trauma or stress and tensing parts of our body are often to protect ourselves.
I see this often in my patients; some hold tension in their jaw or shoulders whilst others in their tummies.
Why is holding in our stomach bad for us?
It disrupts normal breathing
If you have ever looked at young children when they breathe, you may have noticed their tummy usually goes out with each inbreath and in with their outbreath
With 'stomach gripping' your diaphragm learns to contract in the opposite direction. This can start as early as adolescence where you may notice a trend of pulling in your tummy to look leaner, taller and even stronger.
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Sadly, this can disrupt how the diaphragm moves and rather than moving down and your tummy coming out when breathing in to help your lungs fill with air, the body is forced to breathe in unnaturally.
Instead, there is expansion of the upper chest area where the neck and shoulder muscles raise and tighten, the diaphragm doesn't move down, and the tummy stays in.
You simply can’t breathe your best. Stomach gripping can reduce your oxygen intake by as much as 30%
It causes abdominal pressure
Do you pee when you jump, sneeze or laugh? Sucking in your tummy muscles for long periods can increase the abdominal pressure, resulting in this leakage.
When you jump, sneeze or laugh you can add additional pressure to the pelvic floor muscles which are already weak due to the constant sucking in of muscles leading to leakage of urine.
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Pelvic floor issues
Along the same lines, constantly pulling in your tummy muscles can weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
I for one had a habit of doing this, especially when wearing a fitted dress as my tummy often made an appearance. I had no idea that this could potentially lead to issues such as bladder/ bowel leaks (incontinence) and cause unsupported pelvic organs to drop lower in the pelvis (prolapse).
Habitually contracting your upper abdominal muscles can exert excess force on the pelvic floor muscles, leaving them strained and overworked.
READ: What a menopause expert wants you to know about bladder weakness
Neck and back pain
When 'stomach gripping' messes with the muscles in your abdomen, your neck, shoulders and back pay the price in pain.
Chest breathing while holding the tummy in means as your body tries to find space for your ribs to expand, your lungs start to press upward instead of down which can cause neck pain.
Furthermore, because of the way your muscles are attached, this upward movement can cause increase strain on the mid and lower back muscles leaving them feeling achy.
Signs of stomach gripping
You may notice a firm definition in the upper abdomen but a significantly soft lower abdominal region.
A visibly lightly upturned belly button.
You may also notice one or more horizontal creases around or above your belly button
How to overcome stomach gripping
Breaking habits
Your first step is to acknowledge you are stomach gripping, so you can make an effort to stop. I suggest starting with 30-minute alarm check-ins.
Every half hour your alarm should go off as an alert to check if you are sucking in your tummy. Eventually your body alarm should be your reminder to let go and breathe in to your tummy.
Practice proper breathing
Sit or lie down comfortably, placing one hand over your chest and the other over your tummy. As you inhale, imagine a balloon under your tummy filling with air and your tummy expanding. As you breathe out, relax your shoulders and feel the air leave your tummy while it comes back towards your spine and becomes smaller. You can practice this a few times before you go to sleep, not only will it help get your breathing in sync but also helps your body to relax.
Massage your tummy
The goal of the massage is to touch your body and ease tension. I suggest starting after your shower by massaging with cream or oil over the abdomen, bottom of your ribs and sides of your waist.
Healthy charities such as Wellbeing of Women (WOW) are a great portal to connect with for pelvic health. They focus on womens health issues and help save and change the lives of women, girls and babies. Led by women's voices, Wellbeing of Women helps to improve health and wellbeing through research, education and advocacy. www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk
