A tight stomach can feel uncomfortable, with cramping or squeezing sensations, but notoverly painful.
If you experience these symptoms, call 911 or seek emergency care immediately.
Grace Cary / Getty Images
What Does a Tight Stomach Feel Like?
Grace Cary / Getty Images
Thesephysical changescan include bloating, abdominal tightness, and other digestive issues.
Indigestion
Indigestion(dyspepsia) is often referred to as an upset stomach.
Digestive conditions such asacid reflux, IBS, or food intolerance can also cause indigestion.
It usually goes away on its own without serious complications.
IBS
Irritable bowel syndromeis thought to be sparked by hypersensitivity of nerves in the digestive system.
IBS can cause abdominal discomfort and pain, along withconstipationor diarrhea.
Treatmentusually focuses on managing symptoms through dietary changes, medication, and psychotherapy.
Hiatal hernias can result in stomach acid flowing upward causingsymptomssuch as stomach and chest pain, and heartburn.
Ascites
Ascitesoccurs when fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity.
In addition to pain and tightness in the abdomen, ascites can cause difficulty breathing.
In addition to fiber, 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise can relieve constipation.
Other causes are more serious and require medical evaluation and treatment.
Healthy lifestyle changes can also help manage or prevent some cases of a tight stomach.
Its important to see a healthcare provider if your symptoms are bothersome, change suddenly, or areseverely painful.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Bloating: Causes and prevention tips.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms and causes of gas in the digestive tract.
National Institutes of Health.Definition & facts for constipation.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America.How to calm an anxious stomach: the brain-gut connection.
UChicago Medicine.Stress-related stomach pain: When to see a doctor.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
National Institutes of Health.Definition & facts of indigestion.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes of indigestion.
National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts of food poisoning.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Irritable bowel syndrome treatment.
National Health Service.Stomach pain in pregnancy.
American College of Gastroenterology.Ascites overview.
2017;10:513-519. doi:10.2147/DMSO.S140250
University of Chicago Medicine.Stress-related stomach pain: When to see a doctor.
American College of Emergency Physicians.Stomach pain.
