 [ Symptoms ] what do you do for a lower abdominal muscle strain  my son injured himself during track season he has been hurt for the last two months we went to the doctor and it is not a hernia he has been checked for that he still cannot run and is some pain it is a bothersome pain that flares up when he is active what should we do for this [ Disease ] hopefully you have seen a doctor about this strain if it seems serious it may be a torn muscle and may cause other problems mistreating an abdominal strain either by icing or stretching wrong could be fatal speak to a doctor before treating a sprain if it is mild or you have already spoken to a doctor  rest rest is recommended for the early recovery phase lasting 1 to 5 days depending on the severity of the injury immobilization is not usually necessary and can be potentially harmful immobilization in a splint or cast should be carefully supervised by your doctor as this can lead to stiffness of the muscle ice ice application helps reduce swelling bleeding and pain ice application should begin as soon as possible after sustaining a muscle pull ice applications can be done frequently but should not be done for more than 15 minutes at a time anti inflammatory medications anti inflammatory medications can help reduce swelling and alleviate painful symptoms these medications do have potential side effects and you should check with your doctor prior to starting anti inflammatory medications gentle stretching stretching and strengthening are useful in treatment and prevention of muscle strain injuries muscles that are stronger and more flexible are less likely to be injured strengthening after injuring the muscle it is important to regain strength before returning to athletic activities both the injury itself and the rest period following the injury can reduce the strength of the muscle stronger muscles are less likely to sustain a re injury heat applications laboratory studies have shown that temperature can influence the stiffness of a muscle by keeping the body and muscles warm the muscle is less likely to sustain a strain type of injury avoid muscle fatigue muscles help absorb energy and restoring the strength of the muscle will help prevent re injury muscles that are fatigued are more likely to be injured athletes should use caution especially as they become fatigued as the muscle becomes more susceptible to strain injuries warm up properly warming up prior to athletic competition or sports will help loosen the muscle and prevent injuries jumping into a sport with stiff muscles can lead to a higher chance of straining the muscle