Stomach Soreness Without Exercise
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

Stomach Soreness Without Exercise

Stomach Soreness Without Exercise
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Updated on July 31, 2025
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You'd probably expect your stomach to feel sore the day after you took a core strengthening class. But if your abdominal area feels sore even if you haven't exercised, you should look further for the cause and consider scheduling a visit to your physician.

Other health issues can mimic the sore sensation you feel in your abs after exercise, so speaking with your doctor to figure out what’s going on is the best way to get treatment that will bring relief.

Heartburn or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Pain from heartburn — also called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD — can sometimes feel a lot like the sore stomach muscles you experience from exercise. The pain from GERD is typically underneath your breastbone; it usually feels like a burning sensation in your chest area, or it can cause pain with swallowing.

Sometimes, particular foods such as chocolate or fried foods can trigger heartburn pain. Your doctor may be able to diagnose and start treating GERD solely through your description of the symptoms, or they may use other tests to confirm. You may be able to treat it through diet and lifestyle changes, or your doctor may recommend medication.

Ulcers and Stomach Soreness

An ulcer — an open sore in the lining of your stomach — also can trigger stomach discomfort that doesn't result from exercise. For years, doctors thought ulcers stemmed only from too much acid in your stomach. While acid plays a part in the formation of some ulcers, it's now clear that a form of bacteria called H. pylori causes the vast majority of ulcers.

 Smoking, drinking alcohol, and some medications can increase the odds of developing an ulcer. Ulcers are treated with lifestyle changes, antibiotics, acid-blocking agents, and medication that strengthens the stomach lining.

Gallbladder Disease and Pain

Although the pain from gallbladder disease often feels more acute than generalized stomach soreness, you might confuse the upper right-side abdominal pain that’s common in gallbladder attacks with a muscle spasm.

 Gallstones and gallbladder disease cause intermittent pain in your upper stomach area, usually on the right side of your body. You may feel the soreness or pain increase as you breathe in.
Your doctor will use blood tests, plus ultrasound or another medical imaging test to determine if you have gallbladder disease with gallstones. If you do, your physician may recommend a wait-and-see approach — in many cases, the pain will subside and you won't need any treatment.

 In serious cases or in cases where the gallbladder becomes inflamed or infected, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove it.

Stress Can Cause Stomach Issues 

Stress and anxiety can cause stomach discomfort or muscle tension that feels remarkably like the soreness you'd experience from overworking your stomach muscles through exercise.

 Your nervous system connects your brain and your gut, and stress or anxiety — even mild cases — can cause normal digestive system processes to be interpreted as painful. Gut motility, or how fast or slow food moves through your system, can also be negatively impacted, as can the balance of healthy bacteria in the gut.
If this happens to you frequently and your physician can't find a physical cause for your stomach soreness, you might be advised to help manage symptoms by reducing stress and anxiety. Hypnosis, meditation, and psychotherapy (among other methods) have all been proven to help alleviate stress-related GI symptoms.

The Takeaway

  • If you’re feeling stomach muscle soreness despite a lack of physical activity, there may be a medical reason for your symptoms that’s worth discussing with your doctor.
  • Common conditions like gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, gallbladder disease and gallstones, and even stress can all cause stomach discomfort.
  • It’s important to figure out the underlying cause for abdominal pain by discussing it with your primary care doctor or gastroenterologist, so that it can be treated quickly and correctly.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). American Gastroenterological Association. September 21, 2021.
  2. Peptic Ulcers. Mount Sinai.
  3. Gallbladder Disease. Johns Hopkins Medicine. April 4, 2025.
  4. Goswami AG et al. Cracking the Silent Gallstone Code: Wait or Operate? World Journal of Clinical Cases. Jun 6, 2024.
  5. Gupta N. Stress-Related Stomach Pain: When to See a Doctor. University of Chicago Medicine. January 4, 2024.
  6. Stress Reduction for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. NYU Langone Medicine.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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J.M. Andrews

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J.M. Andrews has been a professional journalist for more than 20 years. She specializes in health and medical content for consumers and health professionals. Andrews' background in medicine and science has earned her credits in a wide range of online and print publications, including "Young Physicians" magazine.

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