Abdominal pain in athletes.

Abdominal pain in an athlete may be due to an intra-abdominal injury or abdominal disease unrelated to athletics; both are uncommon. Because such processes may be life-threatening, awareness of their typical patterns is imperative for all involved in sports medicine. Evaluation of an athlete with abdominal pain is thus directed at deciding if the athlete has significant abdominal disease, and then using appropriate diagnostic methods to determine the specific process.