I tore my stomach muscles throwing up. How can I make them stronger?

it took about 2 months for the Dr.s to figure out that that was causing my pain... they even thought it was gallbladder disease for awhile. Now they get sore really easily with any slight exertion. How can I strengthen them, safely and without too much pain? It's the ones right over both sides of my ribs and in the front over my ribs.

maybe get an exercise ball or try just contracting those muscles i dont know how painful it is i hope u get better soon

A well-trained massage therapist will be able to reduce any tissue adhesions that resulted from the injury and this may, in turn, decrease some of the pain you are experiencing. You have four layers of abdominal muscle and they all attach to the ribs in some way. In terms of strengthening, you want to focus on your transverse abdominus muscle first, the muscle most needed when using "core" muscles. This muscle is engaged when you draw your abdomen toward your spine and also when you are trying to balance and stabilize your body. A massage therapist would be able to recommend milder exercises to begin with. There are also many books, magazines and videos about strengthening with Pilates, yoga. These are good ways to train because your body is getting stronger in alignment with proper posture, and that is the position you want to be strong in.

I would ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist (PT). A PT would be able to assess your condition and then recommend exercises that will help strengthen the area. What another answerer said about a massage therapist is not entirely true. While they can perform massage they are not legally allowed to give advice regarding exercise. If they are doing that it is being done so illegally and is most likely against that states practice act.