Stitch in side

[kelownagirl]

Can anyone tell me what causes a stitch in your side? How do you avoid getting one? How do you make it go away once you have one?

I don't get them but my son (9) does. He has a 3k cross country run tomorrow.

Thanks,

[Grog]

I think it's all about breathing.

Can't tell much more unfortunately. It tends to go away with training, but then I find that I get them for a week or two in a row (when I run), every 4 months maybe? Not often anyway.

Running with your arms up in the air seems to help... (Maybe it just distracts you!!)

[Wahine]

Esentially a stitch in the side is a muscle spasm that is deep enough to qualify as a cramp. Kinda like when you cramp in your calf. Well, just like your calf if you stretch the muscle out, it decreases the cramp. So raising the arms does help.

Since the cramp is in a respiratory muscle deep breathing will help to prevent it. I tell people to imagine that their lungs are a pitcher and that the pitcher has to be filled from the bottom up. This gets them expanding the lower lungs more and decreases the chance of a cramp. Once a cramp happens, you have to slow down the running pace and breath in deeply through the nose and strongly out through the mouth, such that you immediately breath very deeply again through the nose. This can *sometimes* make them go away.

Here's hoping your son does well in his race.

[LBTC]

Someone posted a link here before that described both a stitch and nausea brought on by exercise. If I find the link I'll post it again.

What I remember is much of what Wahine said and that it is important to do 2 things:

when you feel a stitch coming on, don't let it get up to full strength because a bad one can last for days.

and it's very important to slow down, but if you suddenly stop it is just as bad as if you just keep going hard.

Hugs and butterflies - and extra happy breathing butterflies for your son,

~T~

[kelownagirl]

Thank you ladies. I will remind him to breathe deeply when he is running tomorrow.

[KSH]

Hello... I am the Queen of the Side Stitch. 80% of my running involves me getting a side stitch or working hard to not get one. I rarely run and do not get one.

I have found out that it is all related to my breathing... the faster I run... the harder I breathe... and POP there is the side stitch.

Once I feel one coming on, I slow the pace... and I breathe deep. Sometimes this works... other times it doesn't. When it's really bad, I shove some fingers into it. That really helps to massage it out. I also sometimes bend over towards the side cramp... that helps too. At my last tri, I ran a 10:20 minute mile doing all of this. HA!

My coach also says that side cramps can happen if you are cosuming too many calories too close to the run. So, I make sure that I don't eat anything at least 2 hours before a run. Although, for me, I don't think my side cramps are due to eating too close to a run. But, I still do it.

Wish him luck from all us... I'm sure he will do just fine.

[mimitabby]

I have been getting a stitch in my side since i was a little kid racing down the street with other (faster) little kids.
the answer is deep slower breathing. If you get stitches we are in the same boat. we never learned how to breathe "correctly" I have noticed that when i am on the Tandem with DH, and we are doing a serious hill, if i match him breath for breath I never get a stitch. If I am alone, sometimes i start to pant (shallow breathing) and oftentimes I WILL get a cramp.
If you can get a good yoga instructor to teach you to breathe, it would help.