How to get rid of side stitches
A side stitch is that unpleasant pain sometimes felt during exercise. Where does it come from, under what circumstances does it appear, how do you get rid of it and, above all, what can you do to avoid it? The #ProFormTeam answers my questions and gives me advice on how to get rid of side stitches.
What exactly is a side stitch?
You are running and suddenly you feel a sharp pain just under your ribs that may even take your breath away. You reach for the source of the discomfort and try to continue running; you were doing well, but you just can’t keep on! You have a stitch in your side.
Don’t worry, it’s not serious and the pain passes quickly. All athletes have been through this before but still, you would like to know more to avoid it happening again…
Here are 3 things you may not know about side stitches:
- They have a clever little name: ETAP, or Exercise-Related Transient Abdominal Pain.
- Like hiccups, side stitches have always existed and are part of everyday life, but no scientist can say with absolute certainty where side stitches come from, although there are many hypotheses about them.
- The most commonly affected activities are horse riding, swimming and running; three disciplines in which the trunk is heavily involved.
What is the most likely origin of a side stitch?
Scientists point to a number of factors that may contribute to the development of side stitches:
- A cramp in the diaphragm; the long muscle located under the rib cage, which is in high demand when breathing accelerates.
- Poor adaptation of the body to exertion (even when professional athletes are affected): starting off too abruptly, breathing too fast or too choppy, unsuitable posture, abdominal muscles that are a little weak, etc.
- Effort during the digestion phase, which favours a lack of oxygenation, bloating and a slowing down of blood circulation: according to this hypothesis, the body would have difficulty managing these two functions simultaneously, especially after a heavy meal.
- Slight inflammation of the lining around the organs of the abdomen.
- Cold conditions.
The fact that a side stitch can appear in different places (most often on the right, but also sometimes in the gut or under the collarbone) also raises the hypothesis that it could, in fact, be several different phenomena, even if only one name is used because the circumstances of onset are similar (during exertion).
Is it possible to make a side stitch pass quickly?
While the origin of a side stitch is still a mystery, there are several ways to manage the pain and wait for it to go away on its own more comfortably:
- Slow down or even stop: the stitch disappears more easily at rest
- Lean forward and squeeze the affected area with your hand
- Stretch your body by putting your arms in the air and extending your torso in the opposite direction to the painful side
- Breathe deeply using your stomach, inhaling through your nose and blowing out through your mouth for a long time
What can I do to avoid a side stitch?
To put an end to side stitches, you can take some preventive measures:
- Don’t run too soon after eating, wait 2-3 hours after a meal to exercise.
- Warm-up well and increase the intensity of the effort gradually.
- Drink enough water before, during and after exercise. Drink frequently, but in small quantities.
- Support your core to improve your posture and strengthen your abdominal muscles. We recommend the Quick Core series in the iFIT library with 8 sessions of less than 20 minutes.
- Learn to stretch with the iFIT Mindful Stretching series by Nicole Meline.
- Become a pro at abdominal breathing, for instance, by practising yoga: Brionhy Smyth gives you the basics in the Introduction to Yoga session, from the Yoga and Strength in Thailand series.
If you diversify your exercises, don’t give up running! Side stitches are an unpleasant phenomenon, but they tend to become less frequent as the body gets stronger. Take heart, we are all affected!
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