| Side stitches and prevention |
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I had a client ask why she gets stitches when she runs and so I thought I would explain what side stitches are and what causes them.
The pain of a stitch is caused by a spasm of the diaphragm muscle. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that separates the lung (thoracic) cavity from the abdominal cavity. This diaphragm is the muscle that you control when The rising and falling of the diaphragm almost always happens in a pattern with steps. Most people exhale when the left foot strikes the ground. As you inhale most peoples right foot strikes the ground causing the diaphragm to lower. Internal organs are attached to the diaphragm by ligaments. The liver falls with gravity as your diaphragm rises. The constant pulling on the diaphragm muscle and the ligaments that are attached to the internal organs causes the pain of a side stitch. With all that out of the way we'll talk about ways to fix side stitches. The best way to stop the pain is to stop or lessen the activity that caused the side stitch originally. That being the least practical as exercise is really important to do another way is to alter your breathing pattern. If you are one of the people that exhale when the left strikes the ground exhale when the right strikes the ground. Another is to push your hand into your right side under the ribs inhale and then exhale through pursed lips a few times. One of these remedies should lessen the pain so you can continue. As a preventive measure, take deep, full breaths while you are running. Remember not to take shallow breaths, as the diaphragm is constantly raised which is stretching those ligaments. If you need any tips on exercise and breathing then do not hesitate to email. Dean.
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you breathe. As you breathe in you are moving this muscle down thus creating a low pressure in the lungs, and atmospheric pressure doing what it does best it pushes air into the lungs, creating a breath. Opposite for breathing out, the diaphragm relaxes, and rises, and the lungs have air pressure higher than atmospheric therefore the air escapes through your mouth. Enough with the biology/physics lesson.