You’re in the middle of your run, things are going well, and then all of a sudden you start to feel an ache in your ribs that just won’t go away. Odds are, you’re dealing with a side stitch or also known as a running cramp or muscle spasm. Side stitches can turn a solid run into a painful experience, and they affect both new and experienced runners. If you’re dealing with a side stitch during or shortly after your runs, we’ve identified some key ways you can get rid of a side stitch after running.
What is a Side Stitch?
Side stitches are a form of running cramp that can creep in during the middle of your run or shortly after. Oftentimes, runners can experience side stitches and running cramps without knowing exactly what they are. Some runners will deal with them sparingly while others have a chronic side stitch that seems to pop up every time they go for a run. Every runner is different, but side stitches often feel like a sharp pain in the side that worsens over time and can make breathing difficult as you expand your chest with each breath.
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Causes of a Side Stitch or Running Cramp
While there hasn’t been enough research to determine conclusive reasoning or causes behind side stitches and running cramps, there are some activities that could potentially lead to one. We’ve identified some of the most common causes of a side stitch and how you can develop one from those activities.
Shallow Chest Breathing
New and experienced runners can experience running cramps and side stitches from poor breathing techniques or shallow breaths. As you run, your body recognizes that it needs more oxygen for the new demands it’s being placed under. For deconditioned athletes who aren’t accustomed to this spike in demand, your body will create a natural reflex to take faster and more shallow breaths to accommodate the needs of the whole muscular system.
While both beginner and advanced runners can experience side stitches from shallow breathing techniques, newer runners who don’t have as much conditioning or experience in regulating their breathing patterns often experience running cramps more frequently due to the fact that they’re not accustomed to the oxygen demands during their runs.
Pushing Too Far Too Fast
Side stitches can occur like any other injury when you push your body past its limits too quickly. In the same way that you’d work your way up to lifting heavier weights at the gym, your body needs time to prepare itself with a gradual training regimen that helps you build up your endurance, strength, and comfort levels during runs. Going from the couch one week to running a mile a day the next could cause you to develop chronic side stitches that won’t go away until your body develops the endurance and tolerance for running.
Not Warming Up or Stretching Before Your Run
Warming up and stretching both pre-workout and post-workout help you avoid plenty of injuries, including side stitches. Failing to properly warm-up or stretch before your upcoming run could cause you to develop a side stitch because you didn’t spend an adequate amount of time letting your body get adjusted to the increased physical activity gradually.
Poor Nutrition
During a run, your body will use the energy you provide it including the food and drinks you consume throughout your day and shortly before your run. Certain foods and drinks have been linked to running cramps including things that are high in sugar, fat, acidic, or dairy.
Poor Running Posture and Stress on the Spine
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The posture you have while running could also potentially contribute to the side stitches you develop during and after a run. Individuals who have a poor running posture or weak core muscles that cannot properly support their spine during a run could experience running cramps as you put unwanted stress and strain on your body while also putting it through the gauntlet on your next run.
How To Prevent Side Stitches
Getting a side stitch isn’t a guarantee and there are several things that runners can do to reduce the likelihood of getting a side stitch or running cramp during and after your upcoming run.
Focus On Your Breathing
One of the best ways to prevent side stitches during and after your run is to focus on your breathing. When you have irregular breathing partners or you’re consistently trying to take shallow breaths, you’re increasing the likelihood that you’ll develop side stitches during your run. In the same way that you’d focus on your pace, try to focus on your breathing to take steady breaths that are equal in size and won’t cause your diaphragm and the supporting muscles to become overly tense or fatigue faster than usual.
Implement a Light Warmup and Stretches
As we’ve highlighted earlier, a light warmup and pre and post-workout stretches can do wonders when preventing injuries and running cramps. For a light warmup, you want to try and get the blood pumping and ease into a few light exercises that will help your body get ready for the upcoming run you’re about to go on.
As you’re doing your stretches, you should also try to add several upper body stretches to increase your upper body’s range of motion and your core’s flexibility before your run so that it has a chance to loosen up a bit and isn’t so tight as you begin your run.
Strengthen Your Core and Diaphgram Muscles
Another great way to prevent side stitches is to focus on building strength in your core and its supporting muscles. Focus on adding a few ab exercises into your exercise routine to strengthen those supportive structures. Weak core muscles can contribute to developing side stitches during and after your run, so make these a priority along with your other exercises.
By improving your core and diaphragm muscles you can also improve your running posture and form which can help you reduce the strain placed on your spine. A few minutes a day doing a few simple abdominal exercises can help you strengthen those crucial muscles which can prevent those side stitches from occurring.
Avoid Eating a Few Hours Before Your Next Run
Your body can take a few hours to digest the food you’ve given it, so you should try to avoid eating a few hours before your next run. To avoid food-related side stitches and running cramps, you should try to avoid eating food or drinking lots of liquid a few hours before your next run so your body can focus on digesting it properly and begin the process of turning it into energy you can use for your later run. When you’re planning for an upcoming run, you should also try to avoid some of the high fat, sugary, acidic, and dairy-related products we highlighted above as well.
Drink Adequate Amounts of Fluid Throughout the Day
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Drink proper amounts of fluid throughout the day so your body is properly hydrated for the upcoming run. Try to imbibe healthy liquids and avoid those sugary and acidic beverages which promise you extra bouts of energy but are secretly packed with copious amounts of sugar. A good way to ensure that you’re drinking enough throughout the day is to make a commitment to drink eight 8oz glasses of water by breaking it up to a cup every hour or two.
There are a few handy water bottles or applications that have different time slots highlighted to help remind you when you should drink more water and how much to consume by certain points throughout your day.
How To Get Rid of a Side Stitch After Running
If you tried preventing a side stitch before your next run and you still ended up experiencing one, we have a few helpful ways you can get rid of it.
Massage Your Rib Cage Gently
One of the things that has been shown to help alleviate side stitches in runners who experience them is to gently massage the rib cage in the area where the side stitch is occurring. In addition, there are helpful manual therapy techniques that a local physical therapist can also do to help you alleviate some of the tension in the surrounding muscles which could be contributing to your side stitch.
Stretch
One of the leading reasons that individuals develop a side stretch after they’re done running is due to the fact that their muscles are still tight from the previous run. With an effective cool down session and a post-workout stretch, you can alleviate some of that built-up tension and ease the strain that’s placed on your muscles. An effective post-workout stretch can also help you signal to your body that it doesn’t need to be so wound up as if it were expecting another burst of physical activity soon and can begin the recovery process.
Try to Regulate and Control Your Breathing Pattern
As your body begins to return back to normal after a strenuous run, one of the things you should prioritize is your breathing pattern. Try to take slower, deeper breaths to slow down your breathing and gradually return it to your normal breathing pattern.
Treat Your Side Stitches and Running Injuries with Physical Therapy
Side stitches, running cramps, and other types of running injuries can be treated with physical therapy. If you’re dealing with chronic side stitches during and after your run, a licensed physical therapist can help you address the issue at its source with manual therapy techniques and educate you on potential ways to avoid running injuries in the future.
At Results Physiotherapy, we offer a wide number of running injury treatment options based on your specific needs to help you get back up to speed and running once again. Schedule an appointment today at a local Results Physiotherapy clinic near you to address your side stitch pain and other running injuries.
- Morton, Darren, and Robin Callister. “Exercise-Related Transient Abdominal Pain (ETAP).” Sports Medicine, Springer International Publishing, 3 Sept. 2014, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-014-0245-z.
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