Side Stitch Treatment For Runners

If you never had a side stitch as a runner, treatment wouldn’t seem all that important. On the other hand, if you ever are attacked with an intense, stabbing, and cutting pain in the lower part of your rib cage — usually on the right side, knowing what to do will be close to a miracle.

Side Stitch Treatment for Runners

One thing is for sure: when you’re running and hit with a side stitch, you’re going to want it to go away as soon as possible!

These natural ways to relieve side stitches while jogging are really the same side stitch pain relief techniques for marathon runners. That makes these methods just as effective for beginner runners as they are for seasoned marathoners.

Here are the best remedies for side stitches during a run:

1. Slow Down Immediately

Don’t wait, and don’t try to run through side stitches. Slow your pace down right away and take deeper breaths. When you slow your pace, you can focus more on breathing as deep as possible (as deep as the stitch allows?) and ease the tension and stress on your diaphragm.

2. Pressing Your Hand Into the Pain

When you experience rib pain during running, use either your fingers or palm to press up and inward on the pain. Doing this will help stabilize your internal organs. If your diaphragm is stressing out, massaging it can help relieve the pain from shallow breathing.

3. Changing Your Breathing Pattern

Is your stitch coming when you exhale? If you exhale on the side of the pain, change your breathing so that you exhale on the opposite side of your pain.

Here’s how to do that: if your pain is on your right side, make sure you are exhaling when your left foot hits the ground or just the opposite. This technique really works!

Why Do Runners Get Side Stitches and How to Prevent Them?

To tell you the truth it’s a mystery as to what actually causes a side stitch, but here are a few professional theories:

What Causes Side Stitches?

1. A downward pulling on the diaphragm. This first theory does make good sense when it comes to runners stitches. However, it doesn’t help with swimmers, who also have side stitches. That’s because, when you’re running your internal organs are definitely moving up and down. This constant downward force on the diaphragm can often be the cause of the spasms that reveals as stabbing pain. That make the pressing your hand into the pain, that we mentioned earlier, a viable side stitch relief technique.
2. Diaphragm spasms can be caused by an electrolyte imbalance. An imbalance of sodium, calcium, or potassium might be the culprit. It’s well known that this imbalance can cause muscle spasms. one cause of muscle spasms. Eating foods that high in potassium or even taking potassium supplements can make a good runner’s side ache treatment.  Also, try electrolyte sports drinks before your runs.
3. Shallow breathing can be a definite cause of side stitches for runners. (it was for me until I started using deep breathing exercises). Most of us only use the top of our lungs for breathing on a regular basis, leaving the bottom part and the diaphragm out of shape and weak. Shallow breathes when running keeps your diaphragm from expanding and relaxing fully. This puts too much stress and tension on the lung diaphragm and causes side stitches. Use deep breathing exercises to prevent side stitches..
4. Running too often as a beginner. When you first start running there’s a good chance that your body is out of shape, and is simply rebelling against the exertion? So if I were a beginner with side stitches, I would read this post: How Many Days A Week Should You Run, and concentrate on learning breathing techniques.

How To Prevent Stitches When Running

For most runners, the stitches seem to occur less with more experience. That seems to be because as you get in more running time your body seems to get a grip on what’s going on, and rebel less?

However, there are a few preventive measures you can take which is much better than managing side cramps while jogging or running.

1. Eating Smarter.  Not eating for at least an hour before you run only makes good sense, doesn’t it? You don’t want your stomach laboring to digest food while your running, jogging, or doing almost any exercise.  Making sure that the last meal you do eat before a run is primarily complex carbohydrates and high in the electrolytes potassium, calcium and sodium keep you energized.
2. Learning to breathe deeply. Taking the time to learn correct breathing techniques with deep breathing exercises will greatly enhance the lungs ability to inhale deeply and exhale fully while running. However, learning how to breathe correctly during a run is bad timing. Practicing these techniques daily when your resting is key to preventing side stitches.
3. Core strengthening for runners. Improving your core muscle strength provides more support for your large internal organs — lessening the bouncing action. There’s a good chance that if you’re having side stitches while running, you’re also noticing your stomach and internal organs bouncing around. I stopped that bouncing with an exercise ball. Check out this Slide Show from Mayo Clinic to get the most from an exercise ball.

Summary

Side stiches can pop up and attack you unexpectedly and really mess up a good run. Even though it’s difficult to put your finger on the exact cause knowing how to manage and prevent them is crucial.

Knowing what to do when side side stitches happen can make all the difference in the pain and the run whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned marathoner. In fact, if you’re serious about running, learning about side stitch treatment for runners is essential.