In Stitches...

anewattitude

Hi All,

I'm sure I am not the only one who has experienced the annoying pain in the side when exercising so I am wondering what is the best way to stop it from happening and how can I get rid of it? I was running on the treadmill last night.. ok.. truthfully it was more like huffing and puffing while quietly swearing under my breath,, when suddenly I got this sharp pain in my side. I kept going( yes... big mistake on my part) and when it became too strong I walked instead of running. I thought maybe I wasn't breathing properly so I decreased the intensity. It is more than 24hours later and I still have it. For those who may have experienced this as well, is it normal to have it last that long? Thanks

00trayn

It's a breathing issue that causes the dreaded side stitch. You need to do deep diaphragmatic breathing, the kind where your stomach puffs out when you take a deep breath. Also, focus on a good breathing pattern, huff and puffing isn't good. Try to stick to breathe in 3 steps, out 3 steps, or 4 and 4. Whatever is comfortable for you. And make sure you're taking those deep breaths. If you get the side stitch, stop when you get it, walk and focus on breathing deep and it should go away quickly. I've had the stitch persist when I've tried to keep going and ignore it... it should go away but definitely don't try to push through it. It passes quickly if you stop right away and take care of it.

anewattitude

Thanks for your input. I thought it could have been a breathing issue but wasn't completely certain. I has been a while since I ran so I need to get back into regulating my breathing better.