Side cramp during cardio

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SophRW
SophRW Posts: 93 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I do cardio (specifically Spinning) everyday. About once or twice I week I get a cramp below and lateral to the bottom of my right rib cage. Any idea what is causing this or how to get rid of it? I ride through the cramp and just try to breathe deeply, but it really hurts.

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  • CindyWarner
    CindyWarner Posts: 138
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    bump
  • cdomoe
    cdomoe Posts: 30 Member
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    if its under the rub cage where you cant pintch the muscle to get rid of than its the same thing i get when i run, mine i think is if i dont drink enough water the day or 2 days before... i dont really know how to get rid of it, sometime breathing deep of a few mins helps...
  • sdrlatg
    sdrlatg Posts: 7 Member
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    I usually get a cramp in my side during cardio because I've eaten too close to my workout time... they do say you want to fuel up before you work out, so I usually try to eat something an hour before to give my body the time it needs to digest, but if it's less than an hour then I try to eat something a little lighter & that's easier for my body to digest or just have a smoothie of some sort

    good luck though, and I'm curious to see if you get any other responses...
  • SpartanTrainer
    SpartanTrainer Posts: 23
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    sounds like you are dehydrated.
  • withchaco
    withchaco Posts: 1,026 Member
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    This also happens to me, and it's ALSO my right side. Never on my left side. I wonder why?
  • Paddy31
    Paddy31 Posts: 115 Member
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    Is it like a stitch? A stitch is is an intense stabbing pain under the lower edge of the ribcage that occurs while exercising.

    If it is a stitch and the pain is present only when exercising and is completely absent at rest, in an otherwise healthy person, it is benign and does not require investigation.

    There are lots of ways to alleviate a stitch including pressing on it, stretching over to the side, belly breathing and deep breathing.

    If you think it might be a stitch this try reading this:

    http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/home-remedies-for-side-pain.htm
  • sneezles
    sneezles Posts: 165 Member
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    Studies show that if you eat prior to a cardio workout you should wait until the meal is digested. High carb drinks and fruit drinks tend to increase the risk of ETAP occurring. You can slow your pace, try to breath slower and deeper and stop and stretch the area. With runners it happens when exhaling on the right foot so you train to do it as the left foot strikes. HTH!
  • keegrsmom
    keegrsmom Posts: 27
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    If you're only having this pain during exercise, it's probably just exercise related transient abdominal pain (aka side stitch, but using big words makes me feel smart, haha). It's caused by contractions in your liver or spleen and while it's painful, it's harmless. To prevent these, make sure you properly warm up and hydrate before exercise. Don't eat prior to exercise, especially high carb items. To treat it when it happens, breathe deeply while forcing abdomen out, push on the area of pain with your fingertips, and continue to breathe. Slow down (or even stop if you have to) the exercise until it subsides. Good luck, hope this helps!
  • SophRW
    SophRW Posts: 93 Member
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    I drink 1.5-2 gallons of water every day so I don't think it's an issue of being dehydrated. I do breakfast right before I workout, so that might be the culprit.
  • SophRW
    SophRW Posts: 93 Member
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    Thanks for the tips, everyone (and for the site Paddy31). I'll give all these suggestions a try

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