Cramps when I start out running?

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NitaCB
NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Does anyone else get bad stomach cramps when they first start out on a run? It's something that I've started noticing recently. I don't seem to get it every time, but I did this morning. Kind of feels like bad menstrual cramps (sorry guys!) but then goes away after 15-20 mins. Luckily it does, cos this morning I was having to stop and walk several times cos I was so uncomfortable. Does anyone else deal with this? And is there anything I can do to avoid it?

I don't think it's food related. I'd had my breakfast, it had digested. I don't normally have any digestion issues while running.

Replies

  • MHunte
    MHunte Posts: 149
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    is it under your ribs on the left or right side?
  • calderst
    calderst Posts: 222 Member
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    If it feels like menstrual cramps, it could be hormone related-- which is why it wouldn't happen every time. You may want to try tracking it to see if it corresponds with your cycle at all. Even if it's not "TOM" (again, sorry guys), it could still be related.
  • MHunte
    MHunte Posts: 149
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    try to exhale when your left foot hit the ground and inhale on the right foot. i used to get the pain on my right side and it normally goes away when i slow my pace for a few mins.... after a week or two it never came back...
  • NitaCB
    NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
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    Yea it's not stitch, cos it's not around the ribs but lower down. I don't know how I'd track it to my cycle cos I never seem to be very regular! (Once again, sorry guys.)
  • MHunte
    MHunte Posts: 149
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    Side stitches are a muscle spasm of the "diaphragm". The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. In essence, it provides a boundary between the organs of the abdomen and the chest cavity where the heart and lungs are located. The diaphragm assists in breathing. When we inhale, taking air into the lungs, the diaphragm moves down. When we exhale, the diaphragm moves up. (This detail, it becomes important later.) Spasms of the diaphragm occur because of the movement of the internal organs as they jounce up and down while running, thus pulling down and straining the diaphragm as it moves up while exhaling. The liver in particular is usually the cause of this. It is attached to the diaphragm by two ligaments. The liver is the largest organ in the abdominal cavity and is situated in the upper right abdomen. Hence most people experience stitches on their right side, immediately below the ribs. A stomach full of food may cause this as well.
    In addition, most runners are "footed". They begin and end a respiratory cycle on the same foot while running, usually in a stride to breathing ratio of 4:1 while jogging and 2:1 while running very fast. As the runner's breathing then becomes synchronized with his/her stride, exhalation consistently occurs on the same leg. If one repeatedly exhales (causing the diaphragm to move up) when the right foot hits the ground (forcing the organs on the right side of the body to move down), a side stitch may develop.
  • calderst
    calderst Posts: 222 Member
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    Yea it's not stitch, cos it's not around the ribs but lower down. I don't know how I'd track it to my cycle cos I never seem to be very regular! (Once again, sorry guys.)

    Do you keep a running log? If so, jot down when it happens and see if there are any patterns. For instance, I tend to get cramps mid-way through my cycle. It used to freak me out (WHAT? Cramps already?!) until I realized it kept happening around the same time and wasn't menstrual.
    Sorry if this is too personal....
    But have you talked to your gynecologist? If your cycle is off and you're experiencing unexplained cramping (even if it is while you're running), it could be a gynecological issue. I have endometriosis and before I had surgery in Sept, running downhill felt like someone had stuck a knife in my insides. I didn't make the connection to the endo until I was running downhill AFTER surgery and the pain was no longer there. It could be something as simple as inflammation or cysts-- but it's def worth talking to your Dr about just in case.
  • lilrhody
    lilrhody Posts: 84 Member
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    I do. For me, it is the muscles in my lower back, hip and glutes being too tight (and my hip and core muscles being weaker than my glutes, hamstrings and quads). Stretching and balancing out the muscle strength is what has been recommended to me.
  • kizette
    kizette Posts: 5 Member
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    Yea it's not stitch, cos it's not around the ribs but lower down. I don't know how I'd track it to my cycle cos I never seem to be very regular! (Once again, sorry guys.)

    Pre-Post apology to the gents...sorry guys

    I can't speak to why the cramps could be occuring, but if you want to track your cycle there are lots of period trackers for phone apps and probably on the internet, they're very similar to MFP. It's worth doing, especially if you're cycles aren't regular. You might find a pattern that you never noticed before. I use Period Plus on my iPhone which allows you to customize a lot of things.
  • staceyb2003
    staceyb2003 Posts: 203 Member
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    Side stitches are a muscle spasm of the "diaphragm". The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. In essence, it provides a boundary between the organs of the abdomen and the chest cavity where the heart and lungs are located. The diaphragm assists in breathing. When we inhale, taking air into the lungs, the diaphragm moves down. When we exhale, the diaphragm moves up. (This detail, it becomes important later.) Spasms of the diaphragm occur because of the movement of the internal organs as they jounce up and down while running, thus pulling down and straining the diaphragm as it moves up while exhaling. The liver in particular is usually the cause of this. It is attached to the diaphragm by two ligaments. The liver is the largest organ in the abdominal cavity and is situated in the upper right abdomen. Hence most people experience stitches on their right side, immediately below the ribs. A stomach full of food may cause this as well.
    In addition, most runners are "footed". They begin and end a respiratory cycle on the same foot while running, usually in a stride to breathing ratio of 4:1 while jogging and 2:1 while running very fast. As the runner's breathing then becomes synchronized with his/her stride, exhalation consistently occurs on the same leg. If one repeatedly exhales (causing the diaphragm to move up) when the right foot hits the ground (forcing the organs on the right side of the body to move down), a side stitch may develop.

    This is helpful to me, I get these side stitches when I run sometimes. I just don't know how to control it.

    If it feels menstrual I would check with the gynecologist on this.
  • NitaCB
    NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
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    Thanks guys, I think I'll look into seeing how it lines up with my cycle, cos it's definitely not stitch. Those apps sound like a good idea.
  • devilsangel2
    devilsangel2 Posts: 123 Member
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    I get this toward thee end of a hard gym workout. Have had blood tests, scans etc. and no cause has been found, I now call it my imaginary pain and often wish like heck that I didn't have such a good imagination..

    Mine tends to be in the middle of my cycle too ( once again sorry guys) and goes on for about a week.
  • nk17
    nk17 Posts: 141 Member
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    I was told at the gym, it was because I was drinking too much water before my workout. I stopped drinking my water until after my workout and the cramps went away. It sounds simple, but it is easy to test. These days I have a water bottle on the treadmill, but I rarely use it.
  • gtwin
    gtwin Posts: 290 Member
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    Finally someone who's experiencing that same thing. These are NOT side stitches or running cramps, people. The cramping feels like very severe MENSTRUAL cramping....even when I'm not on my period. It's seriously affecting my running and I can't run as hard or as long as I want to. I've take 4 advil right before and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.


    I've never been diagnosed with endometriosis and all my yearly check-ups have been normal, as well as ultrasounds that have been done in the last year. So I'm at a loss as to what it could be....or maybe the doctors I've been to just aren't being thorough enough.
  • boinkers
    boinkers Posts: 11 Member
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    I used to get these. I used them as a measure of distance, because they always hit right around the 1.5 mile mark. Most of the time, slowing down and walking for a few minutes would make them go away, and then they wouldn't recur for the rest of my run. Sometimes I just had to stop.

    Honestly, I never found anything that really made a difference. What's weird is that I haven't experienced that pain in a while! I have no idea what changed. (Excuse me while I go knock on wood...)
  • gtwin
    gtwin Posts: 290 Member
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    I'm glad that they haven't come back for you, I know it's such a relief when you can just run and not feel that severe cramping. I've experienced this for the last 12 years or so....off and on. Recently, it's been a lot more frequent...every time I run. I wish I knew if there was something I could do to alleviate them or find the cause of it.


    If any other ladies have experienced these menstrual like cramps when running........please chime in.
  • hessolastyear
    hessolastyear Posts: 1
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