Stitches, how to avoid them

jman0

While i'm not a huge fan of the treadmill, i like to incorporate in my workout.
However it gives me a terrible stitch on my left side and i have to stop, or slow to a walk.
This happens everytime i'm on it.
Other cardio activities and equipment don't produce a stitch.

I've read things about breathing causing stitches, also read an article that suggested it may be caused by your guts bouncing.
I've tried to control my breathing like this: while running take a deep breath in, then slowly exhale thru the nose. But this hasn't made any difference, i still get a stitch.
There's also approx 3 hours since my last feed, til i'm in the gym so i'm not running on a full stomach or anything.

What i've found over the last couple years, is that the stitch occurs earlier and earlier during my treadmill time, and eventually i'm forced to discontinue using the treadmill altogether from my routine.
When i go back on it, after a couple months away; i don't get a stitch for like 20 minutes. But if i try to re-incorporate the treadmill back into my routine, i again find the stitch occuring earlier and earlier. Right now it happens after only 7 minutues, last week it was 10.
Maybe i should just pack it in, try and get the same workout by other means.

Eurorunner

I usually only find this happens when i go back to running after a layoff ie. when i'm unfit. I also find that its more likely to happen if I have eaten too close to teh time i start running.

Usually if it happens, i can get past it ie. it goes away if i stick it out and keep running. Otherwise, as the fitness improves, its less likely to happen.

Mr E

Try slowing to a light jog, and curl your left arm around the top of your head until it goes away. Used to happen when I was less fit than I am now, but hasn't happened to me for a long time. Like eurorunner says, the fitter you get, the less chance there is of it happening. In the meantime, just try to work through it...

seamus

I usually find it happening if I drink too much water while on the treadmill. Taking small mouthfuls of water regularly, as opposed to large gulps occasionally prevents me from getting a stitch.

jman0

TmB wrote:

Try slowing to a light jog, and curl your left arm around the top of your head until it goes away. Used to happen when I was less fit than I am now, but hasn't happened to me for a long time. Like eurorunner says, the fitter you get, the less chance there is of it happening. In the meantime, just try to work through it...

Interesting idea curling yer arm over the top the head. I suppose then the theory is that the stitch is a cramp.
The fitness thing i don't believe is the case. I do other more strenous aeorbic activity that takes more out of me then the treadmill, yet i never get a stitch.
Specifically: on the Stepmill (rotating staircase variety) and exercise cycling outside the gym.
Never once got a stitch doing either.
There's just something about the treadmill that's different. And i guess i'm leaning towards the guts bouncing theory.

I'll have to watch the water drinking. The treadmill is the last thing i do at the gym. So i've already done the most strenous activities therefore i've already drank most my bottle of water.

irlirishkev

I asked a friend of mine about this a while back, he runs marathons, and does triathlons etc.. He gave me a good tip. He said as soon as I feel a stitch building up, try to breathe through my nose only. He gave me a reason for this, which I can't remember at the moment, but it's worked pretty well for me in the last few weeks.

I think it has something to do with too much oxygen getting into the stomach, as opposed to the lungs. I can't really remember..

Works for me, might be worth trying.

K.

jman0

irlirishkev wrote:

I asked a friend of mine about this a while back, he runs marathons, and does triathlons etc.. He gave me a good tip. He said as soon as I feel a stitch building up, try to breathe through my nose only. He gave me a reason for this, which I can't remember at the moment, but it's worked pretty well for me in the last few weeks.

I think it has something to do with too much oxygen getting into the stomach, as opposed to the lungs. I can't really remember..

Works for me, might be worth trying.

K.

Yesterday i did something different.
Did treadmill first, when it's usually the last thing i do.
I managed to run my full time (25 min) but felt a stitch developing for the last 5-7 min.
I tried the opposite of what your suggesting and tried to force myself to breath through my stomach rather than lungs. It's actually kind of hard doing this. It's from another thing i read, about a stitch being stretched ligaments between your breathing diaphram and liver and breathing thru the stomach is supposed to prevent this stretching from occuring .
I'm not sure if it helped or not but i managed to go the distance.

kasintahan

Don't know if it's any use to you but I get a stitch if I (a) eat less than 2 hours before running (b) drink too much liquid before/during running (c) move my arms too much when running.

If I get a bad stitch I stop. Immediatley, or else it will come back twice as fast next time I run. I don't get them much anymore though (once a quater).

JoeKelly

lately iv noticed that i also get a stitch when i run but never get it when i cycle or do anything else! I read in mens health magazine that when one gets a stitch you should stick two fingers under your rib cage and breathe slowly and deeply! Tried it yesterday but didn't do much for me!