Typically, stitch is felt in the right upper abdomen, but may also occur on the left hand side, or may irradiate to upper or lower regions of the body. "Classic" stitch is more likely to occur to insufficiently trained people than well prepared athletes.
What causes Stitch?
The reason for stitch is simple. The inner organs are hanging from several ligaments, which, in turn, are fixed to the diaphragm, the muscular "plate" between chest and abdomen. Liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine and colon form a weight of several kilograms, hanging from the diaphragm. The impact of every step forces the inner organs to move downwards. Additionally, the diaphragm moves upwards on every expiration to force air out of the lungs. This continuous up/down stress may cause a cramp in the diaphragm: stitch. Stitch occurs most often on the right hand side because of the liver being the heaviest organ, and therefore the one stressing the diaphragm the most.
Shoulder tip pain
The diaphragm is supplied by branches of the phrenic nerve that originates in the neck. This may explain the common association of stitch with shoulder tip pain.
How do I get rid of Stitch?
Should you suffer from stitch, the first (and best) cure is to slow down or stop until the stitch is gone. If you do not want to stop, you can try to press your hand onto the part of your abdomen where the stitch is, and release the pressure on expiration. Repeat this several times.
Tim Quinlivan, a PE Teacher in Australia, has found the following method works well with his young athletes:
Slow your pace slightly
Grasp your side where you feel the stitch just under the bottom rib and half way across between the side and the belly button. Thumb to the rear and fingers to the front
Squeeze firmly and bend at the waist (45-90 degrees) while still running
After about 15 metres slowing straighten
The stitch should have gone
An advanced method requires some thoughts about the reason why stitches occur. You should try to synchronise your breathing pattern with your running, and exhale when the foot on the not hurting side touches the ground, i.e. when you have stitch in your right hand side, try to exhale when your left foot touches the ground. You do not need to worry about inspiration - if your expiration is right, your inspiration will be, too. If you manage to keep this breathing pattern, your diaphragm moves downward at the same time as your intestines, thus decreasing the stress.
How can I avoid Stitch?
Strengthen your abdominal muscles (core stability), keep your upper body warm, do not run too soon after meals and learn "abdominal breathing".
SARQ - I had the same thing a while back, and I know of others who've suffered - I think it's essentially like an internal "strain" - mine took best part of a month to clear up in the first place, and I was then prone to it recurring until I mastered the opposite-side-breathing lark
SARQ-try hopping on one leg, not sure it'll do any good, but it'll be fun watching.
ES-thank you, it's interesting to see what others have done, and it seems to have worked for you.
J8-if you were a little quicker, you'd be in the top 17 but well done
Attacked by an oncoming bike today on Longendale-MrsTB asked if the rider was ok, (not me), I said I don't know, I think the rider got knocked off but I just kept on running, well it was meant to be a fastish run and she did shout an apology.
Eric & GBM - I've been suffering from a dodgy stomach bug since Monday (either that or the gel I took on Sunday really didn't agree with me) so just wanted to check you weren't planning on some kind of outrageous pace. See you 8.30 at Rose Hill.
ES /GBM /JS /Funk - Planning on running Sun a.m. but out on Saturday night so if I'm not at Middlewood for 8.30 assume I'm having a lie in !
Morticia - I remember the contest coincided with Edinburgh last year. I got stood up by yourself and MFIGDTTW so you could watch camp blokes prancing around in tin foil.
But then boast about it every 5 years as you enter a new vet category.
Possibly my last head torch run last night, was still light when I set off, saw a wonderful sunset from the top of Kishfield lane, the sky was dark but a glow on the horizon was brilliant, very different from the red ball going down. Anyway back to the tale, not dark enough for the torch, or was it, went over on my ankle just before the Vannessa Chappel cobbles. Gone all winter without doing that and right at the end I do that, cant wait for the clocks to change.
NI - Sorry!! You may need to amend your details on Fetch. You were on the yesterday's birthday list and they threw a surprise party for you. The jelly and blancmange was nice
NI/WITGB it may not be your birthday today (nor mine) but look at all these famous people who do have birthdays today:
1634 Balthasar Bekker Frisian theologist (Examiner of Comets) 1680 Baron Emanuele d' Astorga Italian composer (Stabat mater) 1725 Abdul-Hamid I 27th sultan of Turkey (1774-89) 1811 George Caleb Bingham US, politician/painter (Country Election) and Napoleon FKJ Bonaparte II Napoleon's son/King of Rome 1812 George Bibb Crittenden Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1880 1813 Matthias Keller Ulm Germany, hymm writer (O Farther un High) 1830 Eugene Asa Carr Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1910 1853 George Godfrey Chelsea Mass, heavyweight boxer (Old Chocolate) 1870 Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Prussian general/politician (East Africa) 19-- Big Bird muppet (Sesame Street) and Chip Zien Milwaukee Wisc, actor (Love Sidney, Reggie) and Jessica Lundy San Diego Calif, actress (Gloria Utz-Hope & Gloria) and John de Lancie actor (Q-Star Trek Next Gen, Days of our Lives) 1911 Mieke Verstraete Belgian/Dutch actress (Pleasantly Settled) 1914 Sviatoslav Richter Zhitomir Russia, pianist (Stalin Prize-1945) and Wendell Corey Dracut Mass, actor (11th Hour, Peck's Bad Girl) and William Baddeley rector (St Jame's Piccadilly) 1916 Vera Lynn singer 1922 Arnold Burgen college president (Academia Europaea) and Carl Reiner Bronx, comedian (2000 Year Old Man, Dick Van Dyke Show) and Doug Barnard Jr (Rep-D-GA, 1977- ) and Jack Kruschen Winnipeg Canada, actor (Papa-Webster, Busting Loose) and Larry Elgart New Haven Ct, bandleader/alto sax (Elgart Orch) and Ray Goulding Lowell Mass, comedian (Bob & Ray) 1926 Ted Bessell Flushing NY, actor (Don-That Girl, Frankie-Gomer Pyle) 1931 Antonio Tauriello composer and David Montgomery chairman (British Forestry Commission) and Hal Linden [Harold Lipshitz], actor (Barney Miller, Blacke's Magic) and John Rae British educator (Conscience & Politics) 1934 Marion Conti arch bishop (Aberdeen England) 1937 Helmut Recknagel Germany, 90m ski jump (Olympic-gold-1960) and Jerry Reed Atlanta GA, singer/actor (Bat 21, Smokey & the Bandit) and Joe Rivers rocker (Johnnie & Joe) and Mark Saville QC, British high court judge 1946 Ranger Doug [Douglas Green], Ill, singer (Riders in Sky-Cowboy Way) 1947 Carl Palmer drummer (Asia-Heat of the Moment, Emerson Lake & Palmer) 1948 Bobby Orr Parry Sound, Ontario, HOF hockey pro (Boston Bruins) and Pamela Sargent US, sci-fi author (Venus of Dreams, Cloned Lives) 1950 William Hurt Wash DC, actor (Big Chill, Children of a Lesser God) 1951 Guy Perry rock guitarist/vocalist (Motels-Only the Lonely) and Jimmie Vaughan guitarist (Fabulous Thunderbirds) and John Wetton rocker (Asia) 1954 Charlie Simmer Ontario, NHL left winger (LA Kings) and Jim Seales Hamilton Ala, singer (Shenandoah-Sunday in the South) 1957 Spike Lee Atlanta, dir (Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X) and Theresa Russell [Paup], SD Calif, actress (Black Widow, Razor's Edge) 1958 Holly Hunter Atlanta Georgia, actress (Broadcast News, Roe vs Wade) 1959 Richard Drummie rocker (Go West-Call Me, Don't Look Down) 1961 John Clark Gable LA Calif, actor (Bad Jim) and Slim Jim Phantom [Jim Mcdonnell], rock drummer (Stray Cats) 1963 Paul Mirkovich rock keyboardist (Nelson-Love & Affection) 1967 Dana Rinehart Dalton Orlando Florida, Miss Florida-America (1991) and Randy Gullatt horse trainer 1973 Jane March Edgeware England, actress (Lover) 1976 Arno Fellows soccer player (Holten/FC Twente)
Comments
JMC- Fact, time waits for no man
SARQ- When you are running,the leg opposite to where you have the stitch,when it lands exhale works every time
Are you making out JMC is a hypochondriac
JS - not really thought about it. Probably won't be too much quicker than 7.30s as I want to run with GBM.
ES - below the belt!
SARQ -
How do I know if I have stitch?Typically, stitch is felt in the right upper abdomen, but may also occur on the left hand side, or may irradiate to upper or lower regions of the body. "Classic" stitch is more likely to occur to insufficiently trained people than well prepared athletes.
What causes Stitch?The reason for stitch is simple. The inner organs are hanging from several ligaments, which, in turn, are fixed to the diaphragm, the muscular "plate" between chest and abdomen. Liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine and colon form a weight of several kilograms, hanging from the diaphragm. The impact of every step forces the inner organs to move downwards. Additionally, the diaphragm moves upwards on every expiration to force air out of the lungs. This continuous up/down stress may cause a cramp in the diaphragm: stitch. Stitch occurs most often on the right hand side because of the liver being the heaviest organ, and therefore the one stressing the diaphragm the most.
Shoulder tip painThe diaphragm is supplied by branches of the phrenic nerve that originates in the neck. This may explain the common association of stitch with shoulder tip pain.
How do I get rid of Stitch?Should you suffer from stitch, the first (and best) cure is to slow down or stop until the stitch is gone. If you do not want to stop, you can try to press your hand onto the part of your abdomen where the stitch is, and release the pressure on expiration. Repeat this several times.
Tim Quinlivan, a PE Teacher in Australia, has found the following method works well with his young athletes:
An advanced method requires some thoughts about the reason why stitches occur. You should try to synchronise your breathing pattern with your running, and exhale when the foot on the not hurting side touches the ground, i.e. when you have stitch in your right hand side, try to exhale when your left foot touches the ground. You do not need to worry about inspiration - if your expiration is right, your inspiration will be, too. If you manage to keep this breathing pattern, your diaphragm moves downward at the same time as your intestines, thus decreasing the stress.
How can I avoid Stitch?Strengthen your abdominal muscles (core stability), keep your upper body warm, do not run too soon after meals and learn "abdominal breathing".
Jonah, no, it's just he always seems to have the answer?
My stitch is that bad I can feel it as though I've bruised my ribs. I've tried the opposite breathing but doesn't work I'll try The aus technique.
ES, I nearly added 'sooner be younger and slower like GBM' but thought otherwise unlike you.
SARQ - I had the same thing a while back, and I know of others who've suffered - I think it's essentially like an internal "strain" - mine took best part of a month to clear up in the first place, and I was then prone to it recurring until I mastered the opposite-side-breathing lark
JS/Eric--7.30 pace or even a bit slower is fine with me. With Trimpell last week and Wilmslow next week there is no point pushing too much.
Eric--I look forward training with a superior athlete such as yourself.
Jonah8--Congratulations!! Am i on there?
Jonah8--'Fact, time waits for no man". You've obviously never been at Old Trafford in injury time when Utd need a goal.
WITGB-A badger?!!!! Well young man at least I don't look like Bob off Emmerdale!!!!
***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***The Eurovision Song Contest will be on May 16th so anyone I am with will have to watch it with me
J8 - Excellent news - well done!!
ES, GBM, JS - I will be joining you on Sunday, so you can forget any ideas of sub 7.30s!!
SARQ-try hopping on one leg, not sure it'll do any good, but it'll be fun watching.
ES-thank you, it's interesting to see what others have done, and it seems to have worked for you.
J8-if you were a little quicker, you'd be in the top 17 but well done
Attacked by an oncoming bike today on Longendale-MrsTB asked if the rider was ok, (not me), I said I don't know, I think the rider got knocked off but I just kept on running, well it was meant to be a fastish run and she did shout an apology.
Morticia-badgers in deed, maybe TSTgot lost
JMC-that was an extremely informative report
PG-ARE YOU KEEPING A LOW PROFILE.
JMC - dont fancy the runnning bent at 90'
WITGB - bespectacled lamb, nice to know I appear young to some.
Eric & GBM - I've been suffering from a dodgy stomach bug since Monday (either that or the gel I took on Sunday really didn't agree with me) so just wanted to check you weren't planning on some kind of outrageous pace. See you 8.30 at Rose Hill.
ES /GBM /JS /Funk - Planning on running Sun a.m. but out on Saturday night so if I'm not at Middlewood for 8.30 assume I'm having a lie in !
Morticia - I remember the contest coincided with Edinburgh last year. I got stood up by yourself and MFIGDTTW so you could watch camp blokes prancing around in tin foil.
JS--Is a 'dodgy' stomach bug better or worse than a normal stomach bug?
But then boast about it every 5 years as you enter a new vet category.
Possibly my last head torch run last night, was still light when I set off, saw a wonderful sunset from the top of Kishfield lane, the sky was dark but a glow on the horizon was brilliant, very different from the red ball going down. Anyway back to the tale, not dark enough for the torch, or was it, went over on my ankle just before the Vannessa Chappel cobbles. Gone all winter without doing that and right at the end I do that, cant wait for the clocks to change.
jmc - I'll be there.
UB - thanks, I'll remember that when it actually is my birthday (in August).
NI - Sorry!! You may need to amend your details on Fetch. You were on the yesterday's birthday list and they threw a surprise party for you. The jelly and blancmange was nice
I am now the proud owner of a new pair of spectacles,I've asked the boss to buy them me for my not birthday
WITGB- Where did you hear it?
Hopefully I'm meeting up with M in the morning so should be there for 8.
NI- Easter greetings
GBM- That sites only for old gits
NI/WITGB it may not be your birthday today (nor mine) but look at all these famous people who do have birthdays today:
1634 Balthasar Bekker Frisian theologist (Examiner of Comets)
1680 Baron Emanuele d' Astorga Italian composer (Stabat mater)
1725 Abdul-Hamid I 27th sultan of Turkey (1774-89)
1811 George Caleb Bingham US, politician/painter (Country Election)
and Napoleon FKJ Bonaparte II Napoleon's son/King of Rome
1812 George Bibb Crittenden Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1880
1813 Matthias Keller Ulm Germany, hymm writer (O Farther un High)
1830 Eugene Asa Carr Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1910
1853 George Godfrey Chelsea Mass, heavyweight boxer (Old Chocolate)
1870 Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck Prussian general/politician (East Africa)
19-- Big Bird muppet (Sesame Street)
and Chip Zien Milwaukee Wisc, actor (Love Sidney, Reggie)
and Jessica Lundy San Diego Calif, actress (Gloria Utz-Hope & Gloria)
and John de Lancie actor (Q-Star Trek Next Gen, Days of our Lives)
1911 Mieke Verstraete Belgian/Dutch actress (Pleasantly Settled)
1914 Sviatoslav Richter Zhitomir Russia, pianist (Stalin Prize-1945)
and Wendell Corey Dracut Mass, actor (11th Hour, Peck's Bad Girl)
and William Baddeley rector (St Jame's Piccadilly)
1916 Vera Lynn singer
1922 Arnold Burgen college president (Academia Europaea)
and Carl Reiner Bronx, comedian (2000 Year Old Man, Dick Van Dyke Show)
and Doug Barnard Jr (Rep-D-GA, 1977- )
and Jack Kruschen Winnipeg Canada, actor (Papa-Webster, Busting Loose)
and Larry Elgart New Haven Ct, bandleader/alto sax (Elgart Orch)
and Ray Goulding Lowell Mass, comedian (Bob & Ray)
1926 Ted Bessell Flushing NY, actor (Don-That Girl, Frankie-Gomer Pyle)
1931 Antonio Tauriello composer
and David Montgomery chairman (British Forestry Commission)
and Hal Linden [Harold Lipshitz], actor (Barney Miller, Blacke's Magic)
and John Rae British educator (Conscience & Politics)
1934 Marion Conti arch bishop (Aberdeen England)
1937 Helmut Recknagel Germany, 90m ski jump (Olympic-gold-1960)
and Jerry Reed Atlanta GA, singer/actor (Bat 21, Smokey & the Bandit)
and Joe Rivers rocker (Johnnie & Joe)
and Mark Saville QC, British high court judge
1946 Ranger Doug [Douglas Green], Ill, singer (Riders in Sky-Cowboy Way)
1947 Carl Palmer drummer (Asia-Heat of the Moment, Emerson Lake & Palmer)
1948 Bobby Orr Parry Sound, Ontario, HOF hockey pro (Boston Bruins)
and Pamela Sargent US, sci-fi author (Venus of Dreams, Cloned Lives)
1950 William Hurt Wash DC, actor (Big Chill, Children of a Lesser God)
1951 Guy Perry rock guitarist/vocalist (Motels-Only the Lonely)
and Jimmie Vaughan guitarist (Fabulous Thunderbirds)
and John Wetton rocker (Asia)
1954 Charlie Simmer Ontario, NHL left winger (LA Kings)
and Jim Seales Hamilton Ala, singer (Shenandoah-Sunday in the South)
1957 Spike Lee Atlanta, dir (Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X)
and Theresa Russell [Paup], SD Calif, actress (Black Widow, Razor's Edge)
1958 Holly Hunter Atlanta Georgia, actress (Broadcast News, Roe vs Wade)
1959 Richard Drummie rocker (Go West-Call Me, Don't Look Down)
1961 John Clark Gable LA Calif, actor (Bad Jim)
and Slim Jim Phantom [Jim Mcdonnell], rock drummer (Stray Cats)
1963 Paul Mirkovich rock keyboardist (Nelson-Love & Affection)
1967 Dana Rinehart Dalton Orlando Florida, Miss Florida-America (1991)
and Randy Gullatt horse trainer
1973 Jane March Edgeware England, actress (Lover)
1976 Arno Fellows soccer player (Holten/FC Twente)
Alfa- gosh I never knew Helmut Recknagel and Sviatoslav Richter Zhitomir were born on the same day.
Jonah- up on the canal near the Hawfinch spot, spring is defo here.
NI- congratulations on passing your exams.
WITGB--There is a pigeon on the roof of the Bamford Arms.