[juliemc]

I've been running since November and every time I run I battle with side stitches. Either at the beginning and they go away, or at the end, or they come and go through out the run. Any suggestions???????

 

[muzicgrl]

slow down.

 

[Hippo]

The first thing to check is make sure you're not "backwards breathing." Make sure when your breath goes in, your bellybutton goes out. Lots of people do the opposite, and their insides get all squished and abused. No wonder it hurts!<br><br>
There are lots of other causes. Someone else may be able to chime in with specific remedies. Mostly, if you're patient they will just stop showing up as you run more.

 

[RichardC]

<br>
this is what I have always heard or read.

 

[missy1102]

i massage mine firmly and take a couple of slow breaths (belly button out of course!) and force them out quickly. its a trick my HS coach taught me.. and its always worked for me. good luck. sidestiches are no fun.

 

[Mailbox Head]

Sounds stupid but my old coach used to always say to try breathing in on the opposite foot from what you normally do. It always seemed to work for people who got them.

 

[spidergirl]

I don't get them often, but when I do, I take a deep breath and then exhale long and slowly with my belly til the last bit of air is out. It's almost like "pushing" the stitch out with my belly muscles. After a few of these breaths, it's usually gone.

 

[mykemp1971]

I think that works, and doesn't sound stupid to me - because it forces you to 'concentrate' on your breathing. I've found that when I get a side stitch, if I just focus on my breathing, it will go away.

 

[RandMart]

Try to time your steps so that you're not breathing IN on the side that hurts as your foot strikes the ground. Yes, it's another way to concentrate on your breathing [and possibly slow down], but it usually works for me.

 

[Voodoojunkie]

I do the same thing and it always seems to work. Most people exhale when their right foot hits the ground. So exhale when your left foot hits the ground and see if that helps.

 

[juliemc]

Thanks everyone! I'm gonna try it all and no side stitch is gonna keep me down!!

 

[runnergirl]

Yep, same here.<br><br>
It's even better if you focus on it right from the start of your run. I used to get them frequently, but can only recall getting one once in the past several months (and I still have no idea how it happened).

 

[juliemc]

Okay so I ran with my running group for the first time this morning. It was an AWESOME run!!!! Three miles was like a walk in the park. And no side stitches at all!!!!! I tried the breathing out when my left foot hits the ground. Maybe that was it. Or maybe the socks I wore are now my lucky socks. Who really knows? All I know is I'm going to keep doing this breathing trick. Hopefully that was the ticket! Happy training to all!!<img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif">

 

[mykemp1971]

Group runs ROCK! They help you keep a good i.e. 'conversational' - pace.

 

[XOSophia]

I use a combination of concentrating on deep breaths, exhaling on the opposite foot from the stitch, and raising my arms over my head. I've never been able to run w/out stitches (yet) but this makes it manageable.

 

[LeftRightRepeat]

<a href="http://coolrunningnewbie.pbwiki.com/BreathingTechnique" target="_blank">Read here</a>.