Baloki
12-08-2004, 05:30 PM
Researchers from New Zealand have provided an insight into what causes the stitch and how you can prevent it.
Stitch
Despite what you might have been told, scientists aren't really sure what causes the stitch. During exercise, blood is shunted away from the diaphragm (one of the muscles involved in breathing) to the limbs. According to conventional wisdom, the pain is caused by a reduction in blood supply to the diaphragm.
However, two researchers from the University of Otago had a different idea. Brian Plunkett and Will Hopkins tested a theory first put forward in the early 1940's. They proposed that the stitch is actually caused by the gut "tugging" on the ligaments connecting it to the diaphragm.
Plunkett and Hopkins gave their subjects a number of different fluids that digested at different speeds. According to the ligament theory, the pain of the stitch should remain high with fluids that digest slowly. Fluids digesting quickly should reduce the weight of the gut — easing the pain of the stitch.
The results tended to support the theory. Fluids digesting slowly led to an increase in stitch intensity that was more than double that of the fast digesting drinks.
Plunkett and Hopkins also tested several strategies designed to relieve the stitch. There were three that proved most effective.
• Wait 2-3 hours before exercising after a large (1 liter or more) drink or meal.
• When you get a stitch, bend forward and tighten your abdominal muscles, while breathing out through pursed lips. The lower position of the diaphragm and increased contraction of the abdominals are designed to reduce tension on the ligaments.
• Try wearing a light wide belt around your waist. This is designed to move your abdominal contents upward and inward — reducing tension on ligaments between gut and diaphragm.
Need help getting in shape? This site contains all you need to know. It will teach you the best ways to get the lean, strong, healthy body you deserve. Mentor Members also enjoy a clear, honest and easy-to-follow response to all their fat-burning and muscle-building questions within 48 hours »
Reference
Plunkett, B.T., & Hopkins, W.G. (1999). Investigation of the side pain "stitch" induced by running after fluid ingestion. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 31, 1169-1175
Taken from http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/stitch.htm
Stitch
Despite what you might have been told, scientists aren't really sure what causes the stitch. During exercise, blood is shunted away from the diaphragm (one of the muscles involved in breathing) to the limbs. According to conventional wisdom, the pain is caused by a reduction in blood supply to the diaphragm.
However, two researchers from the University of Otago had a different idea. Brian Plunkett and Will Hopkins tested a theory first put forward in the early 1940's. They proposed that the stitch is actually caused by the gut "tugging" on the ligaments connecting it to the diaphragm.
Plunkett and Hopkins gave their subjects a number of different fluids that digested at different speeds. According to the ligament theory, the pain of the stitch should remain high with fluids that digest slowly. Fluids digesting quickly should reduce the weight of the gut — easing the pain of the stitch.
The results tended to support the theory. Fluids digesting slowly led to an increase in stitch intensity that was more than double that of the fast digesting drinks.
Plunkett and Hopkins also tested several strategies designed to relieve the stitch. There were three that proved most effective.
• Wait 2-3 hours before exercising after a large (1 liter or more) drink or meal.
• When you get a stitch, bend forward and tighten your abdominal muscles, while breathing out through pursed lips. The lower position of the diaphragm and increased contraction of the abdominals are designed to reduce tension on the ligaments.
• Try wearing a light wide belt around your waist. This is designed to move your abdominal contents upward and inward — reducing tension on ligaments between gut and diaphragm.
Need help getting in shape? This site contains all you need to know. It will teach you the best ways to get the lean, strong, healthy body you deserve. Mentor Members also enjoy a clear, honest and easy-to-follow response to all their fat-burning and muscle-building questions within 48 hours »
Reference
Plunkett, B.T., & Hopkins, W.G. (1999). Investigation of the side pain "stitch" induced by running after fluid ingestion. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 31, 1169-1175
Taken from http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/stitch.htm