The stitch: What is it and how can you prevent it?

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.

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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

Despite what you may have been told I have never heard of "The stich".

WHAT IS IT?!?!?!?!?

Ever say, started sprinting for a fair distance without warning? (e.g. to catch a bus that was a long way off, or to get to a place you were late for) and got a sharp pain in your side while running that forced you to slow down or essentially stop? It usually occurs if a.) you've began running without warning, and so your breathing isn't paced properly or b.) you've had a big meal or drink before hand. That is the wonder of the stitch :)

It's the devil stabbing you for being evil. It's sort of like a taster of what hell will be like before we finally get there. :)

Sounds more like a cramp. Either way you gotta be a man and just keep on going at full speed! Punch your gut and tell it to shut the http://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/lovesmile.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/lovesmile.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/lovesmile.gifhttp://forums.eyesonff.com/images/smilies/lovesmile.gif up. You got a mission to accomplish!

The stitch is fun! Whenever I get it I feel like Queen of the world...and haha one of the researchers is called Plunkett, hahaha. I dunno why I find that funny...Plunkett...hee!

The stitch is like the leg cramp. You know when you are enjoying a nice stretch in the morning and all of a sudden your like &^@(^%(*$@&)*^@#!!!!111one!!!!!11 and you think someone is literally stabbing you in the leg (usually the calf)? yeah that's kind what the stitch is only the stitch is not quite as painfull.

Hey Baloki, maby you could figure out what causes the nasty leg cramp. Since you're on this create a thread binge. :tongue:

I've read that, like the stich, no one is really sure what exactly causes the leg cramp (superb!), but generally it is just an involuntary spasm of muscles in your leg (which is...rather painful). It's pretty well known that strenuous execise causes cramps, but these conditions can also:-

Not drinking enough water a day
Long periods of inactivity (does sleep count?!)
Not having enugh calcium (milk, cheese) postassium (bananas & dates) or vitamin E (spinach, broccoli)
Thyroid problems

and well, there we go! The general conclusion probably being that you're going to get a cramp sooner or later in your life, and when you do, it's going to hurt :) Btw, if you think legs cramps are bad, neck cramps are death without passing into the next realm!

Any time I run over a mile, I get it. It sucks. I don't get it from anything else, which confuses me.