are side stitches for real? and why? form?

[SillyC]

But, that said, I'm still holding that "side stitches" are probably several different problems. It seems reasonable that gas could cause somebody to have side stitches. Mine don't seem to be in any way tied to flatulence. I've never farted and then had a side stitch disappear - but that's not saying it happens to nobody.

I had a colleague who had severe side pain from a disc problem in his back. He went through so many tests and had cameras stuck everywhere - they thought it might be a GI problem or a hernia, and in the end, it turned out to be neurological. I wonder if there isn't some twitchy nerve in there - and a lot of different stimuli can feed into the same nerve and cause similar pain.

 

[jldeleon]

I've only ever gotten them while racing - cuz I'm not breathing correctly. I take a couple deep breaths and slow down and they go away.

 

[JosephTree]

Oh, SillyC, the things you say!
I nearly blushed when I read about the heterolactic and homolactic fermentation.

 

[BFwillie_g]

re side stitches during races and hard running, aren't they related to, well, the high intensity? Something about anaerobic vs aerobic levels of intensity. Perhaps triggered by lactic acid buildup? I know I've read something along those lines in the past.

Now that I'm not writing from my phone, lol, I want to add that I don't get them often but when I do, it's like Spooner said, only when I'm really huffing, running fast. The cure for me is to stop running, breathe deeply and wait a minute. But it's really been quite a long time for me, years ...

the liver thing was suggested to me by a doctor while he was giving me a physical and we were talking in general about running. I just searched to see what's out there and the only reference I found was here:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa053100a.htm

Pretty good article .

 

[NickW]

I used to get side stitches all the time, and I can guarantee that they are NOT just form related as I saw a couple others suggest (I'm too lazy to catch up and read everyone's responses). I think yes form CAN be part of the problem, but in my particular case (it still happens to this day occasionally) it comes from trying to run too fast. It's funny, but I can slow down and the stitch goes away. When I was younger I would stop and try to stretch and it would eventually go away (due to stopping not the stretching).

 

[Hobbit]

I only get mine on the left side.

That reminds me of something I read about sidestitches: Apparently there is also a theory that puts blame on the spleen (rather than the liver). The spleen being on the left side (if I got my anatomy right ), there could actually be a correlation with exclusively left sided stitches.

 

[kozz]

No, all sugars are fermentable, as are many amino acids, and more or less any organic compound with more than three carbons. Some bacteria can even ferment DNA!

I didn't say sugars can't ferment, I said they don't ferment. They get absorbed before reaching the large intestine.

 

[rickwhitelaw]

I'm going to go with form. I was running with my nine year old and she started having side pain. I noticed she was bending at the waist. I told her to stand up straight and we backed the pace off for a minute and she was good to go.

Yes, eating and drinking before running can affect this and also drinking a large amount all at once during running. I prefer to sip (camelbak or handheld vs. aid station cups).

Level of exertion maybe? The body's way of telling you to back off. I have never had a side stitch at a slow pace, even after eating.

As a hiker, going up a very steep slope the tendency is to lean forward into the hill. I notice that many people start to get short of breath and labor. I tell them to straighten up and that helps. You have to fight the natural instinct of leaning forward because of the fear of falling backwards. Of course, running is a different matter.

Having a hard time with the gas issue. May cause some discomfort, but not a side stitch. I guess I'll load up on some chili and go for a run.