As college has begun, the freshman 15 scare has gotten to our whole class, I started to think that it was time to begin jogging and exercising. I have never been into athletics, or any type of working out, but I have realized that it is not that I am unable to run a mile, but that the cramps in my side are getting in my way. While I was skimming through a magazine, I came across an article entitled “What Your Exercise Cramps Are Trying to Tell You About Your Body”. I learned that the sort of cramp I was experiencing is referred to as “Side Stitching”. There is no certainty of why these sort of cramps occur, but there are helpful tricks to relieve this pain.
Side Stitches are often occurring due to a lack of air within your body. “Stop, and raise your arms above your head to allow more oxygen to get to the muscle of the thoracic cavity, or apply pressure with your hands to the location of pain and inhale and exhale slowly and deeply.” Says Angelo Marsella, a weightlifting coach and athletic trainer. ”The side pain is a little alarm alerting you about your breathing” Jeff Galloway, a 1972 Olympian, says. I decided to test this theory in my own time. As I was jogging on the tredmill and, of course, a cramp came along, I attempted the technique suggested by Marsella. I had had relief on the first time around, but the cramp kept coming back. The technique was helpful, but was not sufficient in allowing me to complete my workout.
Another theory on how to prevent side cramps from occurring is to stop eating large meals or sugary drinks before or during exercise. This came as shocking information to me because I always drink Gatorade when I exercise, which is a possible attribute to my discomfort.
Lastly, it is thought that a potential cause for side stitches is that the person experiencing side cramps has irritation on their ligaments and their membrane. Because these hold your muscles together, it is possible that it can cause someone to experience side cramps. This is caused by eating anything too quickly before working out, and is only a prominent factor in certain types of exercise such as horse back riding.
Although it is uncertain the cause of a side stitch, there are many ways to help prevent and deal with them. It is important to not let these cramps keep you away from being fit and healthy, rather allow you to strive to overcome them.
This happens to me all the time! They are the most annoying things and even when I want to continue exercising sometimes I am forced ti stop because my cramp is so bad. I try to take deep breathes or push on the side it is happening to stop it. Another funny thing to do (my coach told me during my cross country season) is to scream as loud as you can. It seems weird but actually helps so much, I even did it a couple times during a race haha! I can never drink too much water or eat too much before going for a run because I will experience a cramp. Awesome post!
So interesting that you are writing about this topic! I experience the same exact thing every time I run, one of my previous training coaches encourages an athletic to fight through the cramp, believe me I know how badly it hurts. Many other coaches suggest yoga to stretch your muscles and fill your body with air. I think that more research needs to be done on this topic because nothing has ever fixed my cramp while running!