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Thread: Need help - serious stitch!

  1. #1

    Need help - serious stitch!

    I have been having problems with stitches for the last 5 years. I usually only get them in races or very hard training sessions. Always right sided and made worse with downhill running. They often cause me to stop and leave me sore in the abdomen lower rib area for 3 - 4 days afterwards if I try and run through it.

    Its not linked to eating and I think is a combination of breathing and tightness in the diaphragm but despite lots of stretching and breathing exercises I am still struggling! Any advice?

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    122

    Re: Need help - serious stitch

    I find a stitch is to do with breathing. That's why they generally come on when running downhill. When starting back uphill the extra effort forces me to breathe harder and the stitch goes away. Try consciously to breathe harder Than usual when running downhill, even if the effort doesn't warrant it.

    Andy

  3. #3
    Senior Member zephr's Avatar
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    Oct 2008
    Location
    Glossop, Derbyshire
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    Re: Need help - serious stitch

    Yes, it is probably to do with your diaphragm, but there are a load of muscles that also go through the diaphragm, and if they are tight/spasming/whatever, they may well be causing the diaphragm to spasm as well, causing the stitch.
    The fact that it hurts on the downhill would kind of vaguely indicate that it hurts when you do longer strides (most people tend to stride longer when running downhill), and the main muscle that is involved in that motion, which elongates more with a longer stride is the psoas.

    Helpfully, the psoas attaches pretty well right up into where the diaphragm also attaches, so its a relatively good guess.

    Here are a couple of blogs I wrote about it. The first one is about the issue in more detail, and the second one gives a couple of stretches which should/might help, depending on if it actually is the psoas which is the issue. (there are another couple of muscles which can cause similar pain)

    http://globaltherapies.wordpress.com...while-running/

    http://globaltherapies.wordpress.com...nd-prevention/

    If you are still having issues and you are anywhere near the Peak district, drop us a line.

  4. #4

    Re: Need help - serious stitch

    Quote Originally Posted by zephr View Post
    Yes, it is probably to do with your diaphragm, but there are a load of muscles that also go through the diaphragm, and if they are tight/spasming/whatever, they may well be causing the diaphragm to spasm as well, causing the stitch.
    The fact that it hurts on the downhill would kind of vaguely indicate that it hurts when you do longer strides (most people tend to stride longer when running downhill), and the main muscle that is involved in that motion, which elongates more with a longer stride is the psoas.

    Helpfully, the psoas attaches pretty well right up into where the diaphragm also attaches, so its a relatively good guess.

    Here are a couple of blogs I wrote about it. The first one is about the issue in more detail, and the second one gives a couple of stretches which should/might help, depending on if it actually is the psoas which is the issue. (there are another couple of muscles which can cause similar pain)

    http://globaltherapies.wordpress.com...while-running/

    http://globaltherapies.wordpress.com...nd-prevention/

    If you are still having issues and you are anywhere near the Peak district, drop us a line.
    Thank you very much for the comments/help so far.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Vegan Runner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Wakefield, W. Yorks
    Posts
    369

    Re: Need help - serious stitch

    When I get a stitch I run with my arms raised up above my head. Looks weird but it works for me. I reckon it stretches out something or corrects an imbalance.

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