Discussion: Side Ache/cramps

Before/during hard workouts i get mysterious side cramps, i have tryed different stuff, drinking, not drinking trying different drinks not eating. I am open to any suggestions and i would be very grateful for this

Stretch from side to side with your torso

I used to get side cramps a lot when I first started running. I used to tighten my abdominal muscles and just run through them. After awhile they just went away.

I'm assuming that what your referring to is a stitch - a cramp on the left side near the diaphram. I'm not sure why you would get a stitch before a hard workout, though.

There are probably a thousand dubious remedies for this, but even the elite runners get them from time to time. One technique that I've found works well is to breathe out when your left foot hits the ground. This is a better prevention technique than cure. I always breathe out on the left foot and rarely get a stitch.

i used to get side cramps as well. i normaly get them when i start running again after a long time of not. like sandy i just run though them and they go away. i find also though that if i drink water right before and during a run i have a bigger chance of getting a side cramp.

hey thanks for that breathe out on the left foot, it sounded weird to me, but when i asked my coach he said it would probably help. If i get one i'll try it on another race, and if anybody has any more to give me i would like that, thanks.

My doctor says to stretch (as in the "reach for the sky" kind of motion). I tried it during the long-o champs at one point and it worked well then.

You're pretty young to be a candidate, but persistant side/back aches can sometimes indicate something wrong in the urinary tract: kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, prostate. Bladder infections are not too common in men, but some men can be plagued by chronic kidney stones or other infections from a very early age. Often a diet change is enough to solve the problem. Good info on this area of the body is available at NIH's website: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/a-z.asp

thanks for that website, i never thought that it could actually be anything serious, but i think i might get this checked up with a doctor. and the breathing out on the left foot really worked yester day and i got a 4:52 in the 1600 meter run, so thanks!

I've found that sometimes eating too close to a race, or drinking too much water at once before running can cause those side stitches/cramps. So have your meal well before hand, and only take in small amount of fluid at any one time before/during the run. Another thing that helps to rid of the pain is by applying pressure to the area (with hand) and taking deep breathes. It's not as specific as breathing out on the left foot, but it's worked for me.

Breathing out against pressure (i.e. pursed lips) is an oldie-but-goodie means of getting thru the stitch during a workout or race.

Does it specifically have to be the left foot? Or can i use my right:)?

I read somewhere that you should breath out on the footstrike which is opposite the side the hurts. The side stich is related to muscles and tendons that control breathing and support internal organs. Supposedly, side stiches on the right side are more common than on the left because the liver is primarily on the right side of the body. So in most cases, breathing out on the left foot should be more effective!

As for myself, I focus on prevention by doing a lot of situps and oblique situps.

i find that if you breathe out on the side that the stitch is on, it helps relieve the pain

Have you noticed when it happens, relative to the full moon?

;-)

But seriously, I once in a while get side aches/cramps, and I can almost always eliminate them by breathing out extremely thoroughly and, at the end of the exhalation, with moderately great force. The idea is to empty your lungs as completely as possible and thereby to stretch your diaphragm upward.

This remedy is difficult during a race, because you usually are breathing too hard and too fast to empty your lungs so much.

Stretching the diaphragm is the reason why reaching for the sky works also.

i just had a track race yesterday and i found that if you eat something highly digestible (bagel w/peanut butter) with about 200 ml of water 2-2 1/2 hours before your race, you will not get any side cramps!!!