It happens to runners from time to time and the reasons are different: here’s what to know and how to solve this annoying problem
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Runningcharlott
It happens at least once to everyone: a few kilometers of running and it arrives stitch in the side that makes us stop. There are various reasons, but breathing is often to blame. Sometimes it appears when we accelerate, other times we already feel discomfort in the first kilometers. But what is that pain in our side that makes us stop? The reasons are many and different, so it is difficult to be certain in giving a solution, what is true is that breathing can almost always be the basis of that pain or in any case a valid solution.
running and pain in the side
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In fact, very often we hear about “liver tip”, but a lot rarely is it the liver the person responsible for that pain. In fact, even if the pain seems to come from there, the liver is hardly painful, putting aside some much more serious pathologies not related to running. In some cases it could be traced back to gallbladder, but here too the causes are strictly medical and not that common, so we don’t address them. Other times you think it might be stomach, because the appearance of these pains can be traced back to a meal close to the race or to poor digestion and a feeling of nausea. If the pain is on the left, it is said that the spleen hurts, although here too the causes of a sore spleen fall within non-negligible and therefore unrelated medical pathologies only to physical activity.
the diaphragm
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But then, what is this so frequent pain? The doubts are different, but a possible recurring cause lies in our diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle located under the lungs and has a flattened butterfly shape that supports the lungs themselves and partially envelops them. Its lateral tips reach up to the hips and pass under the last ribs. This muscle is fundamental because it activates breathing, it dilates and contracts with each respiratory act. Like any other muscle, during sporting activity it is strongly engaged to go from the normal 12-13 breaths to 45 during running. It therefore contracts and expands much more strongly and energetically going to compress the surrounding organs, such as stomach, liver, spleen. This compression can cause pain, especially if we have a busy stomach. This explains most of the pain in the side. Furthermore, if not trained and not warmed up properly, it could suffer from cramps and pain, just like other muscles.the. This also explains the fact that if you stop and compress your belly where it hurts, the pain often subsides.
train the diaphragm
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So how to do it? In this, good breathing management is essential. First you need to warm up well to also activate the diaphragm and take advantage of the moments before the run for a few minutes of calm and deep breathing. Then you have to try to perform intense work in which breathing is more involved on an empty stomach, so as not to have too many abdominal compressions. The moment the pain appears the best method is slow down and dedicate yourself to diaphragmatic breathing. You inhale through your nose trying to relax and extend your diaphragm. If the problem is frequent it would probably be to review your breathing in general and take a yoga or breathing and relaxation course.
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