This article was published on: 03/8/22 9:50 AM
A dreaded side stitch usually gets resolved on its own, within a span of a few minutes or after you completely stop exercising. But in case your side stitch refuses to go away, even after a couple of hours, and after you have stopped exercising, you must seek medical care without any delay. In some cases, the patient might even experience a sharp, stabbing pain accompanied by a fever or swelling on the side of the abdomen.
There are a few ways that can help in reducing your pain and resolve the side stitch. Some of them include taking deep breathes and exhaling slowly, stretching your abdominal muscles by reaching one hand overhead, trying to bend gently into the side where you feel the stitch, stopping the movement, and trying to press your fingers gently into the affected area while you bend your torso slightly forward and staying hydrated while exercising, but completely avoiding sugary sports drinks if they irritate your stomach.
You can prevent a side stitch by avoiding indulgence in very heavy meals or drinking a lot of liquids at least one to three hours before exercising. Some of the precautionary measures include increasing your level of fitness gradually, decreasing the length of your workout and increasing the intensity instead, avoiding sugary beverages or all beverages right before exercising, avoiding high-fat and high-fibre foods before exercising, practicing good posture, and increasing your mileage by a few miles a week.
For someone who is prone to side stitches, they may want to seek the help of a physiotherapist. The physiotherapist may review your posture and technique if they believe that is what is causing you to get side stitches. A side stitch is most likely to go away in a span of a few minutes after you stop exercising. If you are prone to them, you must try reducing the length of your workouts. Speak to your doctor and get medical help if you are experiencing pain in your side or abdomen that does not seem related to exercising, or in case you have a side stitch that lasts for a few hours. It could be a result of a more serious condition.
