A stitch in time...saves nine.The old adage may be true in running as well as life. New research from New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. found that stopping, bending over, and tightening the abdominal muscles abdominal muscles Clinical anatomy The large muscles of the anterior abdominal wall–external oblique, internal oblique, rectus abdominalis, which help in breathing, support spinal muscles while lifting, and help maintain abdominal organs and GI tract in their stopped a side stitch When exercising, a side stitch (or side cramp) is an intense stabbing pain under the lower edge of the ribcage. It is also referred to as exercise related transient abdominal pain (ETAP). in its tracks. If you suffer painful side stitches, having a tried and true method to end them fast is good news. However, if you're in the middle of a race, stopping may not be in your game plan. In that case, another effective technique is to breathe through pursed lips after taking a very deep breath. The authors induced a side stitch in runners by gorging the stomach with various fluids just before five-minute bouts of intense treadmill running. The findings of the study were consistent with the theory that side stitches are caused by the gut tugging on visceral visceral /vis·cer·al/ (vis´er-al) pertaining to a viscus. vis·cer·al adj. Relating to, situated in, or affecting the viscera. visceral pertaining to a viscus. ligaments when the stomach is full of liquid. This is a good reason to maintain hydration hydration /hy·dra·tion/ (hi-dra´shun) the absorption of or combination with water. hy·dra·tion n. 1. The addition of water to a chemical molecule without hydrolysis. 2. while running with frequent, smaller amounts rather than downing a pint at less frequent intervals. Armed with prevention and treatment techniques, you should be able to avoid side stitch pain, and save nine. (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Vol. 31, No. 8, pp. 1169-1175) |
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