Side Stitch

Have you ever feel pain at the right lower abdomen while running? Especially for starters who are still low stamina. My bros/coaches told me that it is called side stitch. Wikipedia described it as an intense stabbing pain under the lower edge of the ribcage that occurs while exercising. There is no specific theory that explains how it happen, some say it is because of our internal organs push on the diaphragm. Other theory says because of too much blood is pumped to our liver.

Whatever it is, we must know how to counter it or at least reduce it while continuing our running. One of the tips my rugby coach taught me last time is to run while bending our body forward. I also slow down my pace and try to control my breath. Normally it will just go away after some time. Googling some info also shows that running posture might contribute to this as well. Slightly incline our body forward to avoid this from happening.

There are a lot of tips on this in the web, some might work for you and some might not because different people has different capability. Just note that the pain is normal, no worries, no further investigation is required. If you can't stand it, just stop.