Why Do I Get a Stitch (Side Pain) When I Run?

That sharp cramp in your side that strikes mid-run or mid-exercise — a "stitch" — is common and harmless, but frustrating. A practical guide to why it happens, how to stop it, and how to prevent it.

You're running, walking briskly, or playing a sport and suddenly a sharp, cramping pain grips the side of your abdomen — usually just under the ribs — forcing you to slow down. This is a "stitch" (its proper name is a side stitch), and almost everyone who exercises has had one. It is harmless but genuinely annoying. This is a practical guide to why stitches happen, how to get rid of one mid-activity, and how to stop them coming back.

What Causes a Stitch?

The exact cause isn't fully settled, but the leading explanation is irritation of the lining around the abdominal cavity, and strain on the structures near the diaphragm, during exercise — made worse by things like eating too close to exercising, bouncing movements (running), and shallow breathing. It is not dangerous, and it eases once you stop or adjust.

Common Triggers

  • Eating a large meal too soon before exercising
  • Drinking a lot, especially sugary drinks, right before/during activity
  • Shallow, rapid breathing while exercising
  • A sudden increase in intensity, or not warming up
  • Being less conditioned (stitches often ease as fitness improves)

How to Stop a Stitch Mid-Activity

  1. Slow down or walk — you rarely need to stop completely
  2. Press gently on the sore spot and breathe deeply and slowly from the belly
  3. Try exhaling as the opposite foot hits the ground (changes the rhythm of strain)
  4. Gently stretch — raise the arm on the painful side and lean away from it
  5. Ease back once it settles; it usually passes within a minute or two
The breathing fix Because a stitch is linked to the diaphragm and breathing, slowing down and taking deep, steady belly breaths — rather than shallow panting — is often the fastest way to relieve one. Pressing on the area and stretching that side helps too.

Preventing Stitches

  • Avoid big meals for 1–2 hours before exercise
  • Don't over-drink just before; sip during rather than gulping
  • Warm up and build intensity gradually
  • Practise deep, rhythmic breathing while you run
  • Strengthening core muscles and improving fitness reduces them over time

When to See a Doctor

A stitch should NOT be confused with these — seek help if
  • The pain is severe, persistent, or doesn't go away when you stop
  • You have chest pain, pressure, or breathlessness with exertion (this needs urgent assessment — not a stitch)
  • Pain comes with nausea, sweating, or feeling unwell
  • You get recurrent, unexplained abdominal pain with exercise

A true side stitch is harmless and eases when you slow down and breathe. But do not brush off chest pain or breathlessness on exertion as "just a stitch" — that needs prompt medical assessment. See a doctor for exertional chest symptoms, or for abdominal pain that is severe, persistent, or recurrent. An online consultation can help you tell an ordinary stitch from something that needs checking. (See our guides on exercise for beginners, heart attack warning signs, and shortness of breath.)

A note on sources General education based on trusted public health and sports-medicine sources (NHS, NIH). It does not replace medical assessment; exertional chest pain or breathlessness is not a stitch and needs urgent attention.

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