What causes a "stitch" in your side during exercise?

Tim Campbell said:

What causes a "stitch" in your side during exercise?

Tim, how did you get so smart?

tkb

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tim Campbell said:

Exercise is great, but remember to be
kind to the rubber bands keeping your organs in place.

I just looked inside and I don't have rubber bands. They're orange and
blue bungee cords and they're no where near my organ.

--
"Drugs like nicotine and alcohol, which do nothing for you at all,
are legal. Drugs like Mary Jane and mushrooms, two drugs that make
you realize that you're being dry humped every day of your life
by the upper 2%, are illegal. Coincidence?" -- Miss Anne Thrope

Tim Campbell said:

Dear Yahoo!:
What causes a "stitch" in your side during exercise?
Jack

Dear Jack:
A side stitch is a piercing sensation just below the ribcage, usually
felt when you're running. In the past, several different theories tried
to explain the cause: trapped gas, swollen liver, stomach muscle
cramps. However a recent and fairly conclusive theory holds that strain
on the ligaments connecting the liver to the diaphragm is the cause.
The liver "hangs" from the diaphragm by fibrous bands called ligaments.
Running exerts a steady downward force on your liver, stretching these
ligaments. In addition, when you exhale (usually as your left foot hits
the ground), your diaphragm is pushed up. That means your liver falls
with gravity as your diaphragm rises, placing considerable strain on
those poor ligaments.

The result? A stitch. The cure? Stop running immediately and press your
hand just below the pain. This should raise your liver up, relieving
the strain on the ligaments. Inhale and exhale evenly as you press
down.

As a preventive measure, take deep, full breaths while running. If you
take shallow breaths, your diaphragm is consistently raised, which
wreaks havoc on your ligaments. Exercise is great, but remember to be
kind to the rubber bands keeping your organs in place.

Since most people have their liver on the right side of their body, does
this mean that no one gets a stitch on their left side? I think they do.

A bouncing liver might be one source of a stitch, but I'm sure there are
other causes too. I've also heard that this could be due to a
strain/tear of the muscles between the ribs (from deep breathing), or
from a small infarct in the diaphragm (due to lack of oxygen). Either
way, they hurt.

I've had side stitches, but never on the left side. I don't know what
causes them, but I know they mostly affect new runners and almost
always go away after one has gotten in decent shape.

I'm in reasonable shape these days but still get stitch if I run too soon
after a meal, or if I've been working on my abs in the gym earlier that day.
"John B." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've had side stitches, but never on the left side. I don't know what
causes them, but I know they mostly affect new runners and almost
always go away after one has gotten in decent shape.

ash said:

I'm in reasonable shape these days but still get stitch if I run too soon
after a meal,

We all do.

Tim Campbell said:

Dear Yahoo!:
What causes a "stitch" in your side during exercise?
Jack

I get headaches from reading some of these posts.

ash said:

That will keep you quiet for a while then.

Actually, I think he'll whine even more.