What to do if you get a stitch in the side during exercise? Changing your breathing is the key

When we exercise, we may find that a certain part of our body suddenly has a pain phenomenon, which is caused by stitches in the side. Stiffness in the side during exercise is mainly caused by improper breathing during exercise, so when treating stitches in the side, we should also focus on regulating the breathing state.

1: Strangled stitch belongs to the category of internal injury, which refers to the injury to Qi, blood, internal organs, and meridians. Its clinical manifestations are chest tightness and pain, pain in no fixed place, and pain in a large area, especially when breathing, coughing, and turning. The pain or throbbing pain is caused by the chest being restrained, and there are also shortness of breath, irritability, and pain in the chest and back.

2: Change superficial breathing, deepen your breathing, exhale slowly and deeply, and exhale forcefully. This will allow you to inhale a large amount of air, meet your oxygen needs during exercise, relax your respiratory muscles, and eliminate pain.

3: Adjust your breathing rhythm and coordinate it with your running frequency, so that you can breathe in and out every two steps or every three steps.

4: If the pain still cannot be relieved by the above methods, you can take a deep breath and hold your breath, tap the painful areas on both sides of the chest or under the ribs, and then take slow, deep breaths. Repeating this several times can gradually relax the respiratory muscles and relieve the spasm.

5: Before strenuous activities, do warm-up exercises to allow the respiratory muscles to gradually adapt to faster contractions to avoid spasms.

6: When exercising in winter, try to breathe through your nose. If you breathe through your mouth, keep your mouth half open to allow cold air to enter your mouth through the gaps between your teeth to prevent excessive stimulation from the cold air.

It is uncomfortable, so you must adjust your breathing, take it slow, and don't rush. If you get a stitch in the side when running, it is recommended to do some warm-up exercises before running. Stiffness when running is likely caused by the wrong breathing method, so it is very important to learn a correct breathing method.