Side stitch on the right side – causes, treatment & prevention

A stitch in the right side is a symptom that occurs primarily during endurance sports such as jogging, cycling and swimming. Improper breathing can also be diagnosed as a cause, because an undersupply of blood to the liver or intestines, especially the small intestine, and oxygen to the diaphragm can result. Drug treatment is usually not required. Rather, the triggering factors should be eliminated so that the issue of side stitches on the right side is a thing of the past. The methods for reducing the symptoms are also ideal for prophylaxis, so that side stitches on the right side do not occur in the first place.

causes

In childhood, it is often spontaneous running that leads to side stitches on the right side. It is not uncommon for it to be so violent that the child stops. Adults often feel a sharp pain on the right side under the costal arch when jogging or other sports such as squash, swimming, cycling, etc.The symptoms often occur when untrained people demand too much athletic performance from the start. However, it must also be mentioned that there are still no scientifically based theories regarding possible causes.

Experts also understand that this type of right side stitch at the level of the liver is related to breathing. As a result, the quantity and quality of the oxygen supply, which takes place via the bloodstream, is also responsible. If you now consider that during endurance sports the heavily used muscles need more blood than when they are at rest, a temporary undersupply of the liver sounds plausible. The right side stitch is also known as capsule pain because the symptoms arise in the liver capsule as soon as there is an increased blood flow back to the muscles. In this context, an undersupply of the diaphragm with oxygen seems just as plausible.

Another reason for the “side stitch on the right” can be an insufficient blood supply to the intestines, especially the large intestine. Massive flatulence and constipation can also lead to this side stitch. The stitch on the right side then often follows on from intestinal cramps that are already present . Inadequate supply of the diaphragm during rapid exertion can also result in these symptoms. However, this assumption is contradicted by the fact that the diaphragm, along with the lungs, is the best-trained muscle in the human body.

Aside from these organic causes, weak abdominal muscles, irregular and/or shallow breathing, incorrect posture and clothing that is too tight can cause side stitches on the right side. This also applies to sports (training) shortly after eating on a full stomach, because the digestive process requires a lot of blood, which other organs lack during this period.

diagnosis and course

The diagnosis is actually given by the symptoms. However, organic examinations (particularly of the liver and intestines) should be done if symptoms persist or worsen. The course of a side stitch on the right is initially characterized by slight pain under the costal arch at the level of the liver. The side stitch almost always starts slowly and then increases relatively quickly to cramp-like pain that prevents you from walking any further. Even deep breathing, which would be very important now so that the side stitches stop, is not possible for the time being. Instead, there is a stooped relieving posture and pressure on the painful area.

treatment and therapy

If the stitches in the right side are due to an excessively high stress potential during sport, these will decrease as the training condition improves, because the overload is no longer present. If the untrained and therefore weak abdominal wall is diagnosed as the cause, the side stitch on the right side is increasingly reduced. If you have breathing problems in general, you should talk to your doctor about medically supervised breathing training. Correct breathing can be learned and lead to an improvement in many symptoms. This training is particularly efficient in connection with relaxation exercises under professional guidance. In general, those affected should always take some speed out of their everyday lives.

A good breathing exercise is the following:

Raise your arms straight up, inhale deeply, then lower your arms while exhaling. Repeating it 10 times should be enough for the side stitches to subside. If you can’t go any further, deliberately stop, bend your upper body forward and press your hand on the painful (stinging) area. Keep breathing with concentration. Everyone has to find out for themselves which method works best. There is no patent recipe for this.

If the symptoms do not decrease despite appropriate measures as described here, it is essential to consult a doctor. Drug treatment with painkillers or other drugs is not indicated for a side stitch on the right side. Unless organic causes are responsible for the symptoms. Then the underlying disease comes to the fore and must be treated immediately.

prevention

A deep inhalation and exhalation is considered a fundamental factor in avoiding the right side stitch. Anyone who has always had problems with this and tends to breathe more shallowly should think about targeted breathing training, preferably in combination with relaxation exercises by qualified therapists. If you can’t call yourself a well-trained endurance athlete, you should concentrate on breathing evenly and deeply while running, cycling, etc., in order to avoid a stitch in your right side. Conversations should therefore rather not be held.

If you like jogging to music, you should choose music that doesn’t distract you from concentrating on your breathing. If postural damage is known, you should talk to a therapist about possibilities for improvement through different forms of therapy, because these can have a strong positive or negative effect on breathing. If you have a connection to yoga and co., you have a clear advantage. Why? Because mentally relaxed people have a much better body feeling and react more strongly to signals and stimuli from their body.If you want or have to eat before exercise (especially endurance sports), you should allow about two hours to elapse before you start training. Sophisticated abdominal muscle training is not only good for the figure, but also helps to avoid the tiresome side stitch on the right side. It is enough if the abdominal muscles are discreetly developed.