Explanation of the relationship between side stiches when running and poor posture!

I can guarantee each of you have suffered from a side stich before during running or long exercise. However, have you ever understood why this is happening and how to prevent it?  Well today we are going to give you a 2-minute masterclass on how to solve side stiches.

Stiches can be a very inconvenient problem for many individuals, they are often describing as a cramp like spasm that comes on suddenly. Symptoms may range from a dull ache to a pulling sensation, or a sharp stabbing pain, and may be aggravated by prolonged activities such as running, basketball, football or cycling.

The exact cause has not yet been proven, with previous years rooting the cause of a stich to spasm of the breathing muscles, forcing you to slow down and take deep breaths. However, new theory has been suggested across the most recent years suggesting that poor posture may be the culprit.

Recent research has found that people who regularly slouch or hunch their back when running increases, the risk of stiches. This is because a poor running form may affect the nerves running from the upper back to the abdomen and also may increase friction within the abdominal cavity. As a result, deep breaths may reduce pain and the increased inflation of the lungs may improve posture.

So how can you reduce the occurrence of stiches? The bottom line is to reduce stiches you must improve your posture when running, ensuring your ears, spine and hips are all in line with each other reducing excessive loads. It is important to know that if you do struggle to keep a good posture there may be tightness in areas around the body so it’s crucial to keep on top of stretches before and after exercise.