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Stomach cramps/stitch
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I competed in my second triathlon last Sunday, and (apart from getting stuck in my T1 wetsuit) things were going well until the run. I then had a very bad stitch that repeatedly slowed me to a halt, and left me hardly able to breathe. Clearly I would like to find a cure for this, yet there does not even seem to be any consensus on what causes stitches. The most plausible explanations seem to be that they are either caused by straining the ligaments that hold the internal organs, such as the liver, or by spasms in the daiphragm muscle.

Note that I have always been very prone to getting stitches during running. In the triathlon, the stitch had actually developed during the swim (swimming can also give me stomach cramps easily, which no one can explain to me), and I had not been able to shake it off during the bike leg. I had not eaten for the three hours previous to the triathlon, and that had been a high carbohydrate/low fat breakfast. I practice abdominal breathing, which is supposed to help prevent stitches. I was also well hydrated and am not prone to getting muscle cramps elsewhere in my body.

Any help would be appreciated!

Duncan
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Re: Stomach cramps/stitch [duncan] [ In reply to ]
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A training partner had the same problem. I told him it was b/c he ran to fast (low 33's in tri's). He solved his problem by borrowing a mouth piece from the VO2 machine in the lab. He used it whenever he ran. Looked and sounded funny but he claims it taught him to breath properly. He had no more problems after 6months of use.

Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

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Re: Stomach cramps/stitch [duncan] [ In reply to ]
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I rarely get one, but a sharp inhale (hurts like he$$) and hold until stitch dissapears works for me. Never had one while running since a kid though--dude you have it bad.
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Re: Stomach cramps/stitch [duncan] [ In reply to ]
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I've had problems off and on with this also. I can't pinpoint the cause/cure exactly, but here are a few tips that have helped me.

1. Change sports drinks. I use gatorade for training (much cheaper) but during competition it causes problems. Power Aid works better.

2. Morning of a tri, a full breakfast is probably a bad idea. I naw on a Powerbar a little, but make sure to stop an hour before hand. If your eating right, skippng a real meal the day of a triathlon (Olympic distance or shorter) won't hurt you.

3. Change bike positions some during the tri. Holding a low, aggressive position for too long can cause cramps later.

4. Maybe try some more sit-ups. (this is kind of a last resort.) Extra sit-ups/ab crunches seem to help me.

5. In the event of cramps occuring I:
Change swim strokes for a little while (better to slow now, than stop later.)

Don't wear tight clothing. If I wear it on the bike and feel a cramp coming, I'll stop and take it off. (This works better for guys than girls, but......)

Drink a little. You want to watch out though, you may be cramping from over hydrating.

Stop and stretch.


I hope some of this helps.
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Re: Stomach cramps/stitch [Ze Gopha] [ In reply to ]
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Ze Gogha makes some great points, especially #3. I too have had stitch problems over the past few years and did some research. I found a few tips: As strange as it sounds, exhaling when your left foot strikes the ground alleviates some of the stress from ligament that the diaphragm and liver share. Also when you’re exhaling hard, push in the sharp pain with your fingers (usually right under the last rib). By exhaling each time your left foot strikes the ground, you will establish a breathing rhythm that might seem to fast but stick with it, the stitch will usually either go away or become less intense.

Hope this helps,

Dave from VA
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Re: Stomach cramps/stitch [duncan] [ In reply to ]
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Do you breath primarily on one side during the swim, and if so does the cramp occur under the rib cage on that side? I've had that same problem and it can become debillitating on the run. Deep Breathing on the bike and GasEx seems to help some. I don't think it has anything to do with hydration as it can start up within a few minutes of open water swimming (for me). Not sure why it only occurs when doing open water swims and not in the pool...maybe because I'm not flipping every 25 yards??

I can't remember where I read this, but humming while you exhale during the swim can help alleviate the problem as well. In my last race I started getting a massive cramp in my diaphram a few minutes into the swim, I started humming and the cramp got better, though it didn't go away entirely. At least it didn't have much of an effect on my race, which made me happy.

I'm working on breathing bilaterally, hopefully that will be the solution and doesn't result in a cramp on both sides ;)
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Re: Stomach cramps/stitch [KAlber] [ In reply to ]
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On Eurosport during the Marathon, they talked about elites drinking on the run. They said that in the beginning they only use water, and near the end they are drinking bottles that are crammed with isotonic drinks (ie your drinks gradually have more nutrition in them).

They also said that if you drink in galps, you take in air together with the fluid, which causes a side stitch. From what I understood, fill your mouth with whatever drink, then swallow it (so water won't get in).
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