getting a stitch
ARob
Posts: 143
does anyone know what causes a stitch?
i tend to get them if i go out for a ride after work but not on other occaions- usually when i'm fed up! is it a sign of going off too fast without warming up properly having been sat on my backside in an office all day?
i tend to get them if i go out for a ride after work but not on other occaions- usually when i'm fed up! is it a sign of going off too fast without warming up properly having been sat on my backside in an office all day?
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Comments
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A google search on "cause stitch diaphragm" throws up some discussions like this one
http://health.howstuffworks.com/home-remedies-for-side-pain.htm
Basically noones absolutely sure, but there may be a correlation with shallow rapid breathing. So maybe you need to move about a bit between the desk and the bike, just so that guts get to slop around and back into place properly, and then make sure you're gulping it down when you set off.0 -
Auntie Beeb has another couple of theories:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/health_ ... 275830.stm
1) During exercise, our blood moves away from the diaphragm to the limbs. Most scientists believe the pain is caused by a reduction in blood supply to the diaphragm, causing it to cramp.
2) The stitch is caused by fluids which the body finds hard to digest. This causes the gut to "tug" on the ligaments connecting it to the diaphragm.
The advice is to gently warm-up (10-15 mins) at the start of a ride (although this could be a little tricky if you have to go up a nice big hill straight of the office like I do) and not to eat too soon before excercising (more than 1 hour).
Try using easy gears and high cadence (90+ rpm) for the first and last 10 mins of each ride to give a gentle warmup and cooldown.0
