Pain below the ribs

**phili** · 04-23-2012, 06:12 AM

Hey there,
so I went for a short run yesterday which was the first one for 6 months. After like 4km I got this pain right below my ribs. My initial thought was that my diaphragm but I wasn't sure what could have caused it. Could have been the cold temperature (was running in shorts and t-shirt when there was 10°C outside) or maybe that my diaphragm isn't used to such a long time of heave breathing anymore. The rest of the distance I was breathing rather flat instead of really deep. So any of you guys experienced something similar or has some suggestions what caused this pain?

Thanks.

**leo1992** · 04-23-2012, 06:57 AM

I think what you're experiencing is exercise related abdominal pain also known as side stitches. When you breathe in, your diaphragm moves down. When you breathe out, your diaphragm moves down. The spasms of the diaphragm will occur because when the internal organs jounce up and down during running/jogging, they are actually causing strain to your diaphragm. When this happens, just stop running for awhile. Lying down while taking deep breathes helps. Did you run with a full stomach? Try waiting a few hours after meals before running.

**phili** · 04-23-2012, 11:10 AM

I don't think those were side stitches. The pain went away the moment I started breathing really flat. The side stitches I experienced so far took a little longer than seconds to go away

No my stomach was rather empty. I learned the hard way that I shouldn't go for a run right after a meal or before I did my number two on that day