Preventing Side Stitches
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Christoph Niemann

As every runner knows, a painful side stitch can quickly ruin a workout. In today’s Really? column, Anahad O’Connor explores recent research that suggests side stitches are related to poor running posture.

One explanation is that poor running form may affect nerves that run from the upper back to the abdomen. Another is that hunching increases friction on the peritoneum, a membrane that surrounds the abdominal cavity. This could also explain why controlled breathing seems to help relieve stitches: drawing deep breaths fills the lungs and improves posture.

Read more about the research in “Side Stitches? Change Your Posture,” and then please join the discussion below. When do you get side stitches? And what’s your remedy?