What's Causing That Stitch in Your Side?

What's the deal with that sharp pain in your side when you're trying to win that marathon? SciShow has the answers!

Hosted by: Hank Green
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[chimkinNuggz]

the thing that caused the stitches on my side was that girl i met at the bar. i trusted her but when i woke up the next morning my kidney was missing

[Typhoon]

Answer: We don't know

Great...

[upandatom]

i just got an annoying stitch this morning while running then this video popped up on my youtube feed... How does google know?

[sorenkair]

I've found that flexing your abdominal muscles removes the pain. The stitch will subside after a while. Applying pressure to the spot with your fingers bunched together also works, and can be used together while flexing.

[jacdyson]

I've always wanted to know what that is. Thank you

[DabketaraB]

That's nothing of a problem compared to the one I had. Whenever I started to run, I'd get a huge boner and it got so bad I had to quit running.. My life has changed drastically after that. My mom say for the worse, I'd say to the better. All I do now is eat Doritos and bowls of M&M's in my mom's basement and post ridiculous comments on youtube.

[Yllivan]

you kinda cant help it when you have pe right after lunch

[haggis]

My gym teacher always told me to breathe in through my nose and exhale through my mouth, that always worked for me...

[arachnophilegrrl]

I got these EVERY time I ran, as a kid. It really held me back in gym class. Some teachers are more sympathetic to this than others!

[Mustangkev]

Why can't we remember things from when we were a baby?

[AD-wtqx]

How to prevent this from happening:
1. Don't drink COLD water.
2. Breathe through your nose.
3. Don't eat before
exercising.

Have a nice day.

[breadpilled]

My PE teacher told me they happen because I'm fat... dude, skinny people get them too. Not everything is about weight. Besides fat =/= poor core strength. Ugh.

[Timothan]

I'm surprised nobody's made a 69% joke yet.
This is the internet after all.

[hubbiemid]

To make it go away, I usually keep running and keep moving because it goes eventually. Stopping is something I can't afford when i'm in the middle of a soccer match.

[RandomShit]

I get that stich from going to the fridge...

[seyed]

We grew up calling it a "side ache".

[RedRogue]

I've always related my side stitches to being out of shape, specifically regarding cardio. If I try running when I haven't run for a really long time, I'll get them, but if I keep running consistently I won't get them anymore. Running doesn't really work my core muscles that much so I'm not sure how them going away like that relates to this explanation...

[RezEverday]

Only 60% something percent? I think it is the same as a swedish word for it and I don't know anyone that does not get it after running a lot, and from my experience it feels like it gets worse if I drink a lot of water.

[oebgxsu]

But my coach doesn't let me "stop for a bit"!!!

[r.a.o.h.]

I love running. But I have the most painful side stitches 😭