Why does my side hurt when I run?

Question

I have noticed lately that when I run my right, and sometimes left, side seems to hurt almost to the point where I have to bend down cause it hurts so bad. People say that its because of my diet or drinking too much water, but it can't be, because I have a pretty good diet, and I don't drink too much water before I start running.

Thanx!

Answer 1

It is a cramp in the muscle. If you are just starting to run on a daily basis or very often, your body is not used to it. When you run, you are using many muscles in your body that you don't use on a regular basis. So your body is trying to keep up but its not used to the excerise. Try to stretch before you run, even your top half. That will allow your muscles to be relaxed and not so tight.

When this happens to me when I run, I find that breathing out hard through my mouth helps to calm the muscle. Like the breathing pregnant women do when they are giving labor. It will help stretch & soothe your muscles. I know it sounds crazy but just give it a try. Breathe like that until the pain stops & keep running!

Answer 2

Hey, I run sometimes too. This is very common and it is called a stitch. If you are not used to running, running differently, or running farther than your used to, you will get a sharp pain on your side. This is just your body getting used to what you are doing. The best way to get rid of it is to run it out. I know it hurts, but if you keep going, it will fade away. Although that is your body telling you that it is used to what you've started doing, it may happen for the next few runs.