Friday, 19 March 2010
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Advice: Preventing Running Cramps
From Michcoy: "How do you prevent that cramp you get in your side when you run or jog??"
What do you all think? Answer here!: "Running and cramps."
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Comments (37)
Limber up beforehand?
you get use to them - just run through them
but if you need then massage the area as you run
I heard someone say when you breath in also matters
but in my experience you have to run through them
@JoeytheGenie@xanga - I agree. I just run through them, but regulating your breath helps.
Either you need to regulate your breathing, stay hydrated, or not let your electrolytes get low (drink a sports drink).
I don't run, but I have had cramps from hiking. I finally realized that the cause was from drinking pop that day, or if I had gotten really out of shape.
Eating and drinking right, building up stamina, along with eating plenty of potassium should fix the problem. If not, you may need to see a doctor.
@emwantsthin@xanga - I guess I just took it for granted that everyone runs with regulated breath
just run through them. that's what i do anyway.Â
don't eat a lot beforehand (wait at least 20 mins), don't drink a lot of water beforehand and if you do get them press your stomach out and then breathe sharply in a couple of times. it's hard to explain. you need to figure out what works best for you though. and as another commenter said, you'll get used to them
If you take quick shallow breaths up by your shoulders, you'll get the side cramp. Take deep breaths from down in your chest, and try breathing in through your nose if you don't already.
Stop breathing in through your mouth. Take deep breathes through your nose.
Just man up (or woman up) and keep running. It will eventually go away after a few minutes. I usually get these cramps during my warmup lap and it disappears once I actually start running. If it starts bothering you, I would try rubbing it and make sure you're breathing right.
Side stitches from your diaphragm spasming? Take a really deep breath in while you're running, and then exhale it as hard and for as long as you can. Do that 1-3 times, and the pain should go away.
i noticed i only get them if i have eaten them soon before. i always wait an hour at least but if i do happen to get them i try my hardest to breathe deeply through my nose and keep going :)
I used to get those at 1.3 miles every single time I ran, it stinks. Make sure you haven't eaten in a while beforehand (At least an hour) although a banana 20 minutes beforehand can actually help a lot, and being ravenously hungry is no good. Also do upper-body stretches before running, especially ones that open your chest (like reaching as high as you possibly can). When a cramp starts to come, try taking absurdly deep breaths.
I've heard to not drink cold water during your run.
DON'T EAT DAIRY OR ORANGE JUICE BEFORE YOUR RUN!
it's about what's in your stomach more than being "limber".
i heard when your left side cramps up, exhale when your left leg hits the floor & inhale when your right leg hits the floor~
& vice versa~ i tried it once & it worked, but i'm not sure if it was a coincidence or not~Â
Raise your arm on the side where the stitch is and stretch it over your head whilst you run. And try breath into the pain. Learned this from pilates
stretch then slow warm up, dont eat much before hand, breathe through nose. massage pain. dont drink cold water.
I rarely get them, but if I do I try to run through it and just breathe deeply and evenly. They usually go away. Sometimes I get REALLY bad ones though that last the rest of my run. I don't really know what to do about those.
don't know how true this is, but i heard if you breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth that's supposed to help.
first of all its called a stitch.
second, it can be caused by not having enough iron in your body, so eat a banana.
could also be caused by dehydration, so drink some water.
do this beforehand, it wont do you much good when youve gotten the stitch.
stay hydrated and eat more potassium, like bananas
Depending on which side of the area (left or right),
get some green leaves (make sure they're NOT poisonous or anything harmful) and put them on that area via tucking them in on the whatever side you're cramping on.