Stitches

How do you fix knee pains and stitches in your side when you run?

Last year i ran 5k races in the 19's, and i trained hard all year, but this year I have been running races in the 21's and 22's. I have had the energy but i get stitches and pains in my upper legs during races.

Public Comments

1. take a small break massage it and put some hot water/liquid on it. then take a drink of water, swallow lsow, breathe in deep for aobut 30 secdons, then start running, APX. time is about 2 mins
2. As for knee pain, it's could be shoes, or it could be overuse. Stretch it really well after you work it out. I had IT band issues, I'm not sure what you have but do some research and find some stretches that stretch where your hurting. As for side stitches, if your eating at least 2-3 hours before you run, that will help. Same with water, if your drinking a ton right before you run, you'll get them as well. Also, as you run and start to get a side ache, then rub it out a little, tighten your stomach muscles as you run and in a worst case scenario, raise your hands above your head or put your hands on your head for a little while, I don't know why but this does help. Side stitches will go away. I remember training for a relay race and I had them every day for a couple of weeks and then they went away after awhile. Also, try breathing in through your nose (only your nose) and out through your mouth. Good Luck!
3. I cant help you with the knee pain but the pain in the side will subside after you get your second wind......
4. When I first started running a couple of years ago I had side stitches just about every run....I've found that with time they just go away. I think your diaphram gradually gets use to the extra work. But I still get them every once in a while if I don't give myself enough time between eating and running. The thing that works best for me is just eating a banana or two 45 minutes before I go out. And stop drinking water 45min. to 1 hr before your run too. For a short time I also started getting some knee pain...so, I started doing strength training exercises for my knees and the discomfort went completely away. I also started doing the IIiotibial band stretch and it helped with the pain I was having in the back of my knees....Here is some information that really helped me, Complete stretching guide, building a better knee, and general Knee info: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=484 http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,ss6-241-285--11555-2-1-2,00.html http://www.kneefootankle.com/knee/
5. For the knee it depends when and where its hurting. You could try icy hot during races. If your getting stitches maybe your not breathing right try taking deeper breaths. I had stitches but once I started breathing deeper they would go away. Also a trick on my running team seems to be eating salt. If you eat a lot of salt before you run its supposed to keep you from getting stitches. A lot of people say it works.