What Causes Side Pain When Running (and How to Prevent It)
If you’ve ever had to exercise because of a severe pain in your side, you are not alone. This is why it happens and how to avoid it in the future.
In this SciShow YouTube video, presenter Hank Green explains what really happens inside your body when your pleasant run turns into pain that separates the parties. Scientists are not entirely sure what the cause is, but acute pain or “stabbing pain in the side” is most likely caused by one of three possible causes:
- The diaphragm muscle strains due to excessive stretching during exercise.
- Strong movement during exercise makes some of your internal organs bounce.
- There is not enough fluid between the layers of the peritoneum (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity), or abundant food leaks onto the inner layer.
If you want to avoid flank pain, Green recommends waiting a bit to exercise after a heavy meal, work on strengthening your core muscles so that there is less movement in your abdomen during your workout, and make sure you stay hydrated. Unfortunately, the only way to stop this when it does is to stop exercising for a few minutes and wait.
What is causing this seam on your side? | Youtube