Why do I suddenly have side abdominal pain when running? 4 reasons to let you know

Feeling guilty about eating too much at the dinner, I decided to put on my running shoes and go to the playground for a run to burn off the extra calories... This is a common portrayal in the lives of many office workers. However, many people suddenly feel a dull pain in their side abdomen not long after running. The faster they run, the more obvious the pain becomes. They have to interrupt the exercise and pack up their belongings to go home! Why do we experience side abdominal pain when running? Let’s hear what the experts say!

It is common to feel sudden pain in the side of the abdomen while running. James Shuichi Nakano, a physique expert who serves as a sports instructor for marathon clubs in Japan, mentioned in his book "The World's Most Effective Weight Loss Method" that there are four reasons for sudden side pain while running, and the pain relief methods are different. Runners should clarify the possible causes of pain based on their personal exercise habits and adjust their running methods to avoid side pain disrupting their running rhythm.

Reason 1/Muscle spasms related to breathing: When you start running, your breathing suddenly becomes rapid and the contraction of your respiratory muscles becomes uncoordinated, which can easily cause side abdominal pain. At this time, you can slow down your running speed first, and do side stretches while running. Raise one hand above your head, with your palm facing up and the inner side of your wrist facing outward. Let the side abdomen on the side where your arm is raised bulge outward. Then stretch your arm upward and lift your shoulder blade as much as possible to actually stretch the side abdomen, which will help relieve side abdominal pain.

Reason 2/: Insufficient warm-up exercises: If you run at full speed before your body is fully warmed up, a large amount of blood will be sent to the lower body muscles, causing the blood volume in the whole body to be unbalanced, which will manifest in the form of side abdominal pain. In this case, you can do warm-up exercises such as walking first. As your body gradually warms up, the side abdominal pain can be eliminated.

Reason 3/Gas produced by diet remains in the body: Running will make the intestines move. If the food eaten produces gas and moves into the body, it can easily cause pain. People who often have similar problems should change their eating habits before running. They should drink less carbonated drinks and eat less potatoes rich in dietary fiber the day before running.

Reason 4/ No time to digest: Eating too much before running, the food has not been digested yet. Once you start running, the body not only has to transport a large amount of blood to the stomach to help digestion, but also has to transport blood to the leg muscles. When various organs in the body are crying for blood, it is easy to cause insufficient blood production, causing the spleen to wail. Therefore, it is recommended that the diet before exercise should consist mainly of low-fat foods. If you eat foods high in fat, it will take longer to digest and the chance of side abdominal pain during exercise will be higher.

In addition to the above four common causes, instructor Nakano also reminded that if abdominal pain often occurs during exercise, it may also be caused by certain diseases. If you feel that the frequency of attacks is too high, you must go to the hospital for examination to avoid delaying the treatment of the real cause.