Why do I feel pain in the lower right side of my abdomen when running?

Running is the most popular form of exercise, which can allow most people to get effective exercise. It can be said that running is a popular sport that does not require any technical skills. Although running has many benefits, some people often experience pain in the lower abdomen while running. The pain goes away after they stop running. Let’s take a look at what causes pain in the lower right abdomen when running.

Many people experience "side stitch" (or pain on one side) more than once while running. This pain often occurs in the right lower abdomen, just below the ribs, and manifests as severe, localized pain. It is especially common in runners. Some athletes slow down and keep walking until the pain goes away.

Now, researchers use a more professional and scientific term to name this annoying abdominal pain "exercise-related transient abdominal pain" (ETAP). Runners and swimmers often stop exercising because of this pain and suffer unbearable torture.

Most researchers believe it has a lot to do with what we eat before we exercise.

Some studies have shown that running and swimming are most likely to cause ETAP. It manifests as localized pain in the right or left lower abdomen. This pain is often affected by the athlete's physical function, but is not related to their gender or body mass index. ETAP rarely occurs in middle-aged and older athletes.

The most important factor in causing ETAP appears to be the timing of a meal before exercise. A research report pointed out that drinking reconstituted juice and high-carbohydrate, high-osmotic pressure (concentration index) beverages before and during exercise can induce "side stitches", especially in people who are sensitive to these drinks.

Some researchers have proposed a more complex explanation, in which the stitch is caused by spasm of the diaphragm, which pulls on the ligaments of internal organs, especially the liver.

Vigorous exercise and uneven breathing vibrate and stretch these ligaments. Athletes tend to exhale every two or four steps. Most people exhale when their left foot touches the ground, but a few people exhale when their right foot touches the ground. The reason why people who exhale when putting their right foot on the ground are prone to getting stitches in the side may be because exhaling when putting their right foot on the ground increases the pressure on the liver (located just below the right ribs).

Therefore, when you exhale, the liver descends and the diaphragm rises, and this repeated stretching causes the diaphragm to spasm.