Pain in the side while running is one of the most common problems for beginner athletes. All runners faced with this kind of trouble have questions why this is happening, how you can avoid it, and whether it is worth continuing to run, overcoming the pain that has arisen.
At the same time, pain during running sessions can occur not only in overweight runners or beginners, but also in professional athletes.
Read about why side pain occurs during jogging, what are the symptoms of side pain, how to prevent the occurrence of these unpleasant sensations and how to cope with them while running - read this article.
Causes of pain in the side
The causes of side pain can vary. The most common ones are the following:
- bad warm-up, or lack of it,
- too intense load during training,
- improper breathing while running,
- a hearty breakfast, or the athlete ate just before the run
- chronic diseases, for example, the liver or pancreas.
Let us examine each of these reasons in detail.
Poor warm-up and excessive exercise
One of the causes of pain in the side can be insufficient warm-up before training, or its complete absence. The fact is that when we are at rest, about sixty to seventy percent of the total volume of blood in the body is in circulation in our body. And the remaining thirty to forty percent are in the internal organs (for example, in the spleen).
When the body begins to experience a sharp load, then the blood that was in reserve begins to circulate very quickly.
Therefore, the volume of the liver increases, and this organ presses on the hepatic capsule, which has many nerve endings. Therefore, pain in the side can occur. Its localization is the right hypochondrium. Otherwise, it is called hepatic pain syndrome.
It is interesting that this syndrome appears in healthy, young people who do not abuse bad habits.
But if pain appears in the left side, this already indicates a significant increase in the volume of blood in the spleen during intense loads.
Tips on how to avoid it
- Remember: Warming up before running is a must. During the warm-up, our body "warms up", blood flow increases, muscles and internal organs are prepared for intense stress. Without a warm-up, the pain will not slow down to manifest itself after the first kilometer of jogging.
- Training should start with a small load and gradually increase it. The same goes for jogging time and distance - start small (for example, 10-15 minutes) and gradually increase the number of minutes and meters spent running. The more resilient you become, the less discomfort in your side will bother you while jogging.
- If pain suddenly arises during a run, you should reduce the speed (but in no case stop immediately), and, after slowing down, relax your arms and shoulders, make two or three bends, and take a deep breath. You can also gently press your fingers several times where the pain is localized.
Improper (irregular) breathing
Mistakes in breathing technique while running can cause pain. So, if oxygen cannot enter the diaphragmatic muscle in sufficient quantities, the result is a spasm, and pain appears.
Therefore, when running, you should breathe infrequently and not superficially, since in this case the blood flow to the heart worsens, which is forced to stagnate in the liver and increases the volume of the latter, which presses on the liver capsule. Hence - the appearance of pain in the right side.
Tips on what to do in this case.
- Breathing should be even. It is best to breathe into the account. Two steps - we breathe in, two more steps - we breathe out, and so on. In this case, the inhalation must be through the nose, and the exit through the mouth.
- In case of a spasm of the diaphragm, which caused the appearance of pain, you need to take a slow and deep breath, and then exhale through the lips folded in a tube. You should also exhale as slowly as possible.
Enough breakfast
After we have eaten, our body is immediately engaged in the digestion of food. There is an enlarged stomach, dilated vessels of the liver, which neutralizes toxic substances.
And the heavier the food we ate, the harder it is for the body to digest it. And running becomes the cause of a rush of blood, hence the pain in the right side.
Tips on what to do in such a situation.
- You should eat breakfast at least forty minutes before jogging. At the same time, if there was a lot of food for breakfast, then you should postpone the workout for an hour and a half.
- Too much heavy food - refuse. Such food means fried, salted, smoked, peppery dishes. It is best to have breakfast on the eve of a workout with a light salad, boiled (or steamed) rice, porridge in water, and dairy products.
- You should not give your best in training after a fairly hearty breakfast. Lushe, slow down, hone your running technique that day. And on another day, with a lighter breakfast, you can catch up with increasing your running intensity.
Chronic diseases
The cause of unpleasant sensations in the right or left side can be chronic diseases of internal organs: liver, gallbladder or pancreas.
- For example, the liver can be enlarged if a person has hepatitis, including B and C.
- Pain can occur as a result of gallstone disease: stones clog the ducts of the bile bladder.
- If the viscosity of bile is low enough, it leaves poorly - inflammation and, as a result, pain may occur.
- Acute pain occurs as a result of inflammation of the pancreas (aka pancreatitis).
At the same time, these unpleasant sensations in sick people can appear at rest. And with increasing loads, including during a run, they will only intensify.
Tips on what to do in such cases
Patients suffering from similar chronic diseases of the pancreas, gallbladder or liver should definitely consult an experienced doctor. It is also necessary to conduct an ultrasound examination of internal organs in order to exclude possible contraindications for jogging. But it is not worth experimenting with self-prescribing drugs!
In addition, you should observe proper nutrition, eat a large amount of vegetables and fruits, as well as cereals, exclude salty, fatty and fried foods from the diet. It is best to steam or bake dishes.
If the pain overtook you during training, you should slowly move to a step and take a deep breath several times.
Conditions that contribute to flank pain
So, we have found out the reasons that cause unpleasant sensations in the right or left side. What are the symptoms and conditions that indicate pain is about to be felt?
There are several of them. Here's what you need to pay attention to:
- the body is not very hardy, poorly prepared for intense stress,
- the warm-up was carried out poorly and crumpled,
- high intensity of workout load,
- it is difficult to breathe while running, it is uneven and intermittent,
- you recently eaten, less than 40 minutes have passed since your last meal,
- you have chronic diseases that make themselves felt after exercise.
Ways to Prevent Side Pain
Below are tips to help you minimize the chance of side pain during exercise.
Pre-workout nutrition
- There should be at least 40 minutes between your workout and your last meal. Ideally, up to one and a half to two hours. Also, do not go for a run if you have eaten quite densely. Or, you should reduce the intensity of training on this day, concentrating on running technique.
- Avoid drinking too many liquids before jogging.
Warm up and pace at the start of a run
- Before jogging, you should definitely do a warm-up. With the help of these warming exercises, the blood begins to circulate more actively, and there is no overcrowding of the volumes of internal organs.
- Running with the aim of losing weight follows from overexertion, at a calm pace. Especially at the very beginning of the workout.
Breath control
Breathe deeply and rhythmically while jogging. This breathing increases the amplitude of the diaphragm and improves blood flow to the heart.
Tips on how to get rid of side pain while running
If while running you have a pain in the right or left side (in untrained athletes this can happen 10-15 minutes after the start of training), you need to do the following to reduce pain:
- go jogging if you were running fast, or step if you were jogging.
- take a deep breath and exhale several times. Thus, the outflow of blood from the spleen and liver will be normalized.
- pull in your stomach strongly during exhalation - this will “massage” the internal organs, and the blood that overflows them will be “squeezed out”.
- massage the place where the pain is localized. Or just press your fingers three or four times on it.
Side pain is not a reason to skip exercise. The material provided information on why pain occurs when running and how to get rid of it and prevent the recurrence of unpleasant symptoms. We hope that this information will be useful and will prevent you from making mistakes while jogging.
After all, the most important thing is to recognize in time the calls for help that your body gives you, and to stop the cause of the pain in a timely manner. And if you do everything correctly, in the future these unpleasant sensations will disappear altogether.
