# What causes a "stitch" in  your side?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-a-stitch-in-your-side/359007>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 1, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-a-stitch-in-your-side/359007 "2006-06-01T13:30:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jombi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f19dbf/32.png) [@Jombi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jombi)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-a-stitch-in-your-side/359007/1 "2006-06-01T13:30:24Z")

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I used to get these when I was a kid. We’d be walking to the store or whatever and I’d get a sharp pain in my side, clearly caused somehow by the exertion or thirst, etc. My dad was very familiar with it, said I had a “stitch” in my side, and told me to walk it off – his solution for most things.

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**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-a-stitch-in-your-side/359007/2 "2006-06-01T13:36:16Z")

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[link](http://www.hhp.ufl.edu/faculty/pbird/keepingfit/ARTICLE/stitch.HTM)

Apparently it’s either a cramp in the diaphragm or the stomach and liver pulling on your diaphragm.

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**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-a-stitch-in-your-side/359007/3 "2006-06-01T14:11:52Z")

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[QUOTE=Jombi]  
I used to get these when I was a kid. We’d be walking to the store or whatever and I’d get a sharp pain in my side, clearly caused somehow by the exertion or thirst, etc. My dad was very familiar with it, said I had a “stitch” in my side, and told me to walk it off – his solution for most things.  
[/QUOTE]

I’m not sure precisely which muscles, but I thought those were muscle cramps somewhere in your torso… too much activity, too little oxygen, and a buildup of whatever nasty acid it is that comes out of anaerobic exercise.