Why do you always get a stitch on the right?
Question
Whenever I run, I get a stitch on the right-hand side. Does everyone get them on the right-hand side or does it vary?
Matt, Heathrow
Answer
** Definitive **
Name: Rose, Finsbury Park
Qualifications: None, but my daughter asked me the same question, so I tried to find out the answer.
Answer: The pain in a stitch is often caused by the liver, which is on your right-hand side. The liver is connected to the diaphram by some ligaments and when you run, the liver moves and stretches those ligaments. You're also breathing more heavily, which also stretches those ligaments and the combined forces of those gives you a sharp pain.