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Why do you get a stitch when you're running?

Question

When you are exercising, what is a stitch and why does it happen?
Simon, Orpington

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Andy, Welling
Qualification: Sports scientist
Answer: It’s cramp of the diaphragm. It happens in the same way as you get cramp in any other muscle – the build up of lactic acid, which is made by physical exertion.