How do I stop getting a side stitch when I run?

Q: How do I stop getting a side stitch when I run?

Slow down, breathe out deeply, and press on the sore spot until it eases. To prevent them, warm up and skip big meals or sugary drinks for 1 to 2 hours before.

By Mert Yerekapan · Updated October 26, 2026

When a stitch hits, slow to a walk or an easy jog, press your fingers into the sore spot, and take a long, slow breath out. Most stitches go away within a minute or two this way.

Nobody fully knows what causes them. The leading ideas involve irritation of the lining of the abdomen and the diaphragm, probably from the bouncing combined with a full stomach or shallow breathing. That is why the fixes below target those things.

What to do mid-run

Slow down. Pushing through usually makes it worse.
Take a deep belly breath in, then a long, slow exhale through pursed lips.
Press firmly on the sore spot with your fingertips, or bend gently toward it.
Match your exhale to the opposite foot from the pain. If the stitch is on the right, breathe out as your left foot lands.
Once it's gone, speed back up gradually.

Prevention

Warm up. A few minutes of walking and easy jogging before you pick up the pace helps, since stitches often show up in the first 10 minutes.
Leave time after eating. Aim for 2 to 3 hours after a full meal and about an hour after a light snack.
Go easy on sugary drinks and fruit juice before running, which seem to trigger them more often than plain water.
Breathe deeper. Shallow chest breathing is a common pattern in beginners.
Build your core. Some runners find that planks and other core work help over time.

Do they stop eventually

Usually, yes. Stitches are more common in newer runners and in people who are running harder than they're used to, and they get less frequent as fitness improves.

Slowing down to walk off a stitch is the right call, and a run with a few walking breaks still syncs from Apple Health and counts in League of Fitness, scored by the effort you actually put in.

When it might be something else

A stitch is a sharp, cramping pain in the side that fades once you slow down. Pain in the chest, shoulder or arm, pain that doesn't go away when you stop, or pain with dizziness or nausea is different. Stop and see a doctor.