Many athletes have already asked themselves this question after only a few laps of the stadium: what is this pain in the ribs? It is in fact a punctual pain, a form of cramp which appears with the effort and which ceases when one stops. "Those who do not play sports are more subject to it than real sportsmen," Jimmy Mohamed first explained on Thursday in the program Sans rendez-vous .
>> Find the whole of Sans rendez-vous in replay and podcast here
Several hypotheses are put forward by the experts
On the other hand, it is more difficult to explain what causes this point aside. Few studies have addressed the issue because it is a mild problem. "Some experts believe that the majority of the side stitches are due to poor respiratory dynamics. The diaphragm, which is a muscle located below the rib cage, is misused and therefore tires more quickly. This occurs especially at the start of activity, when there is a lack of regularity. This leads to cramps which can occur everywhere and therefore also on the diaphragm ", Jimmy Mohamed develops.
"Some believe, however, that when we do more activities, the liver is more vascular, swells and causes compression at the level of the diaphragm. But the most common hypothesis is that of a slight irritation of the peritoneum, this membrane which surrounds the organs of the abdomen. It is made up of two layers and when you play sports, they are in friction and can cause a small inflammation, "he continues. The explanation therefore remains mysterious for the moment.
The side stitch normally disappears when the effort stops. "But you have to be careful, because if you have chest pain, in your sternum, during a sports activity, it may be a cardiac cause," warns Jimmy Mohamed.