I work very hard in a kitchen,every day i get really bad stitch pain down my lef!


Question:

I work very hard in a kitchen,every day i get really bad stitch pain down my left side,any ideas to what it i?


Answers:

There are several different problems that are usually described as 'a stitch'.

Most of these involve restricted breathing patterns, which can cause some of the muscles between the ribs (intercostals) to cramp. This can happen in a single ribspace, or it can be happening in a generalised area of the ribcage.

Restricted breathing is a normal reaction to stressful situations, as the muscles around the chest tighten up (in anticipation of a 'fight-or-flight' emergency). Breathing exercises, postural bodywork (eg Alexander Technique, T'ai Chi, Pilates etc) or singing lessons (I'm not kidding; singing teaches you to take control of your breathing patterns, and as this becomes a habit, it starts to affect the rest of your activities) can help you to avoid 'thoracic tension'.

It might be useful to think about some of the activities that keep you busy when the kitchen's at full speed; if some of these activities make you work your left & right sides differently, then you might be able to reorganise the tasks to put a more even load on your physique.

You might also have an undiagnosed postural problem unrelated to either the work or the stress. A physiotherapist should be able to show you some exercises that can either correct the problem, or help you to reduce its effects.

Pilates is an exercise system that for many decades has been used to fix up injured dancers. It might also be helpful for you.




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