running and side cramps

[dayzie]

My son is involved in many sports.  I've always noticed that he gets side cramps often.  It doesn't seem to matter if he has eaten something before sports or not, or whether he has had something to drink or not.  What is the cause?  What can I do to help him?  He is now 11 and I've noticed this for at least 2  years of soccer and baseball.

[Pixiangelj]

Hi Dayzie- I'm going to tell you what I know through experience (doesn't mean it's textbook) I used to get those often, and they taught me how to breathe- in through nose out through mouth, and it never helped... I would be red in my face and sometimes get white splotches. My doctor prescribed Albuterol (inhaler) for sports induced asthma. I have no other allergies at all, so it was kinda of hard to figure out. Your muscles tend to cramp when not receiving enough oxygen, hence the whole aerobic/anaerobic difference.  The inhaler helps, but I still try not to overdue it cause I get a burning sensation that stays with me all day. Maybe this helped, maybe not-hopefully so. Good luck to you and your son~

[MarkLGentry]

If he will raise his arm while running straight up and stretch it over his head, on the side of his body that is experiencing cramps, it will stretch the muscles and usually cause the cramps to go away.

[marc4311]

hey there im a personal trainer...

One of the biggest causes besides food for cramping during exercise is not breathing correctly.

As kids our parents told us to breathe from our chest the old expand...contract deally.

BUT that is a big problem during exercise and leads to cramping in the stomach ( wont get into why).

Anyway he needs to learn how to breathe from his stomache in which his chest does not move..only his stomache expands and contracts (this also gives us a bigger lung capacity)

[kevinwhited]

well most of the time it is caused by drinking water before or during running, or other sports

[davyrantucci]

I use to get cramps all the time while running or playing sports, what helped me was drinking alot of water before participating in the sports or jogging.

[Junies_Cousin]

the personal trainer above has it right...it has more to do with correct breathing...I know i used to get them and now I'm helping my 11 yesr old cousin...strengthen hin stomach muscles and breathe right......hope this helps