exercise - related transient abdominal pain (ETAP)
Last reviewed 01/2018
- exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP), often referred to as
‘stitch’, is a commonly experienced ailment that can be debilitating to exercise
performance. In spite of its common occurrence, the condition has attracted little
research attention and the aetiology of the pain remains unclear
- explanations in the scientific literature for ETAP have traditionally centred on respiratory muscle hypoxia, stress on the ligaments that support the viscera, and, irritation of the parietal peritoneum
- several characteristics of ETAP are consistent
with muscular cramping and many anecdotal reports attribute the pain to abdominal
or respiratory muscle spasm (cramp) - however a small study concluded that ETAP
is not associated with elevated EMG activity, suggesting that the pain is not
the result of muscle cramping (1)
- in the opinion of the study authors,
irritation of the parietal peritoneum best explains the established features of
ETAP, including its:
- relation to movement and the post-prandial state;
- well-localised nature while occurring in any region of the abdomen and ;
- mostly sharp or stabbing pain characteristics and;
- and association with shoulder tip pain
- in the opinion of the study authors,
irritation of the parietal peritoneum best explains the established features of
ETAP, including its:
Reference: