https://community.usms.org/swimming/f/general/5442/stroke-dillema-what-should-i-doI&#39;ve recently returned to swimming after about a year and a half absence. It all started when I ruptured a disc between my C6 and C7 vertibrae, causing severe nerve impingement (perhaps damage) in my right arm. Before my injury, I would warm up withen-USTelligent Community 12https://community.usms.org/thread/71357?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:12:20 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:f151a1bf-53a0-4a5b-a93a-51dab9d6cb83Former MemberToday I swam a lot on my left side and didn&#39;t get any side stitches. I swam in the morning, and hadn&#39;t ate anything. That might be the trick.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/71421?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 24 Jul 2007 05:00:44 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:3ff83f8a-5212-49d2-b400-cf93279b486bFormer MemberHi, Sarge. If you&#39;re still getting stitches in your side, you may want to concentrate on fully exhaling before taking your next breath. Maybe breathe every 5th stroke instead of every 3rd. Don&#39;t leave any of that old air in your lungs. I get side stitches now and then, and I know it helps if I concentrate on getting all the air out before my next breath. Good luck!<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/71289?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:05:15 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:b81bfeb3-33f4-4fbe-92e2-bf77a0f92e74Former MemberWell, thank god it is only side stitches. When I read the title I thought it was much more serious (like your docotor had warned you of an imminent stroke and you wanted to know whether it was safe to continue swimming or not)!! Have to agree with Anna Lea on this one. Now that you have changed your breathing you have probably lost your breathing rhythm to a certain degree and are not inhaling and exhaling as completely as you should be. Slow down. Don&#39;t worry about speed for the time being. Just concentrate on the inhale and the exhale with your new bilateral breathing pattern. It could take as long as a month or two to get used to. (It took me 2 months to get used to changing from breathing every other stroke to every fourth stroke). Then slowly, you can introduce more speed as you feel comfortable with the change and find your rhythm. Syd<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/71193?ContentTypeID=1Sun, 22 Jul 2007 15:46:08 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:e564c2f6-7b2d-400a-9188-b8727f2ce4c6Former MemberHas anyone else had this problem where they get side stitches (aka Exercise-related Transient Abdominal Pain or ETAP) when they switch breathing sides? Will training or conditioning overcome the side stitches? Is it worth it to try? I used to get very painful side stitches. In my case I think it had to do with timing my eating relative to when I swam. If I ate too much, or too soon before practice, I&#39;d end up with side stitches. I had one coach who told me that when you get a side stitch, if you apply firm pressure to the area it will help it to go away. That never worked for me. Sometimes it would help if I hung on the side of the pool, took deep breaths, and really tried to relax. Since you&#39;re only getting the stitches when you swim on your non-dominant side, it sounds like you must not be as relaxed when you&#39;re swimming on that side. Pay close attention to how you breathe on your right side (how much do you exhale under water? Do you exhale more after you turn your head to breathe?), then do the same while you breathe on your left. Perhaps you&#39;re doing something different on the left side. I found that using pull buoys helped me when I was learning to breathe on both sides. Anna Lea<div style="clear:both;"></div>