Very Interesting Junior – July 22, 2019

Human body

1. DIAPHRAGM (THEORY A)
   Running on a full stomach may jolt the ligaments
   supporting the abdominal organs, which strains
   the diaphragm. BUT... stitches are common in
   swimmers, and there’s no jolting when you swim.

Having a stitch is no fun, but

what is really happening in your

body when you get one?

I

n

s

t

i

t

c

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e

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3. LIVER (THEORY B)
   Same as with the spleen, the liver also blocks
   blood flow as it swells. The liver sits on the right,
   which may explain why you mostly get stitches on
   that side of your body.
   4. PERITONEUM (THEORY C)
   This membrane surrounds your abdominal
   organs and may become irritated as it rubs
   against your side. Sugary drinks seem to
   make this worse.

WHY DO

THEY HAPPEN?

The exact cause is not yet known,

though there are three main possibilities:

A. Strained diaphragm ligaments.

B. Restricted blood flow.

C. Irritation of the membrane

surrounding the abdominal organs.

The character Stitch in the

Lilo & Stitch movies

cannot float or swim

because he has a dense

molecular structure, which

makes him sink.

2. SPLEEN (THEORY B)
   Increased heart rate during exercise forces extra
   blood cells into the spleen. It gets swollen and
   restricts blood flow to the limbs and diaphragm
   muscle – which may cause the stitch pain.