You're a beast! You're a champion! You are incredible!

你超強！你是冠軍！你太棒了！

But then, suddenly, you feel this sharp pain in your side.

但就在那個瞬間，你突然感覺到側腹一陣劇痛。

It seems to get worse and worse with every breath.

而且每呼吸一次，情況就變得更糟。

It is an attack of the side stitch!

原來是「側腹痛」出擊了！

And now you have to stop running for a while so it goes away.

你現在只好停下來一會兒，等這刺痛消去。

But don't worry, you are not alone.

不過別擔心，不是只有你會這樣。

A study in the year 2000 found that 69% of runners had experienced a stitch, otherwise known as an exercise-related transient abdominal pain, in the last year.

2000 年的一份研究指出，在過去一年期間，69％ 的跑者都曾經經歷過側腹痛，又稱「運動急性胸肋痛（ETAP）」。

And people who exercised in other ways, like swimming or bike riding, also reported having gotten a stitch.

而從事其它像是游泳或騎腳踏車等運動的人，也曾受側腹痛之擾。

But even though they're so common, researchers aren't really sure where the pain comes from.

不過即使它們很普遍，研究者們仍不是很確定這種疼痛究竟是從哪裡來的。

Remarkable that we don't know these things, even about our own bodies⏤one possibility is that it's all about your diaphragm, the domed-shaped muscle between your chest and abdomen.

我們完全不了解這些事情甚或我們自己的身體是件很不可思議的事，其中一個可能性是和橫隔膜有關，一塊位於胸腔和腹腔之間、呈拱型的肌肉。

When your diaphragm contracts, your lungs expand and fill with air.

當橫隔膜收縮時，肺部會擴張並吸進空氣。

When your diaphragm expands, your lungs get smaller and the air is forced back out.

當橫隔膜舒張時，肺部會變小，並把空氣擠出來。

But when you exercise, you might be overextending that muscle.

然而當你在運動時，這些肌肉可能會被過度拉扯。

When you're running, for example, your foot consistently hits the pavement at the same time as you exhale.

比如說，當你在跑步時，吐氣的動作和腳踩地面同時發生。

When your diaphragm is at its highest and tightest, it might strain the diaphragm, causing it to spasm.

此時橫隔膜處在最緊繃的狀態，而地面傳來的衝擊可能使橫隔膜痙攣。

It could also be that forceful movement, like the up-and-down motion of running, bounces your internal organs around, straining the ligaments trying to keep them from sliding around inside you⏤which is a really gross thought.

其他的激烈動作也可能造成側腹痛，像是跑步時身體上下震動，讓器官在身體裡彈來彈去，靠著韌帶拉住才能避免他們在身體裡亂滑，這聽起來有點噁心。

The most likely explanation seems to point to the peritoneum, a two-layered membrane that lines the abdominal wall and helps support your organs.

不過最有可能的解釋其實跟腹膜有關。腹膜是在腹腔裡幫忙維持器官穩定的雙層薄膜。

Now, normally, there's fluid in between the layers that make sure they don't scrape together too much.

正常狀態下，兩層薄膜之間會有一些潤滑液，確保他們不要彼此摩擦。

Because when they do, you end up with that sharp pain.

一旦它們相互摩擦，你就會感受到一陣劇痛。

When you eat a large meal, your stomach pushes out on the inner layer, and when you are dehydrated, like if you've been sweating a lot from exercising, there's less fluid between the layers.

當你吃了一頓大餐，你的胃會從內向外推擠，而當你脫水時，比如可能剛剛運動完流了一身汗，此時薄膜之間的潤滑液體就會減少。

The way your body is moving around might bump the layers against each other, too.

身體在運動時也可能使兩層薄膜彼此摩擦。

So, how do you make the pain go away?

所以，要怎麼樣才能消除這種疼痛呢？

First, just stop exercising for a bit⏤the pain will eventually pass.

首先，停止運動一下，疼痛就會消失。

Unless it doesn't, in which case, go see your doctor, because I'm not a doctor.

如果沒有消失的話，去看醫生吧，別看我，我不是醫生。

And if you want to make sure it doesn't happen again, it's probably worth listening to your mom's advice: Wait a little while after a big meal before jumping in the pool or going out for a run.

而你如果想確保這不會再發生，聽聽老媽的建議吧：吃完大餐不要馬上跳進泳池或出去慢跑。

Working to strengthen your core might help, too.

運動來增強核心肌群也會有幫助。

That should reduce the movement in your abdomen while you're exercising, meaning less strain on your ligaments and membranes.

這可以讓你在運動時腹腔內的晃動減少，也降低對韌帶與腹膜的負擔。

This way, your internal organs and all the stuff inside your abdominal cavity can stay right where it's supposed to be without causing stitches that might slow you down.

如此一來，你身體裡的器官就能安穩地待在原本的位置上，也就不容易因為側腹痛而讓你不舒服。

Thanks for asking and thanks especially to all of our patrons on Patreon who keep these answers coming.

謝謝你們提出的問題，也謝謝在 Patreon 上的贊助者讓我們能持續回答這些問題。

If you would like to submit questions to be answered, and get these Quick Questions a few days before everybody else, you can go to patreon.com/scishow.

如果你也有問題想問，或是想比其他人更早看到這些影片，你可以到 patreon.com/scishow 的網站上。

And don't forget to go to youtube.com/scishow and subscribe!

也別忘了看看並訂閱我們的 YouTube 頻道：youtube.com/scishow