Stitch

Stitch in the side is the popular and expressive name applied to sharp pains felt in various parts of the side. It seems that these may be due to various causes; thus, they may be associated with pleurisy where there is no effusion, or with a stretching of the not uncommon adhesions between two pleural surfaces, or simply with local spasms of the respiratory muscles, as when a person takes violent exercise after a full meal, or perhaps even with a slight twisting of part of the intestine. When the stitch is but slight it is often removed by stooping, hence the popular remedy is to make a cross upon the foot.