Why Your Lungs Hurt After Running: Be Worry Free!

Introduction

For fitness enthusiasts, running is one of the most basic exercises. Anyone can get their daily dose of sweat release by running a few miles.Running is not a piece of cake. It can be a lot harder than it looks like because it uses your most important body parts. Both your arms and your legs work hard to get you through.

Meanwhile, there are your lungs. Like your limbs, this pair of internal organs is pumped up as you breathe deeply while you run.

Have you ever experienced feeling like your lungs hurt after running? You technically do not feel anything on them, but there are times when you feel like they’re cramping. Why does this occur? This article answers this crucial question.

Possible Reasons Why Lungs Hurt After Running

For most people, running is more than enough to get physically fit. As you continue running, you aim for more running miles. Naturally, these targets get harder and harder each time. It could be the healthiest activity you could perform.

But as mentioned, there are a few times when running can take a toll on you too. I do not mean to scare you, but it could even post a danger to your health. The key is to prevent the danger or stop when you feel that something is wrong.

The logic behind your lungs hurting after or while running is pretty simple. When you run, your lungs exert more effort than it usually does because it needs more oxygen. This explains why it always feels like you are gasping for air and you start to pant.

In a nutshell, breathing heavily during running is nothing but normal. However, feeling shooting pains in your chest area is a lot different. According to livestrong.com, when you feel your lungs “burning up” inside your chest, you don’t have to worry immediately. You can stop running and wait for it to subside.

It usually does stop as your lungs may just be catching up on your body’s quick movements. But if this happens every single time, you might need to take a few steps back and check yourself. Livestrong says you may either be breathing “incorrectly” or having an asthma attack. If it’s the latter, you will need to call up your doctor to set an appointment.

Breathing “Incorrectly”

Is there such a thing as breathing correctly in the first place? Yes, there is. There are a lot of fitness experts who recommend breathing through the mouth when running. They say it helps the runner bear the fast pace and catch up on his breath.

However, breathing through the mouth is not always the best way for you to reach your target. The explanation behind this is simple. We naturally use our mouths to breathe out carbon dioxide, right?

So when you run and breathe in and out of your mouth, your brain starts believing differently.

It would seem as though you are emitting too much carbon dioxide out of your system. This results in the production of mucus that blocks your blood vessels. Since the air does not flow properly, your breath will fall short. And then the pain starts shooting up.

Although this seems to be complicated, there is nothing significant to worry about. Livestrong says it goes away in time with more experience. Your respiratory system will eventually get used to the “routine.”

Exercise-Induced Asthma

This may be something new to you as most of us are only aware of the “usual” asthma. As the name suggests, this kind of asthma is acquired from strenuous exercises such as running.

According to Mayo Clinic, exercise-induced asthma happens when the airway is inflamed and narrowed. The definition clarifies that exercise only stimulates asthma but does not primarily cause it. This is also called bronchoconstriction.

We know that asthma is a condition that starts in childhood, so exercise is not the one to blame. If you’re having the symptoms and your doctor confirms it to be bronchoconstriction, it’s safe to say you’ll be okay. Mayo Clinic says that it could be treated by way of the usual asthma treatment.

Conclusion

So there you have it—the two most common causes of your lungs hurting after running. Again, let me reiterate that you have no reason to panic.

Catching your breath only signals that you need to take a rest. But if the symptoms persist, do not be reluctant and call your doctor right away. It's nice to know how to respond to your body. However, it is not always okay to self-diagnose.

If you feel that there is something terribly wrong, do not push through. Prevention still is better than cure.If you have comments and suggestions, feel free to comment down below. If you want to hear from others who experience the same symptoms, then visit dailymile.com.