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Rochester Local

Pulling it Together: Raising Awareness of Diastasis Recti

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That’s weird.

I was standing on a swing in our backyard playset with my one-year-old firstborn.  As I was swinging back and forth, pumping the swing, my contracting ab muscles were forming a raised ridge that ran vertically down my midsection.

What is that?

I had worked hard to get back into shape after the birth of my daughter.  Combined with my long-time hobby of running, I had added the P90X program into my workout routine when I was about eight months postpartum, and was loving how strong my body felt.

But this ridge I noticed wasn’t extra fat.  This was different.  Thanks to my good friend Google, I learned that this ridge was an indicator of diastasis recti, or abdominal separation, that occurred during my pregnancy and had never fully closed. abdominal muscles, abdominal separation due to pregnancy, abdominal wall, abdominals after pregnancy, diastasis recti, engaging your core, heal diastasis, post-baby bod, pregnancy and your abs

Apart from losing the baby weight, nobody had mentioned this more complicated aspect of “getting my body back.”  I never remember hearing about this possibility during my pregnancy or even after I had given birth.  So I certainly didn’t know anything about trying to correct it.  My initial thought was that this was just a side effect of pregnancy and a reality of my new mom bod.  It actually took the next several years and two subsequent pregnancies for me to really start to gain a more thorough understanding of this issue. 

As I researched, I discovered that diastasis can not only cause a lower belly pooch, but can also lead to back pain and even pelvic floor issues.  Yikes!  

In addition, women with diastasis recti can unintentionally make the gap larger.  A common response to noticing a protruding belly may be to do more crunches and sit-ups in attempt to flatten your tummy.  Unfortunately, these common core exercises can actually have the opposite effect and exacerbate the issue.  

How do I know if I have it?

If you’ve never checked to see if you have an ab separation, you can easily do so in the comfort of your own home.

Lie down with your back on the floor, your knees bent and feet flat.  Raise your head and upper back off the floor as if you were doing a crunch exercise.  Feel for an indentation in the middle of your abdominal muscles as you contract.  The more fingers you can fit in between the muscles, the larger the separation.  A five-finger separation is obviously more extensive than one or two fingers.

What exercises should I avoid?

As I mentioned earlier, common core exercises that cause abdominal muscles to push against the force of gravity can actually make the gap larger.  These movements include crunches, sit-ups, leg raises, and even planks.  While these are great exercises if you don’t have diastasis recti, you’ll want to avoid them if you do have diastasis.

What can I do instead?

Although there are exercises that should be avoided, there are also exercises that can strengthen your core and even lessen the gap, at least to some extent.  One of my favorites is the floor bridge.

To complete the floor bridge:

Lie on your back with hands flat on the floor.  Lift your butt off the floor and focus on engaging your core.  Squeeze your glutes at the top (it’s a great booty exercise, too!) and hold for about 10 seconds. Repeat 10-15 times.  You can work up to more reps as you get stronger.

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Other core exercises can be modified, often by keeping your back on the floor, to lessen the force against the abdominal wall.

I’m not sure how big my separation was after my first two pregnancies as I was still just beginning to learn about diastasis recti.  Since my last (and largest!) baby was born three years ago, I have worked on regaining core strength and have decreased my separation down to one or two fingers-width.  

This post is not meant to serve as medical advice, or as a comprehensive guide to diagnosing or healing the gap, but rather, hopefully, a starting point for those of you who were previously unaware of this issue.  There are many resources available on the internet dedicated to helping women heal diastasis.  Yet while some women have success closing the gap with exercises, corrective surgery is another option that many women may choose to look into, particularly if this condition is causing pain or discomfort.

Whatever the extent of your separation, I encourage you to start your own research, talk to your doctor, and see what you can do to help your body be its healthiest and strongest.

This post is not meant to take the place of professional medical advice.  As mentioned above, please seek the advice of your doctor if you have questions or suspect you might have this condition.

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