Diastasis Recti in Pregnant and Postpartum Women

Good day ladies and Happy Summer....hope everyone is enjoying their summer season. I would like to share this important information with you all. I have discovered that I to suffer from this condition and have for years without knowing. Well now you too can find out if have Diastasis Recti. Please read the following:

Diastasis Recti also known as abdominal separation, is when separation occurs of the rectus abdominis muscle into right and left halves. (see the diagram above) This is created due to the  stretching of the linea alba which connects the two regions. This separation occurs in pregnant women and also in newborns. 

In pregnant or postpartum women, the condition is caused by the stretching of the rectus abdominis by the growing uterus. When the defect occurs during pregnancy, the uterus can sometimes be seen bulging through the abdominal wall beneath the skin.

Women are more susceptible to develop diastasis recti when over the age of 35, high birth weight of a child, multiple birth pregnancy, and multiple pregnancies. Other causes can be from excessive abdominal exercises after the first trimester of pregnancy.

How to check if you have Diastasis Recti

You must start by lying on your back, you can either do this on a mat on the floor or on the bed. Knees must be bent at 90* with feet flat, head slightly lifted placing your chin on chest. With your muscles tense, place fingers in the ridge that is presented. How you can measure the width of separation is by how many finger tips can fit within the space between the left and right rectus abdominis muscles. Separation consisting of a width of 2 fingertips or more is the determining factor for diagnosing diastasis recti. Here is a You tube link below that shows step by step on how to check for Diastasis Recti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzIrt82maws

Exercises To Reduce Diastasis Recti

The following exercises have been shown to reduce the Diastasis Recti separation. 

Core contraction, Seated squeeze, head lift, upright push-up, Squat against the wall, and Squat with squeeze. Also the Tupler Technique which was developed for treatment for Diastasis Recti has a guide book that teaches you how to treat it. Below is are a few links of some websites to check out for proper form and techniques, also do's and don'ts regarding Diastasis Recti. 

• http://inspiredrd.com/2013/11/5-exercises-to-heal-diastasis.html
• http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-life/pregnancy-motherhood/diastasis-recti-properly-train-strengthen-core-flat-abs/
• http://www.befitmom.com/diastasis_recti.html

My Experience having Diastasis Recti

I always wondered through years of training, proper eating, and fitness why I always had a trouble area which was located right above my belly button going all the way down to my pelvic bone. It was always a bulge/pouch and although the rest of my body was toned and fit this area never went down and I always looked 3 month pregnant. There is a picture below as an example. I also noticed during all my years of training that my core was a bit weak. Some many core exercises that I would do would be so difficult. Working in the physical therapy/ fitness field I started to ask about why it was so hard for me to get rid of that area and why my core was so weak and unstable. Long and behold a physical therapist/ trainer was treating a few patients who had Diastasis Recti and gave me the information to perform the check. I have completed stopped all of the ab routines  that I used to do during my workouts for they were actually making the Diastasis Recti worse. For the past 4 weeks I have been doing core stabilization and using the Tupler Technique. I must say that I'm noticing a difference not only in appearance by in my core strength as well. I will continue to add this routine to my daily workouts and continue feel and see results. There is a YouTube link below which I have provided which I have been using and it have a week to week core stabilization routine to do that is great to reduce Diastasis Recti. 

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxz0A9EyvWc&index=3&list=FLB09yw1GQfcT_7CwkrKATJg

Ladies please feel free to do your own further research regarding Diastasis Recti. There is so many websites and articles you can read. For all of my new mothers out there, also my current pregnant women this information is very helpful. If you are currently working out and you are post natal, check for this before you continue with your current workout routine. Please feel free to leave comments below. 

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