Diastasis Recti

Diastasis Recti (DR) is a fancy term for the separation of the rectus abdominis muscle. The rectus abdominis muscle is the muscle that is located at the front of your abdomen. Think the six pack muscle! It has two muscle bellies that are held together by the linea alba. During pregnancy the rectus abdominis separate, stretching out the linea alba in order to accomodate for the baby which can lead to an appearance of a gap or bulge post-partum. It was found that by 6 months post-partum around 40% of women still have diastasis recti. I find moms are concerned with the look of their tummy due to the DR because it can make the tummy look to have a bulge. But even more concerning, most people are unaware of the fact that DR can lead to low back pain and pelvic floor dysfunctions such as urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.    

Recent research suggests that bringing back the two bellies of the muscle isn’t as important as being able to create tension on the linea alba in order to help stabilize the core. To create tension in the linea alba one must strengthen their transversus abdominis, which is a deep abdominal muscle and strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. Learning good breathing techniques is also essential.        

There is a lot of myths in the fitness world on the proper way to heal a DR, but it is not a one size fits all type of impairment. If you want to start to rehab your DR give me a call or email.

714-580-1111 or centeredpt@gmail.com