Login
Register

Home

About Us

Diagnoses

Treatments

Classes

Resources

Media

Testimonials

Blog

Account

Heather Jeffcoat at Verywell Family
Register

If you’re experiencing diastasis recti, getting back into a fitness groove after pregnancy and childbirth requires some careful planning and specific exercises to help heal and strengthen the deep core muscles.

n

What is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti happens when the two muscle bellies of the rectus abdominis separate. The separation between the right and left sides of this muscle can happen during pregnancy when the linea alba, or the tissue between the rectus abdominis muscles, stretches to allow the body room for your baby.

Your OB/GYN or physical therapist can determine if the separation you have is considered wide enough to be diastasis recti. In general, separation of more than two centimeters at one or more points of the linea alba meets the criteria for diastasis recti.1

Visually, diastasis recti can look like a bulge of the abdominal contents or a pooch in your belly area. Physically, you may notice back pain, abdominal weakness, and poor posture.

Diastasis recti is quite common during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. In fact, research shows that about 45% of women have diastasis recti at six months postpartum and 33% at 12 months postpartum.

Experts often recommend a specific protocol of core exercises that can help close this gap and strengthen the deep abdominal muscles.

Exercises for Diastasis Recti

Getting back into an exercise routine depends on various factors, including the type of pregnancy and delivery you had and if you had a cesarean or other complications like diastasis recti.

If there were any complications or you’re having issues with postpartum healing, you should always get your doctor’s approval before resuming any type of workout.

That said, research does point to the importance of performing abdominal exercises designed specifically for diastasis recti during the early postpartum period.

These therapeutic exercises can help reduce the gap and lead to better core strength, including strengthening of the transverse abdominis, which is the deepest abdominal muscle.

According to Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, owner of Femina Physical Therapy, newer research supports creating proper tension across your midline and is less focused on “closing the gap.”

However, cosmetically, many postpartum moms still have this concern, and therefore the five exercises below, provided by Jeffcoat, address both issues.

Make sure to avoid certain activities and exercises that may make diastasis recti worse. These include crunches, ab twists, planks, backward bends that stretch the abdominal area, certain yoga poses, or any type of heavy lifting activities that bulge out the stomach.

Cointinue reading the full article here.

Star InactiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar Inactive
 

** This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. **

What They Say About Us

  • Testimonials

    • Testimonial by S.H., age 24

      I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me for the past 19 months. I literally could not have reached my goals without you and your practice. You gave me the courage to keep moving forth with my treatment no matter how afraid and anxious I was. You were always there to answer questions and made this whole process so much easier than I expected it to be. It's because of you that my marriage is on the right track, that I can get pregnant and that this part of my life is finally...

      Read more Testimonial by S.H., age 24

  • Testimonials

    • Testimonial by P.M.

      I was hopeful but frankly skeptical when the doctor treating me for Interstitial Cystitis recommended that I go to Heather for physical therapy. Medication and diet helped control my IC symptoms, but I had never heard of physical therapy being used to treat IC. The education and treatment I received from Heather was a revelation. She explained that the pain I experienced with IC had helped create a cycle of muscle guarding which affected the entire pelvic area. I had no idea of the amount of...

      Read more Testimonial by P.M.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get access to our free downloads and a 15% discount on Heather's book "Sex Without Pain"!
captcha 
I agree with the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy policy