What is Diastasis Recti... and do I have it?

What is it?

In some women, pregnancy can cause a condition called Diastasis Recti, (abdominal separation) where the right and left sides of the rectus abdominus (commonly referred to as the six pack) muscle spreads apart. The separation occurs due to the combination of pregnancy hormones that cause the connective tissue to soften and the force of the uterus pushing against the abdominal wall. Diastasis Recti may contribute to lower back pain if the separation does not close after birth. In order to regain the look of your prenatal abs, you need to regain your muscle strength and tone.

Diastasis Recti Test

1. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
2. Lift your head and shoulder blades off the floor like you are doing a crunch.
   Holding that position (abs contracted), place your hand on your belly just above or below your belly button (with your fingers horizontally placed).
3. Press down on your belly with your index and middle fingers. Now, move your fingers side to side - you should feel hard muscle on either side of a soft space in the middle.
   If you can move your fingers more than two fingers width side to side, then you have a separation, and need to do special ab exercises.
4. If the degree of separation is greater than 3 finger widths, please seek your doctors advice and avoid performing exercises which involve abdominal twisting.

Diastasis Recti Exercises

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your abdomen like you are hugging your belly.
2. Exhale as you slowly lift your head (and shoulders, if you can) while hugging your abdomen - that will urge the two sides rectus to contract closer to each other, helping with closing the separation.
3. Take a long towel and wrap it around your torso with the ends in front. As you perform a crunch, pull the ends of the towel towards each other in front of your belly button, which will also urge the muscle back together.
4. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. As you exhale, slowly extend one leg along the floor, feeling your abdomen contract below your belly button. Inhale as you return to the starting position.
5. Repeat with the other leg.

There is no magic number of days, weeks or months before you will return to your pre-pregnancy self. Everyone'sbody recovers differently from pregnancy and childbirth. A lot depends on your type of birth, pregnancy exercise history and postnatal exercise regimen. It took nine months to grow your babies and your body may need at least that long to bounce back. Your Stroller Strides Richmond Instructors would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.