Common signs of diastasis recti during the postpartum period are: A visible bulge or "pooch" that protrudes just above or below the belly button. Softness or jelly-like feeling around your belly button. Coning or doming when you contract your ab muscles.
Difference between diastasis recti and belly fat
One way to tell if you just have excess weight or an actual muscle gap is by tensing your belly muscles. Try lying flat and then lifting your head like when doing a sit-up. If present, the gap or bulge of diastasis recti will be pronounced in the center of your belly.
“Diastasis recti” means your belly sticks out because the space between your left and right belly muscles has widened. You might call it a “pooch.” It's very common among pregnant women. About two-thirds of pregnant women have it.
Bloating and constipation can both be symptoms of diastasis recti. Your ab muscles hold certain organs in place, like your intestines. When your ab muscles are weakened due to diastasis recti, it doesn't support your muscles as well. This can cause you to look and feel bloated.
How is Diastasis Recti Treated? Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) surgery is the only effective treatment for diastasis recti. Once the tissue that connects the abdominal muscles has become stretched, it usually won't heal on its own, regardless of how much you exercise.
Weight loss may improve the appearance of the diastasis in patients who are overweight, and exercise may help strengthen the supporting abdominal muscles.
Untreated in adults, diastasis recti or when your abs separate, can lead to lower back pains, poor posture, hernia, constipation and weakened pelvic alignment.
Diastasis recti repair is not covered by insurance and cannot be submitted to Medicare. The hernia repair can be submitted for insurance coverage, so you will have part cosmetic, part insurance for billing purposes.
Diastasis Recti Symptoms
Alternatively, you may notice a “pooch” around your belly button that looks like a ball of pizza dough. In contrast, some diastasis recti symptoms are less obvious. Your stomach may look flat, but the waistline is wider, necessitating a bigger pants size.
Diastasis Recti Exercises to Avoid
Skip any movement or exercise that places strain on the midline or causes the belly to bulge outward, like sit-ups and planks.
The key to healing diastasis recti is rebuilding your core from the inside out. You need to strengthen the transverse abdominis (TVA) muscle, which is the deepest abdominal muscle and can provide support for those muscles that have been stretched.
Some women end up with loose tummy skin, sagging breasts, larger nipples, or a widened space between their rectus abdominus muscles—and this is what we call the diastasis recti.
Most post-pregnancy patients with diastasis recti also have excess, sagging skin, which is removed during a tummy tuck. Closing a diastasis recti reduces abdominal circumference, which can create more loose skin.
Sometimes the appearance of belly fat is exacerbated by a condition called diastasis recti, in which your abdominal muscles have separated due to pregnancy, weight gain, or other conditions.
Abdominal swelling, or distention, is more often caused by overeating than by a serious illness. This problem also can be caused by: Air swallowing (a nervous habit) Buildup of fluid in the abdomen (this can be a sign of a serious medical problem)
If you have diastasis recti, you'll likely notice a pooch or bulge in your stomach. It may be more noticeable when you strain or contract your abdominal muscles, such as when you sit up. In addition to the stomach bulge, you may also experience: lower back pain.
By doing these strength exercises 3 to 4 times a week, Darmanin said you should start to see improvements in the gap between the ab muscles and pain symptoms within 6 to 8 weeks. But if you're not seeing any progress after 4 weeks, consult a licensed physical therapist who has experience in healing diastasis.
A diastasis recti repair can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $19,000. The actual cost of a diastasis recti repair is dependent upon location, board certified plastic surgeon, and length and involvement of the plastic surgery.
If you can feel a gap of two finger widths or more, schedule an appointment with your primary care physician, OBGYN or physical therapist for a definitive diagnosis.
They must be sewn back together, which is why diastasis recti repair is best performed by a board certified plastic surgeon. “When it comes to diastasis, it should be a plastic surgeon repairing it, and it is a traditional tummy tuck situation,” Dr. Brown says.
It's never too late to repair your diastasis recti. With the proper exercises, you can fix your ab separation years after you've delivered your last baby.
In Short, YES. The vast majority of these symptoms can be improved and often fully resolved through correct training of the deep core muscles, coupled with healthy posture, breathing, and alignment in daily life.
If you feel a gap of at least two finger widths between the muscles as they contract, you have a diastasis. A gap as wide as four or five fingers is considered severe. Repeat the procedure below and above your belly button because the separation may be wider in different places.
Diastasis recti can lead to side effects like lower back pain, constipation and urine leaking. It can also cause difficulty with both breathing and movement. In some rare cases, tissue may tear and form a hernia, where organs poke out of the opening.
Excessive inner-abdominal pressure causes diastasis recti. During pregnancy, your abdominal muscles and connective tissues are stretched out from your expanding uterus. They're helped along by the pregnancy hormones relaxin and estrogen. Pushing during delivery can also lead to diastasis recti.