Diastasis recti occurs when the linea alba is overstretched and doesn't come back together. The left and right sides of the abdominals stay separated. It's also referred to as an "ab gap" or abdominal separation.
Separated stomach muscles
It happens because your growing womb (uterus) pushes the muscles apart, making them longer and weaker. The separation between your stomach muscles will usually go back to normal by the time your baby is 8 weeks old.
What causes diastasis recti? Diastasis recti is often caused by increased pressure in the belly. There are different ways that this can happen. But pregnancy is the most common cause.
If you have diastasis recti, you'll notice that your stomach is much flatter and leaner following abdominoplasty. (Some patients report looking like they've lost 20 pounds after having a tummy tuck.)
Abdominal Muscle Separation Symptoms
You can often see a gap appear between your two bands of separated muscle. This will look like a bulge going down the middle of your stomach. Along with visual cues like seeing a stomach bulge, lower back pain is often an indicator of RAD.
Rectus diastasis creates a visible bulge in your abdomen, but it's more than just a cosmetic concern. Untreated rectus diastasis can weaken your abdominal muscles over time, leaving you with chronic lower back pain and reduced mobility.
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.
Weight loss may improve the appearance of the diastasis in patients who are overweight, and exercise may help strengthen the supporting abdominal muscles.
The normal separation between your abdominal muscles is about 0.5 – 1 centimeter or about one finger width. Diastasis recti causes your belly to bulge because the gap between your left and right abdominal muscles widens to the width of two fingers or more.
Diastasis recti happens when pregnancy stretches the abdominal muscles, causing them to split apart. It can also happen in people with obesity. The symptoms may include lower back pain, abdominal discomfort, and a loss of bladder control.
Exercises to Avoid If You Have Diastasis Recti
Avoid any exercises that will place direct pressure on your stomach, which can cause your midsection to bulge or worsen muscle separation. That means you can cross forward-flexion exercises such as sit-ups, twists, and crunches off the list.
The Best Exercises for Diastasis Recti
Byrne suggests abdominal compressions, pelvic tilts, toe taps, heel slides, single-leg stretches, and bridges with belly scooping. Always keep the belly pulled in, rather than doing any movement that pushes it out (and causes the telltale bulge on the midline).
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.
“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.
Avoid exercises that put a lot of pressure on your abdominal muscles, such as crunches and sit-ups. Instead, focus on exercises that strengthen your core, such as pelvic tilts, planks and bridges. Be mindful of your posture: Good posture is important for preventing diastasis recti.
An abdominal muscle strain, or pulled stomach muscle, is often an overuse injury. It occurs when muscles in the stomach stretch or tear. Football and tennis players are prone to this injury. But anyone can strain the abdominal muscles. Muscle strains get better over time with rest.
Cardio such as swimming, aerobics, running or dancing will burn this excess fat store. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is the fastest way to trim down stomach fat.
Smaller patterns, like polka dots, are cute and flattering. As well as longer cardigans or coats will elongate your body and make your tummy the least of your worries. You don't need to stick to all black clothes to hide your mommy tummy.
The best and most effective way to treat diastasis recti is surgery. Diastasis recti surgery can permanently close the defect and bring the two sides of the rectus abdominis muscle tight together. Diastasis recti repair is usually done during abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and not alone.
Diastasis Recti Symptoms
Feelings of “flabbiness” in the abdominal muscles. Pelvic-floor muscle dysfunction that causes urinary or bowel problems (incontinence, leakage, constipation, etc). Low back or pelvic or hip pain. Poor posture.
If your diastasis recti is severe, or if it's not improving to your satisfaction after exercise, you may consider going under the knife to correct it. But "only consider surgery if conservative treatment of therapeutic exercise and physical therapy has failed," Butts says.
An observed separation of <3. cm between the rectus muscles is labeled mild diastasis, 3–5 cm separation of the rectus muscles moderate diastasis and more than 5 cm severe diastasis (25).
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.
Can Diastasis Recti Get Worse Over Time? Over time, Diastasis Recti can worsen as the separation increases. This results in the internal abdominal organs, such as the uterus and intestines, having less protection in the front to hold them in place.