Diastasis Recti: What it is and Treatment Options

We may not know what it is, but we know that something doesn’t look right about our ab muscles. That doming or tenting down the middle - that didn’t used to be there, did it? It's time to take action and figure out what's going on.

While you can have diastasis prior to pregnancy (even men can have a diastasis) it is something that often comes with pregnancy. In fact, we tend to think that all pregnant bodies will experience some degree of diastasis. We have to make room for that baby, after all!

Diastasis recti is a condition in which the rectus abdominis muscle, you may know this as the "six-pack muscle," separates along the middle of the stomach. It is caused by the growing baby and the increased pressure on the abdominal muscles and organs. This can cause the abdominal muscles to separate, creating a space between them. In many instances it will heal up on its own in the months after delivery. But unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

One important thing to note about a diastasis - not only is there typically a separation between the rectus abdominis muscle, but we generally see core weakness through all levels of the abdominal muscles, the rectus abdominis, internal oblique, external oblique and transverse abdominal.

Image used with permission from The Mummy Mot

Symptoms of diastasis recti can include a bulge or a distinct pooch in the abdominal area when laying down (may be doming or tenting through the middle of the ab muscles.) Lower back pain can be attributed to diastasis, and difficulty engaging the abdominal muscles (or feeling like your organs are going to fall out!)

Diastasis recti can be diagnosed through a physical examination, during which a healthcare provider will measure the distance between the two sides of the rectus abdominis muscle. They will also be assessing the depth of the diastasis to help determine the treatment plan.

There are also many self-check videos on YouTube that you can look up. Just remember that you are looking for the width of the separation and the depth when performing a self-check..

The depth is arguably even more important than the width as you can have a what is called a functional diastasis. This is when you have healed and strengthened the deeper layers of abdominal muscles, but there may still be a small width separation in the outer most layer of abdominal muscles.

If performing a self check, do your fingers go in the separation pretty deeply (this should not be painful) or do you feel those deeper layers of ab muscles push against your fingers pretty quickly?

You’ll want to measure how many fingers can fit in the width between the abdominal muscles and get an awareness of the depth at the separation. Anything over 2 fingers width separation is considered a diastasis recti.

Treatment for Diastasis Recti

Treatment for diastasis recti typically includes exercises to strengthen all layers of the abdominal muscles, and improve posture and breathing mechanics. Physical therapy may also be beneficial in helping to improve muscle tone and function, depending on your access to a provider. Just look for a practitioner, whether physical therapist or personal trainer, that has special training for working with someone with a diastasis recti.

In severe cases, surgery may be considered as a treatment option. This is typically only recommended for individuals who have not seen improvement with other treatment methods. However, if you have posture issues that may be contributing to your diastasis, you will want to address that prior to surgery. We can underestimate the importance of our posture in diastasis recti healing and so many other conditions that we experience.

Diastasis recti is a condition that impacts many people, both pregnant and not pregnant. To help you start your journey towards a healthier core, it is important to practice mindful body awareness, strengthen all of your core muscles, work on your posture, and seek out a diastasis recti specialist. With the right approach, you can find relief from diastasis recti and restore your abdominal muscles.