Diastasis Recti - a lifestyle issue
Diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation or tummy gap) is very common after pregnancy, in over-weight men and occasionally in athletes. It is not a tearing of the abdominal muscles, but a stretching of the fascia (linea alba) in-between them. This is due to forces either internally or externally stretching or pulling the rectus abdominal muscle apart.
It’s important to note that tight, uneven or over trained oblique abdominal muscles can contribute to stretching the fascia, and very lean or athletic people can get diastasis recti too.
If you have a diastasis this will likely be part of a bigger picture of dysfunction, including alignment issues, being over-weight, altered pressure gradients and poor movement patterns.
Once stretched the linea alba can’t contract to close the gap again, but it is entirely possible to address all the above issues and restore strength and function.
Diastasis Recti is a symptom, not the problem. Women and their healthcare providers must look further than the separation of the abdominal muscles to find the solution.
Trying to directly treat or repair the diastasis ignores all the factors, habits and environments that created it in the first place.
Once you know how, when and why it happened you can take the steps to correct the deeper issues at work.
Diastasis often goes hand in hand with deeper issues such as: back pain, poor posture and alignment, pelvic floor disorders, bowel and bladder dysfunction, period pains, hip pain and altered breathing patterns.
There are no quick fixes for a DR, no set programs to follow and no wrong or unsafe exercises; but individualised support, the right exercise at the right time and an understanding that it will improve when a whole-body whole-lifestyle approach is used.
When you have to consider the bigger picture it can feel like an overwhelming task, doesn’t it? So where do you begin? Click on the self-help guide button below to download some useful exercises.