Diastasis recti help

Collinsky

Has anyone had success correcting this? I don't ever expect my stomach to be what it was pre-babies; I've had five, and my last one was born by C-section. I've had a fairly severe separation for years, and it makes me look like I'm pregnant even though I'm not.

Weight loss will help that, but I want to know what's realistic as far as flattening the abs again. How much can I expect to improve them? I'm not talking about saggy skin or stretchmarks, but the potbelly effect of diastasis recti.

If you've had some success pulling the muscles back together, or even getting flatter abs, how did you do it? Did you use a workout like BeFit Mom, or did you just do the "towel-splinted" crunches or other exercises until you had the go-ahead to do regular core work? What worked for you?

Thanks!

Collinsky

I'm replying to my own post. :-) I don't want to get my hopes up too high, but I feel like I'm seeing improvement in my abdominals... I think the gap might actually be improving already! Instead of other ab work, I "zip up" my rectus abdominus (take my fingers from my pelvis and make a zipping motion up my abs, visualizing the muscles closing together as I contract them. That was all I did for a couple weeks, and then started adding in splinted crunches and standing ab workouts. So far, so good!

amsparky

I want to revive this - are you still seeing improvement? My dr told me that my only hope would be plastic surgery. I have about 4" separation, so ab workouts hurt. I have been doing core work (modified planks, etc) to see if that helps.

Collinsky

I've seen tremendous improvement. I'm to about a fingertip separation ... From what I understand, that can be considered normal.

Doing the "zipping" exercises (which engages the transverse ab muscles to contract like a corset) was probably the most helpful thing I found. I also did core workouts from the Moms Into Fitness Bootcamp DVD, which is suitable for diastasis, and focuses a lot on the transverse abs. (Instead of the rectus abdominus, which is where the separation is - the transverse abs are underneath those.) Learning to use those muscles instead of the 6-pack muscles takes some practice and concentration, but definitely pays off. Now when I do "regular" ab work (like crunches, etc) I take it slow and make sure to engage the transverse abs. Doing standing ab workouts, like the Incredible Abs series, is great too, because it doesn't put that same strain on the separation.

I found that planks are one of the worst things, for my abs at any rate. I feel like it puts a lot of strain right where I don't want any, and I haven't figured out how to engage the transverse abs in planks yet - not well, anyway. Could be my core is just not quite strong enough for that yet? I do the planks, anyway, and just cross my fingers that I'm not undoing anything! I worked really hard to get that separation closed and don't want to open it back up!

You might want to talk to someone else - I know some cases of diastasis are only reparable by surgery, but I'd definitely talk to someone else about alternatives to try first.