Diastasis recti.... all new to me...

babyblue1426

Hi guys, I just want to share that i've been diagnosed with Diastasis recti... i have never heard anything like this before so it's all new to me... if anybody has experienced it or knows somebody that went through this, i would like to hear advice on what to do, all this is very confusing and i'm a little sad, i don't want to stop working out, how do i know what kind of exercises i can do?

I have 3 kids, my youngest has 8 years old, and i've been active for the last 3-4 years... This "bulk" in my abs is very recent and i went to the doctor afraid it might be a hernia, and she said it was Diastasis recti.

The only thing i've been doing more intensively is the Jillian Michaels dvd's, you know how hard they can get, maybe so much stress on my abs wasn't good for me....

Anyway, it's not the end of the world, just a little lost on this subject.

Comments, suggestions and advice are very welcome!

HAve a happy 2012 everybody!!!

cartea01

Hi. I've seen quite a few patients with them. All women who've had multiple pregnancies. It's quite common. It's not something to worry about unless you get new onset pain (may be a sign of a hernia getting trapped) and if so, you should go to hospital. Otherwise for most people the only issue is cosmetic. The muscles can be "sewn" back together by a cosmetic surgeon if desired.

MaryDreamer

I had it after only 2 pregnancies. I got sick of people asking me when I was due when I was way past having kids. So then I started wearing waist cinchers every day. I finally had the surgery where they sewed my muscles back together. Here is a site where you can learn more. I tried all this first and lost patience and went to a doc. Good luck!

http://www.maternalfitness.com/

BeFitMom

Since your youngest child is 8, you most likely will not be able to close your mid line all the way, but you certainly can change the shape and functioning of your abdominal wall.

Stop doing ALL abdominal exercises that lift/roll the upper body off the floor or against the force of gravity, as these types of exercises will only make your tummy bulge out more, which strains mid line connective tissue and prevents abdominal flattening after pregnancy.

Start your rehab by building A LOT of strength into your deepest abdominal muscle, your transverse abdominis. Then progress to specialized postpartum exercises that train the muscle to function properly as a stabilizer. This is key to both the form and function of your abs.

If your separation is very wide, more than three finger-widths, you can also add on manual splinting of the Rectus Abdominis to these exercises.

Also, most MDs have almost no training in the diagnosis of diastasis recti. So perform the test properly yourself, to get an accurate reading.

To find out more about diastasis go to:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html

To find out more about postpartum rehab exercises go to:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_reconditioning.html

BeFit-Mom