It’s not necessarily about closing the gap, it’s about a well-functioning core!
Diastasis Recti (DR) is very common during and after pregnancy, as the uterus stretches the abdominal muscles to accommodate your growing baby.
All that excessive intra-abdominal pressure can cause DR:
You have 2 sides of your abdominal wall and they connect on a line of fascia called the Linea Alba.
DR is the thinning of the Linea Alba (The fibrous tissue that connects the Rectus abdominis muscles in the middle)
When checking for DR —> Check width AND depth.
- 2 fingers and over is considered DR
- 1-2 fingers is normal
- More than 3-4 fingers —> severe diastasis
Important!! Checking the depth is more essential then the width— it’s a better indicator of the severity of your DR :
1. Does it feel like firm connective tissue or is it soft & squishy?
2. If your fingers sink in and it’s soft & squishy then you have DR.
3. Depth, squishiness and bulging means the system is not firing together!
4. You want your gap to be shallow and the tissue to feel firm & taught.
DR is a full body issue. Think about how you breathe and load your body:
1. How are you overloading your midline?
2. Working on breathing can heal DR and pelvic floor discomforts
3. What you do with your body all day matters more than what you do in a workout each day
4. Poor movement patterns can make it harder for DR or your pelvic floor to heal and can make it worse!
5. Remember there is always some stretching in pregnancy
Good news is…You can improve DR even years after having kids
* We need to stop centering our healing around looks
* We need to think about our core canister (diaphragm, pelvic floor & abdominals) when we heal our core.
* Our body is an interconnected chain and it needs to work together to function properly
Note: wait until you are at least 6 weeks postpartum to check for Diastasis Recti and perform the test first thing in the morning for a more accurate self-check.
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