About Diastasis Recti
During the post partum period, women are often focused on breast-feeding, managing life with little sleep, and perhaps, if there is time, working out. But very few exercise programs available are geared specifically for the postpartum mom’s needs, namely strengthening the fascia or connective tissue, as well as the deeper levels of the abdominal wall, the transverse abdominals. In fact, some of the most common abdominal exercises like crunches or planks can actually do more harm and further the gap in the abdominal wall.
Diastasis recti (DR) is the weakening and separation of the fascia, or connective tissue, between the abdominal wall, and the rectus abdominus muscles. Imagine a really strong spider web, wrapping your muscles up and holding them together. That is your fascia. It’s your spider power. It holds the muscles together and keeps them in place through connective tissues. Now imagine a momma hitting the third trimester, and baby is a growing, pushing up against the fascia until it stretches very thin…and in some cases, breaks, causing a separation of the abdominal wall.
When this goes undiagnosed or unrecognized many mommas try to jump back into their pre-baby routine adding in crunches, planks and sit ups to try and strengthen up the abdominal walls post partum. The problem is if you jump back into a standard abdominal workout, you can actually worsen DR, leading to pelvic floor and lower back pain and discomfort. Think of the action or crunching or bending forward, our intestines and inards get squished up against our belly and it can cause a bulge. When the rectus abdominus are intact it is not an issue, but when there is a gap, or the fascia is compromised, that additional pressure can actually weaken the fascia further, leading to an even bigger gap.
Many health care professionals recommend surgery to repair this, applying a mesh overlay to the abdominal wall, to bridge the gap and prevent and umbilical hernia. However, surgery leads to a tough recovery time, and it doesn’t always work. Some times you can need a follow up surgery to remove tacks from the mesh that cause discomfort. And at the end of the day, your body isn’t doing the work to get stronger. Other healthcare professionals have recommended women wear belly binders, to hold the abdominal wall back together. But once again, it easily becomes a crunch, even atrophying the abdominus rectus muscles further, without them having to do the work to support the belly.
The DR level 1 and 2 on youtube were intended to empower women at home, to take charge of their health, to strengthen their fascia and to bridge the gap. Loads of women commented after level 1 and level 2 that their gaps were closing with great success! The practices can be found online at https://www.youtube.com/c/caitallison. Many of the women commenting asked for more of a workout, and ability to work on strengthening their whole body, not just the abdomen. Here is my response! A 30 min, whole body workout to help strength the entire body, while remaining DR friendly. It is perfect for beginners, and can be used for advanced practitioners as well, through adding in repetitions and weights. The practice is $20 and you get private access to it! We decided to charge for this one, so that we can continue to rent the equipment necessary to put out quality videos on youtube! Namaste!
