What is abdominal separation?
Diastasis recti, also known as abdominal separation, occurs when the abdominal muscles have to stretch in both width and length. This has to occur to accommodate the growth of your baby. There is connective tissue running down the middle of the abdomen which also helps by expanding. The separation is natural and the amount of separation is determined by a few factors:
- Strength of abdominal muscles pre-pregnancy
- Strength of abdominal muscles during pregnancy
- Size of the baby
The separation is not normally painful but it can weaken the abdominal muscles. This in turn can lead to back pain. This is why it is important to incorporate suitable core exercises in the pre and postnatal periods.
How can I test for abdominal separation?
You can perfrom this test yourself but if you are uncertain, ask a fitness or medical professional to check it for you.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You can rest your head on a pillow if needed.
- Place one hand on your stomach and the other behind your head.
- You want to create a contraction of the abdominal muscles so in order to do so, you need to raise your shoulders a small distance off the floor (or pillow if using).
- Exhale as your lift your shoulders up and draw your belly button back towards your spine.
- With your free hand, place the index finger and middle finger in the centre of the stomach just below the breastbone.
- Apply firm pressure and feel for a gap or divot between the abdominal muscles.
- You want to continue this down the centre of the stomach towards the pubic bone.
- You can conduct this over several contractions. Just lower the shoulders back to the ground, take a few breaths then raise them again and continue.
- If there is a 2cm (or 2-finger) width gap then you are considered to have abdominal separation.
What should I do if I have abdominal separation?
If you find that you have a gap anywhere along the length of the stomach of 2cms or more, you should seek medial advice and avoid any strenuous core work such as:
- Traditional sit-ups
- Crunches
- V-sit
- Double leg lowers
- Plank
- Push ups
- Any high impact exercise such as running and jumping
Basically you want to avoid anything that causes your stomach to dome as this will cause further damage. You will need to start with more gentle exercises and build your core muscles back up.
Exercises to do if you have abdominal separation
You want to choose exercises that encourage the core muscles to be drawn in towards the spine. That being said, avoid holding your breath when the core muscles are contracted. Good exercises for helping the muscles close back together are:
- Bridges
- Heel taps
- Pelvic tilts on hands and knees
- Knee and arm extension on hands and knees
- Single leg reach
- Side plank
Remember to start slowly and build up to high repetitions and longer holds. The exercises may feel easy but your are trying to really focus on working on those deep core muscles.
What to do if the abdominal separation gap doesn’t reduce?
The gap should slowly start to reduce over a period of a few months. If this doesn’t happen, you should speak to a medical professional.
Conclusion
Diastasis recti (abdominal seperation) is normal after giving birth and should heal over a few months. You should incorporate relevant core training into your exercise regime, focusing on working the deeper core muscles. Start slowly and build up gradually to more intense core exercises. Avoid exercises that cause doming of the abdomen until you have regained the strength in the core muscles to carry out the exercises correctly.
If you do the test and find you have a gap of more than 2cms then speak to a medical professional who may suggest more specific exercises to help. Similarly, if the abdominal seperation doesn’t start to close then you should seek medical help. It will heal over time, just be paitent.
