- How to know if I have abdominal diastasis
- How to end postpartum diastasis
- 1. Clinical Pilates exercises
- 2. Physiotherapy
- 3. Surgery
- What to do to make your belly hard
- Treatment time
- Diastasis complications
Abdominal diastasis is the removal of abdominal muscles and connective tissue that usually happens during pregnancy, being the main cause of abdominal flaccidity and low back pain in the postpartum period.
This distance can reach 10 cm away and is due to the weakness of the abdominal muscle, which is very stretched due to the growth of the belly during pregnancy. However, diastasis can also happen outside of pregnancy, especially in people who lift very heavy objects in an incorrect posture.
The treatment to correct abdominal diastasis can be done with exercise, physiotherapy or, in the last case, surgery, especially when the distance is greater than 5 cm and the exercises were not effective to correct the situation.
How to know if I have abdominal diastasis
It is possible to suspect that one has a diastasis after childbirth when feeling the region below the navel very soft and flabby or observing a bulge in the abdomen when carrying some weight, crouching or coughing, for example.
To make sure it is an abdominal diastasis you should:
- Lie on your back and press your index and middle fingers about 2 cm above and below your navel, and then; Contract your abdomen, as if you were going to perform an abdominal exercise.
The normal thing is that when contracting the abdomen, the fingers jump a little upwards, but in case of diastasis the fingers do not move, it is even possible to place 3 or 4 fingers side by side without them moving with the abdominal contraction.
Some situations that favor the development of abdominal diastasis are having more than one pregnancy, having a twin pregnancy, giving birth to a baby over 4 kg or being over 35 years old. When unrelated to pregnancy, diastasis usually occurs due to weakness in the abdominal muscles.
How to end postpartum diastasis
The treatment options for curing abdominal diastasis and getting a hard stomach again are:
1. Clinical Pilates exercises
The exercises are of great help in the treatment but they must be carried out with the supervision of the physiotherapist or personal trainer because poorly executed can cause an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, and increase the separation of the recti, worsening the diastasis or leading to the appearance of a hernia.
Some recommended exercises to correct diastasis I show in this video:
These exercises are the most suitable because they contract the transversus abdominis and the lower fibers of the rectus abdominis, strengthening them, without excessive pressure on the rectus abdominis.
2. Physiotherapy
In physiotherapy, equipment such as FES can be used to promote muscle contraction. This device can be done for 15 to 20 minutes and is very efficient in strengthening the rectus abdominis.
3. Surgery
Surgery is the last resort to correct diastasis, but it is very simple and consists of sewing the muscles. Although the surgery can be performed only for this purpose, the doctor may also suggest liposuction or abdominoplasty to remove excess fat, sewing the muscle to finish.
See how the surgery for abdominal diastasis is done.
What to do to make your belly hard
During treatment to correct abdominal diastasis it is also recommended:
- Maintain good posture while standing and sitting; Keep contraction of the transverse abdominal muscle throughout the day, this exercise being known as hypopressive abdominal, in which it is only necessary to try to bring the navel to the back, shrinking the belly mainly when sitting, but you must maintain this contraction throughout the day. Know better how to do the hypopressive sit-ups; Avoid as much as possible bending the body forward, as if doing a traditional sit-up because it worsens the diastasis; Whenever you need to bend down to pick up something from the floor, bend your legs, squatting your body and not bending over body forward; only change the baby's diaper on a high surface like a diaper change, or if you need to change on the bed, stay on your knees on the floor so as not to tilt your body forward; use the postpartum brace for most of the day and even to sleep, but don't forget to keep your stomach inward to strengthen the transversus abdominis during the day.
In addition, it is important not to perform the traditional abdominal exercises, nor the oblique abdominal exercises in order not to worsen the diastasis.
Treatment time
The treatment time may vary depending on the size of the diastasis, since the greater the spacing, the more difficult it will be to promote the union of the fibers only with exercises or physical therapy. However, in diastasis of less than 5 cm, if the treatment is performed daily, in about 2 to 3 months it will be possible to observe a decrease in diastasis.
When the diastasis reaches 2 cm, isotonic exercises can be used, from there the evolution progresses more quickly.
Diastasis complications
The main complication of abdominal diastasis is the appearance of back pain in the lower back. This pain occurs because the abdominal muscles act as a natural brace that protects the spine when walking, sitting and exercising. When this muscle is very weak, the spine is overloaded and there is a greater risk of developing herniated discs, for example. Therefore, it is important to carry out the treatment, promoting the union and strengthening of the abdominal fibers.
