Diastasis recti: how to fix the problem through exercise

You may have heard the term “mommy tummy” or “mom pooch” before.

Many women unfortunately believe that a distended belly is just a normal result of pregnancy, when in fact what they’re really dealing with is a condition called diastasis recti.

Diastasis recti is pretty common, but you likely don’t hear about it too much. In a 2005 study, 60% of women who were 6 weeks postpartum had the condition. Often times, diastasis goes undiagnosed and as a result, typically worsens with each subsequent pregnancy.

Diastasis recti is a condition in which the rectus abdominis muscle (these are your six pack muscles) separates. This condition typically happens during pregnancy when the pressure on the linea alba tissue in between the rectus abdominis is greater due to your expanding baby bump.

Diastasis is also linked to a weak pelvic floor and an anterior pelvic tilt. Because of this, a program designed to fix diastasis should be targeted at fixing diastasis recti while strengthening the pelvic floor and correcting the anterior pelvic tilt.

Below, I’ll give you a sample workout plan designed to correct all three issues.

Will I get it?

If you had diastasis recti in a prior pregnancy and didn’t treat the condition, you’re more likely to get it again.

Funny enough, women who are caring for another child during their pregnancy tend to have an increased likelihood of developing diastasis recti.

All of that bending down and picking up takes a toll on your body if you’re not engaging your inner core muscles while doing things like that.

Additionally, women who are older in age, and who lack muscle tone in their abdomen, or women who carry multiples are also more likely to get diastasis.

When does the condition develop?

Women typically develop diastasis recti in their second trimester, when the pregnancy hormones tend to cause the linea alba tissue to relax and soften.

Diastasis recti symptoms

One of the biggest clues that you might have diastasis is losing your postpartum weight but looking like your stomach is still quite pregnant.

Additionally, while performing a sit up or while getting out a bed you may notice your belly forming a cone-like shape. You might also see this while in the plank or push up form.

You might also be able to spot diastasis recti by simply looking in the mirror and seeing an exaggerated separation of your ab muscles around your belly button (see photo below).

If you have a very mild form of diastasis, you may not notice any symptoms. Because so many women experience diastasis during their postpartum period, if you have no symptoms, you might consider doing a self-test to see if you have the condition.

How to test for diastasis recti

If you suspect you have diastasis recti, you might want to perform a quick, at-home test.

Please be aware that while this self-test can predict whether or not you have the condition, it’s always best to follow up the self test with a trip to your physical therapist’s or doctor’s office.

Due to the prevalence of diastasis, it’s best to check for diastasis recti before you start any postpartum workout program.

To perform the self test for diastasis recti you need to:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
Place arms crossed on your shoulders (as if you were performing a crunch)
Lift up and perform a crunch until your shoulder blades are off the floor
Place two fingers (horizontally over your belly button) If there is a separation between your rectus abdominis your fingers will sink in.
Now do the same thing with two fingers 2 inches above and below your belly button
If you are able to sink 2 finger widths in you likely have a mild form of diastasis recti. If you able to sink 3-4 fingers in you have a moderate form of diastasis and anything more than 5 fingers is a severe form of diastasis recti.

Can diastasis be fixed?

Diastasis recti can be fixed, but it will take time and some effort on your part. You’ll need to learn how to reactivate your core musculature and you can do that through a variety of exercises designed to target that area.

The best thing to remember is not to rush into ab exercises you’ve used in the past to tone your stomach, you’ll need to only focus on specific core exercises designed to activate your deep core muscles.

More and more research is emerging, and a 2019 study indicated that women who underwent a deep core stability program for 8 weeks showed significantly better results verses women who only did traditional ab exercises.

Related: Frustrated about your weight loss post-baby? Keep reading to learn about a realistic postpartum weight loss timeline.

Diastasis recti exercises to avoid

Basically you want to avoid any exercise that puts additional pressure on your core. Anything that has you bending over, or twisting should be avoided. Planks, crunches and running should also be avoided, too.

Additionally, lifting heavy objects should be avoided until you can move through foundational core exercises and understand how to activate your core muscles before you lift something.

You also want to avoid sitting up throughout your daily life while you have diastasis recti. Try and do a side sit up when you get out of bed in the morning!

Don’t worry, I’ll go over some sample core foundational exercises below.

Diastasis recti in pregnancy

Typically showing up later in pregnancy, women who are older, have weak ab muscles, and/or have already been pregnant are more prone to developing diastasis recti during pregnancy.

You test for diastasis in pregnancy the same way you would postpartum; here’s a helpful video that explains this in full (skip to 4:09 for the test)

Make sure to confirm your self-diagnosis with your doctor. Once you’ve confirmed the condition at your doc’s office be sure to avoid planks, twisting motions, push ups or anything that has you bending over and/or putting additional pressure on your abs.

Most importantly, and especially if you have a toddler at home that you’re still picking up, you’ll need to work hard to engage your deep core muscles each time you bend down to pick something heavy up or put your toddler in her car seat, etc.

In addition to making sure to engage your core muscles during functional movement, correct posture is absolutely necessary to make sure your diastasis doesn’t get worse.

Make sure to especially watch posture while pushing a stroller, as this can put unwanted pressure on your stomach tissues, causing further ab separation.

Lastly, it’s important to use a side sit up to get up from a lying down position. This prevents added stress to your abs.

You can follow the breathing exercises below to learn how to engage your deep core muscles!

Does a postpartum band help with diastasis?

Ah, the supposed wonders of a miracle band women can wear in postpartum and voilà, their stomach is flattened just by wearing a postpartum band or girdle.

While there is a lot of anecdotal evidence that a postpartum girdle does help “pull everything” back into place, there isn’t too much in the way of scientific data to support that wearing a postpartum girdle actually does anything in the way of curing diastasis recti.

Because postpartum bands force you to sit up, correcting your posture and helping to alleviate back pain, i do think there’s some merit to them, I just don’t want you to incorrectly assume that these bands are going to strengthen your stomach muscles or fix diastasis.

Diastasis recti exercises to rebuild your core

Many people think of their core as their abs, when in reality the core is your abdomen, spine, pelvic girdle and hip joint.

In order to close the abdominal gap, we’ll start by strengthening your innermost core muscle– your transverse abdominis.

Your transverse abdominis (TA or TVA) runs horizontal along your midsection and essentially acts like a corset, tightening up your midsection. Learning how to cue your transverse abdominis is the key to fixing your diastasis and obtaining a flat stomach.

It can take a while to learn how to correctly activate your TA, so be patient with yourself and understand that it may take a while.

Once you get the go ahead from your doctor begin doing these foundational exercises 3 to 4 times per week.

If you begin these at or around 6 weeks postpartum, coupling these diastasis recti exercises with light walking several times per week work well.

Do not skip the breathing exercises because they seem “too simple!” Doing your TA breathing exercises are absolutely paramount at getting your brain to talk to the right muscles and pulling in those deep core muscles, and ultimately leading to diastasis recti repair.

Supine TA breathing

Lay on your back, spine neutral on the floor (watch for the anterior tilt!)
Take a deep breath in (while muscles are relaxed)
Once you get a full breath in, pause for a second to tighten abs (navel to spine) and slowly exhale for about 8-12 counts.
Repeat 5-10 times
Try to also perform a kegel while doing these to strengthen your pelvic floor at the same time

Sidelying TA breathing

Lay on your side, knees bent
Take a deep breath in (while muscles are relaxed)
Once you get a full breath in, pause for a second to tighten abs (navel to spine) and slowly exhale for about 8-12 counts.
Repeat 5-10 times
Try to also perform a kegel while doing these to strengthen your pelvic floor at the same time

Quadrupled TA breathing

Position on all fours
Take a deep breath in (while muscles are relaxed)
Once you get a full breath in, pause for a second to tighten abs (navel to spine) and slowly exhale for about 8-12 counts.
Repeat 5-10 times
Try to also perform a kegel while doing these to strengthen your pelvic floor at the same time

Dead bug

Lay on your back with legs bent at 90 degrees and arms up
Take a deep breath and draw navel into spine
Keeping abs tight slowly lower one arm down at the same time you lower the opposite leg
Come back to starting position and repeat on other side

Clamshells

Lay on your side with knees bent
Take a deep breath and tighten abs (navel to spine)
Take one leg and move towards ceiling and come back down

What if I can’t fix diastasis on my own?

If you have a moderate separation (3-4 finger widths) or a severe separation (greater than 5 finger widths) you may want to visit a physical therapist to help correct your diastasis.

While most mild cases of diastasis recti will improve with core exercises, if you find that you’re not getting results, it may be best to reach out to a physical therapist even if you have a mild case of diastasis.