Diastasis Recti: What It Is, and How to Assess, Prevent, and Heal It

What is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis Recti (DR) is a common injury that occurs mainly during pregnancy and affects the core. Many people also refer to Diastasis Recti as “abdominal separation” or “stomach gap”. During pregnancy, our rectus abdominis, the outer layer of ab muscles, have to stretch apart to create room for the growing baby. With this extreme stretching to accommodate growth and development, it essentially makes the rectus abdominis unable to function properly during pregnancy and postpartum.

The severity of the abdominal separation varies for every person and every pregnancy, and severity of DR can be minimized by doing pregnancy safe Diastasis Recti workouts. However, it can also become worse by doing improper core workouts during pregnancy. We also like to point out that this abdominal injury can also occur in males, but has been predominantly found to affect females due to child bearing.

Dr. Jesse Lillejord, Doctor of Chiropractic and Founder of Chiro For Moms, says, “When it comes to Diastasis Recti, time is your best friend. With healing, we see women getting the best results when they are willing to take the time and explore multiple avenues of help. We most often recommend pelvic/spinal adjusting, as the abdominal muscles attach to the pelvis (the pelvis needs to be aligned following labor & delivery due to all the shifting), refer out to pelvic floor physical therapy, recommend applicable supports (like a band) for stability to complete their activities of daily living (bending, twisting, lifting with a child), and of course, Pilates for the core strength and stabilization.”

How to Assess Diastasis Recti Abdominis

Many people who are trying to heal their Diastasis Recti abdominis will often refer to this healing as “closing the gap”. Depending on the severity of your Diastasis Recti, there can be a noticeable gap that runs down the center of the abdomen. When this gap forms down the centerline where tissue is injured, or “torn”, the gap forms between these two halves of the Diastasis Recti muscle.

With Diastasis Recti abdominis, the connective tissue stretches and thins, leading to a measurable separation between the two sides of your abdominal muscles. The gab can start at your sternum bone and travel all the way down to your pubic bone or run somewhere along that line. The separation can also become a noticeable bulge or ridge that runs down that midline.

Other common signs of Diastasis Recti may include:

Bloating
Pelvic floor problems
Poor posture
Mommy pooch (soft belly that you can’t get rid of)
An outie belly button

4-Step Assessment for Checking Diastasis Recti

Since the severity of Diastasis Recti can vary for every person, Julie Tupler, the inventor of the Tupler Technique, says you are looking for the distance between the separated muscles and the condition of the connective tissue when checking for Diastasis Recti. There is a simple way you can check and assess for DR using the following 4 simple steps:

Begin by laying on your back with your knees bent, arms alongside you, and your head flat and neutral.
Use this assessment in these three places: (1) At the belly button, (2) Above the belly button, halfway between your sternum and belly button, and (3) Below the belly button, halfway between your pubic bone and belly button.
Place your fingers on your belly button and relax. Begin to slightly lift your head to see how many fingers fit between the separated muscles. Be sure to assess the largest of the three places noted in Step 2.
Check the condition of the connected tissue. Begin by placing one finger on your belly button and pressing down to see how deep your finger goes without lifting your head. The deeper your finger goes means the weaker the connective tissue is. Continue this 4-Step Assessment in all three assessment areas noted in Step 2.

Similar to our Pilates 8-Week Complete Core Challenge, the Tupler Technique is a program designed to make your Diastasis Recti abdominis smaller and heal the weaker connective tissue between the muscles. Unlike the Tupler Technique, which requires you to wear a Tupler branded splint, our 8-Week Complete Core Challenge teaches you how to develop the deep transverse abdominis muscle to create that corset-like muscle strength on your own.

Dr. Jesse Lillejord of Chiro For Moms is one of the Women’s Health Professionals who has completed our Pilates 8-Week Complete Core Challenge. Here is a brief statement of her experience with the challenge: “I personally loved the 8-Week Challenge! As a mama of two c-sections (nearly 8 years ago), I found this challenge to be inspiring and, dare I say, challenging. It woke up abdominal muscles I didn’t know I had. The consistency helped me feel like I was making real progress and creating new lifestyle habits for the long haul.”

3-Dimensional Breathing Exercise to Prevent Diastasis Recti Abdominis During Pregnancy and Postpartum

To prevent Diastasis Recti during pregnancy and postpartum, I recommend performing this 3D Breathing Exercise daily. At first do as many breaths as you can, and over time work up to 10 consistent breaths in a row. Be sure to check out the video demonstration of this 3-Dimensional Breathing Exercise that I included below the exercise steps!

3-Dimensional (3D) Breathing Exercise Steps

Place your hands on your lower abdomen and breathe into your hands.
Place your hands on the rib cage and breathe laterally into your hands. Inhale allowing ribs to expand and open like butterfly wings and “knit” butterfly wings back together with each exhale.
Focus on breathing into back ribs. Inhales allow the back to expand and fill with air. Exhale and let the sternum soften and sink down.
Combine movements 1-3 in each and every breath as you perform 3D breathing.

3-Dimensional (3D) Breathing Exercise Video Demonstration:

5-Minute Exercise Regimen to Help Prevent Diastasis Recti and Heal Postpartum

Performing this 5-Minute Exercise Regimen 4 to 5 days a week will shape your core during pregnancy, shorten labor and delivery, and speed up postpartum recovery. Try to aim for 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise.

5-Minute Exercise Regimen to Prevent Diastasis Recti

Transverse Abdominal Breathing – Stabilize the trunk and focus on lifting the naval up without moving the spine.
Pelvic Rocking – Concentrate on just moving the pelvis from the lower abs, avoiding a full cat stretch.
Pelvic Tilt – Tuck the hips with just lower belly activation. Think of moving just the space between the naval and the pubic bone. Avoid rounding through the upper back.
Spinal Balance – Hold center. Avoid rocking side to side while keeping the belly button over the middle of the exercise mat.
Side Squeeze – Begin with transverse abdominal breathing and concentrate on activating the obliques by lifting the hip to the armpit without swaying to the opposite side.

Follow along to the full class Daily Core Flow #106 on the PILATESBODY ON-Demand App. Use the code FREETRIAL at checkout to receive your first month at no cost!

Start Healing Today with Pregnancy Safe Diastasis Recti Workouts!

Patience and consistency are key to healing Diastasis Recti abdominis. I have designed my Pilates 8-Week Core + Booty Challenge as an On-Demand 6 day a week workout plan at only 30 minutes each day. It is your comprehensive Pilates-based Guide to building a strong core and toning your booty while you heal your body from the inside out. As a progressive challenge, you start by building the foundation of the core again with fundamental exercises, proper breathing, and body alignment. Over the course of the 8 weeks, the challenge progresses and you will get stronger and ultimately begin feeling like yourself again. Sign yourself up to start healing today!

Many women find that Pilates is their preferred form of exercise when it comes to healing DR after giving birth with pregnancy safe Diastasis Recti workouts. Pilates is one of the most common Diastasis Recti workout systems because of its isometric motion of movements and contraction of the abdominals. Pilates focuses on isometric contractions, proper breathing, spinal mobility, and posture alignment.

Just remember that healing looks different to everybody. The time it takes to heal depends on the severity of the injury as well as the consistency to repair and heal to restore full function, but our bodies are resilient and healing is possible without surgery! Start your healing journey today with our Pilates 8-Week Complete Core Challenge and our classes on the PILATESBODY On-Demand App!

Your Friend & Pilates Expert,

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Kayla Brugger
Founder of PILATESBODY by Kayla
Founder of PILATESBODY On-Demand

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