It’s not fat, it’s my internal organs! – or the Diastasis Recti 101

Today’s post comes from Kathie – and explains where she went during the April challenge!

So, there I was, doing the April Ripped in 30 challenge, when suddenly my midwife diagnosed me with Diastasis Recti, and forbid me from doing anything even remotely like a crunch, sit-up, jackknife… basically anything Jillian Michaels considers to be an ab exercise. Of course, my first thought was “Oh crap, I am doomed to have a mummy tummy for all time.” My next, slightly more logical thought, however, was that I needed to find out more about this common problem, and how to solve it. A lot of research later, I’m feeling a lot better about the whole thing, and have even started to dream of a six-pack again, so I thought I’d share my finding with any other Shredhead mums.

Diastasis Recti, or split abs, is a very common ailment in women who have one or more pregnancies under their belt. I found some statistics online that suggested that around a third of women will have it after their first pregnancy, and that figure rises to around two thirds after consecutive pregnancies, particularly if the gap didn’t close fully after the first time. Basically, the external ab muscles, the ones that are visible in that illusive six pack, separate as pregnancy progresses as the bump expands outwards. The connective tissue in the muscle stretches and weakens, and eventually, you are left with a split muscles, which is unable to perform its intended function – supporting the internal organs and back. In some people, depending on how big your bump was, how strong your muscles were pre-pregnancy etc, an actual gap never appears, or if it does, it closes by itself as your bump disappears. In others, and apparently I am one of them, the gap remains, leaving you with saggy internal organs (always a good look!) , and a higher risk of back pain.

Of course, when faced with a saggy tummy, the first thing most people do is to start doing sit-ups or crunches.  Unfortunately, the strain placed on the muscles in those exercises only serves to make the gap wider. They’re also really bad for your pelvic floor, and we all know that that is something no mum needs.

So, how do you tell if you have split abdominals? Basically, you can feel them if you know what you are looking for. There are a few videos on YouTube, showing you how to self-test (I like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5iAnyo24Es ), but basically, you lie on your back, with your fingers just below your breastbone, and lift your head and shoulders off the floor. You should be able to feel a hard muscle left and right of your fingers, and a softer bit in between. Anything more than about 1 finger width between the 2 muscles is considered a split.

The good news is, you can heal a gap, even a longer time after a birth. The most simple exercise is done sitting on a chair, with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Concentrate on your stomach area, and as you inhale, imagine “zipping up” those stomach muscles you just felt in the self-test. Start at your pelvic bone, and zip all the way to your breastbone, pulling your belly button into your spine as you do so. Once you’ve mastered that, pull up your pelvic floor on the exhale, as well. I’ve been doing about 10 reps of this a day for the past 3 weeks, and my gap is noticeably smaller.

Whether you have a gap or not though, many specialists do not recommend doing crunches if you have had a baby at all. Concentrate on core strength, which will flatten your tummy equally effectively without putting pressure on those parts of your body (by which I mean tissue, which cannot be strengthened, as opposed to muscle, which obviously can) which have been loosened and weakened by pregnancy.  Again, there are tons if core strength exercises freely available online – just remember, crunches are out, even if they’re described as core exercise.

Note – if you suspect you’ve got split abdominals, we recommend you see a doctor as well.

Tags: Diastasis Recti