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A diastasis recti is a separation of abdominal muscles. |
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Avoid exercises and activities with a forward crossover movement (like tennis or crunches). |
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Strengthen the transverse muscle in a sitting position (not in a back-lying position). |
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Roll to your side and use arms to push yourself up from a lying position. |
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For the full article, read more...
f you’re a new mom, no doubt you’re wondering when and how (or if!) your belly will ever be flat again.
Is it crunch time? No! It turns out that crunches can be harmful to both your belly and your back. To understand why, here’s an overview of how abdominals work:
Abdominals 101
We have three layers of abdominals:
The Rectus Abdominis
This outer muscle supports your back and organs. During pregnancy the rectus abdominis both stretches and separates.
When the muscles separate, it is called a diastasis recti or separation of the recti muscle. This separation diminishes both the support for your back (causing back problems) and the support for your organs (causing the “mummy tummy”). Since the connective tissue joining the muscles stretches sideways, your organs become supported by a thin piece of connective tissue - so those protruding bellies are really organs not being supported effectively!
Pregnant again? Women show faster in their second pregnancy due to the separation of these muscles. This separation will get larger with each pregnancy, although specific exercises can help close it.
The Obliques
These middle layer abdominals run diagonally down the sides of your body and connect with the recti muscle. Because of this connection, any forward moving action of the obliques will create a shearing effect on the recti muscle and will make the separation larger.
What to avoid: Exercises and activities that have a forward crossover movement (like tennis) will make the separation larger and should be avoided until the diastasis is closed.
