When Does Diastasis Recti Heal Postpartum?
Have you noticed diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), or separation of the abdominal muscles after having a baby and wondered “when does diastasis recti heal?" This separation of the abdominal muscles occurs during pregnancy as your baby grows, especially during the third trimester. So when does diastasis recti heal? Will the separation heal on its own, or is there a way you can speed up the process? Keep reading to find out!
What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis Rectus Abdominis, the fancy word for DRA, is the separation of the rectus abdominis, or “six pack muscles” at the linea alba. The linea alba is a line of connective tissue connecting the two sides of the six pack muscles. Diastasis recti occurs in the majority of women during pregnancy as the abdominal muscles stretch to make room for the growing baby. The body also produces increased levels of relaxin, which is a reproductive hormone, during pregnancy which makes the linea alba more relaxed and susceptible to separating.
What is the Normal Healing Process of a Diastasis Recti?
After delivery, many women still notice a separation of their abdominal muscles. It is often more noticeable with movements like sitting up in bed, lifting heavy things, or trying to do crunches or planks. Research shows that spontaneous healing of a diastasis recti will occur until about 8 weeks postpartum. After that, it requires some manual work and targeted exercises to close that gap and re-build tension between the two sides of the abdominal muscles. The goal is to not only close the gap between the two muscle bellies but also improve the body’s ability to generate tension across the linea alba.
What Can I Do to Help Heal a Diastasis Recti?
Avoid holding your breath while lifting or exercising.
Avoid common exercises that cause ‘coning’ in your belly, such as crunches, pushups and burpees. This is only temporary, and these can typically be reintroduced once your DRA is healed!
Perform basic core exercises that target the transverse abdominus muscles.
See a pelvic floor physical therapist for further assessment. If you don’t know if you have a DRA or don’t know where to start rehabbing it, seeing an expert is a great place to start!
If you’re wondering “when will my diastasis recti heal?” or wishing you could get back to doing your favorite workouts without back pain, you may need guidance from a Women’s Health Specialized PT who can perform manual work to support your tissues, prescribe appropriate exercises to safely strengthen your core, and help you heal your DRA! Click here to download our free guide to help fix your diastasis recti.
References: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1356689X0600172X?via%3Dihub