From incontinence to infections, women can suffer from all kinds of pregnancy-related and postpartum complications, and one such side effect is diastasis recti. If you’re a new or expectant mother with diastasis recti, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing this condition affects over half of all pregnant and postpartum women.
Better yet, diastasis recti responds incredibly well to physiotherapy, and our therapists at Get Right Physio have a wealth of experience in helping the women of Toronto get back to normal after receiving their diagnosis.
Secure an appointment with one of our physiotherapists and work through a tailor-made recovery programme to heal diastasis recti.
Many clients are unfamiliar with the term diastasis recti until they get diagnosed with the condition. Diastasis recti occurs when the large abdominal muscles separate due to overstretching of connective tissue. The nature of pregnancy means that pregnant and postpartum clients are particularly susceptible.
A bulge in the center of your lower abdomen is often the only symptom for many women, and this bulge is usually visible and detectable by touch. Though it’s not always painful, diastasis recti can be for some clients and can also lead to poor posture, difficulty completing routine tasks, and urinary leakage.
In some cases, diastasis recti simply heals itself, and the gap between the muscles lessens over a number of weeks. This doesn’t apply to all women, and many clients require physiotherapy to overcome this condition.
If you suspect you have diastasis recti, your first step should be to contact your obstetrician, who will likely give you some helpful exercises to work on if they confirm your suspicions.
At this point, some women will be encouraged to attend physiotherapy if their obstetrician deems it necessary. Before you get started, you’ll meet your therapist, who will conduct several assessments to assess the distance between both sets of muscles and the level of protrusion caused. Based on their evaluation, your therapist will then formulate a specialized programme to aid your rehabilitation, which can be done in your home or condo.
The focus of each physiotherapy session will be to narrow the gap between your abdominal muscles until they return to their normal position. This is typically done using a blend of core strengthening exercises, soft tissue therapy, and taping, depending on what’s best suited to each client.
Your physiotherapy sessions for diastasis recti will focus on some of the following goals:
Physiotherapy allows clients with diastasis recti to return to their normal lives as quickly as possible, allowing them to move freely and confidently after treatment. There are many other benefits to physical therapy for diastasis recti, including the following:
Although you’ll need a medical professional to confirm whether you have diastasis recti or not, it’s often possible to tell by conducting a simple test.
To begin, raise your head and shoulders, and as you do so, place two fingers along the centre of your stomach. If you’re moving your fingers up and down your abdomen and feel a gap greater than the width of two fingers between each set of muscles, there’s a good chance you have diastasis recti.
The amount of time it takes to notice improvements after commencing physiotherapy will depend on the severity of the gap between your abdominal muscles. Though each client’s case is unique, many women find their recovery takes several weeks or a few months.
You can make several lifestyle changes that complement your physiotherapy and contribute to your recovery from diastasis recti. Some of these include:
Unfortunately, there’s no fail-safe way to prevent yourself from diastasis recti during future pregnancies. However, there are some things you can do to lower your risk and minimize the severity of a potential diagnosis down the line. Below are some of the best things you can do to be proactive about diastasis recti:
Diastasis recti can be an unpleasant side effect of pregnancy and childbirth, but it’s luckily among the most treatable and is easily remedied in most cases.
Our therapists will create a treatment plan of practical exercises and techniques that you can work on during your in-person sessions and as part of your daily routine outside of physiotherapy.
Arrange an appointment with a therapist from Get Right Physio today, and let us guide you through your diastasis recti recovery.
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