If a long time has passed after the birth of the baby, but this part of the body does not change its appearance, you may have diastasis of the abdominal muscles. There is nothing to be surprised at, because during pregnancy it is on the abdominal muscles that the main load falls. However, do not despair, because there are effective exercises for diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles.
Diastasis: what is it?
Diastasis is the divergence of the rectus abdominis muscles and, according to statistics, this phenomenon occurs in almost a third of women after childbirth. Most often, diastasis is diagnosed with polyhydramnios, repeated births or multiple pregnancies. Recall that the straight abdominal muscles just form those cubes on the stomach that all athletes seek to pump up.
The right and left muscles are held together by connective tissues. During pregnancy, she is exposed to great stress, because internal pressure increases as the fetus develops. Often everything returns to normal by itself after the birth of a baby, but not always. It is in that case that exercises for diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles will help to solve the problem.
The reasons for the development of diastasis
The main reasons for the development of diastasis are pregnancy and childbirth. The more often a woman gives birth, the higher the risk of diastasis. With the development of the fetus, the pressure on the anterior wall of the peritoneum increases and this leads to overstretching and divergence of the muscles. Also, during pregnancy, the female body synthesizes the hormonal substance relaxin. It is necessary to soften the tendons of the abdomen, while increasing their elasticity.
In theory, after childbirth, everything should return to normal, but, unfortunately, this does not always happen. The risk group includes women who had a very large belly during pregnancy. We have already talked about three cases in which this is possible. As a result, the abdominal muscles are stretched much more than normal. If, before pregnancy, the young mother was not overweight and actively trained her abs, then she is not in danger of diastasis.
How is diastasis diagnosed?
If a woman has developed diastasis, then the skin looks flabby and no cosmetic products can help get rid of it. To diagnose the presence or absence of diastasis, you will need to spend a few minutes and go through a simple test. Moreover, you can do this at home and you do not need to consult a specialist. You need to follow these steps:
- Take a supine position with your knees bent and your feet next to each other.
- Place one hand behind your head. Then lift your shoulders and head up as if you want to do a crunch for your abdominal muscles.
- Divide your tummy mentally into two halves along the navel. In this place, the connective tissue is located, which holds the rectus abdominis muscles together. Place three fingers of your free hand on the navel and begin to feel the lower abdomen in the direction of the pubis. Then follow the same steps towards the chest. Note that when palpating, the fingers should be positioned across the tummy.
- If, while performing all these manipulations, your fingers fall through more than three centimeters, then the likelihood of diastasis is high. You can be sure of the accuracy of your diagnosis after visiting the surgeon.
- The discrepancy is from 5 to 7 centimeters - a slight degree.
- The deepening is 7 to 10 centimeters - medium.
- The discrepancy was more than 10 centimeters - a severe degree.
Is diastasis a danger to the body?
Most often, this problem is purely aesthetic - a woman makes a lot of efforts to eliminate the formed abdomen, but cannot achieve her goal. At the same time, there are situations when diastasis is uncomfortable. In rare cases, health problems can also appear.
With diastasis, pain in the abdomen and lower back is possible, and when lifting weights, they increase. The greatest threat is fraught with diastasis of the third degree, in which the discrepancy between the muscles of the press is more than 10 centimeters. This is due to the weakening of the muscles, which increases the risk of hernia and prolapse of internal organs.
What precautions should be taken with diastasis?
If, after childbirth, a woman has developed diastasis, then first of all it is necessary to avoid any actions that can lead to an increase in intra-abdominal pressure. Learning how to properly lift and carry the baby is imperative. Moreover, in such a situation, it is necessary to control how you get out of bed or chair and even monitor your cough. Here are the precautions to be taken with diastasis:
- When coughing, place your palms on your tummy and press lightly. This will prevent the belly from swelling too much.
- Control your posture, because now you cannot slouch or bend strongly in the lumbar region.
- Do not lift heavy objects that weigh more than five or six pounds. When lifting lighter weights, extend your arms, bending them at the elbow joints.
- If your baby only calms down after picking him up, we recommend using a postpartum bandage or simply swaddling his tummy.
- When you lie down or get out of bed, first assume a lying position on your side. When lifting from a chair, it is necessary to transfer the body weight to one buttock, draw in the tummy and make a semicircle of the bodies in the direction of the supporting leg. Try to get up solely with the strength of your leg muscles.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach as this puts more pressure on the muscles and tendons. As a result, they stretch even more and the situation is aggravated.
The best exercises for diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles
Before telling you about the most effective exercises for diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles, a few caveats should be made. It must be remembered that excessive stress on the abdominal muscles after childbirth can bring serious trouble. If you actively train this part of the body, then the problem will become even more difficult. High loads will only provoke an even more significant stretching of the midline of the tummy. After giving birth, it is worth waiting alone, or better a month and a half and not training during this period.
You should not perform twisting with diastasis, since the problem is likely to only get worse. Push-ups and plank exercises are also prohibited. The best option is static exercises performed at a calm pace. Pilates can be an excellent choice as it offers a safe movement that pulls your abs well. Now let's look at the best exercises for diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles.
- Exercise number 1- retraction of the abdomen. This is the simplest and most effective movement. It can be performed in any conditions, even at the moment when you are walking with your baby. Just suck in your tummy and stay in this position for several accounts. Throughout the day, it is worth doing several sets of 30 repetitions each. After about a month, you will find that your abdominal muscles are significantly strengthened.
- Exercise number 2- "kitty". Take a standing position on your knees and rest your hands on the ground at shoulder level. Make sure the limbs are at a 90 degree angle. Pull in your tummy by tilting your head down and arching your back. After that, bend in the lower back, keeping the abdominal muscles in constant tension. The movement is performed 7 to 8 times.
- Exercise number 3- lifting the buttocks. Take a supine position with your arms extended along your body. With your legs bent at the knee joints, set them at shoulder level. As you exhale, lift your hips, contracting the abdominal muscles. This movement involves not only the abdominal muscles, but also the hips and buttocks. You need to do 15 repetitions.
- Exercise number 4- head lifts. Take a position similar to the previous movement. Begin to slowly raise your head and pause at the upper end point of the trajectory. At the same time, the abdominal muscles should be in tension. The number of repetitions is 15.
- Exercise number 5- straightening of the knee joints. The starting position is the same as in the previous exercise, but you need to raise your legs above the pelvis. As always, your abs should be tense. Keeping your feet in the air, slowly level one of them and lower it to the ground. After that, return to the starting position and perform the movement with the other leg. 10 repetitions are enough for each limb.
- Exercise number 6- touching the ground with the heels. The starting position is similar to the previous movement, but the legs are lifted up and bent at the knee joints at an angle of 90 degrees. As you exhale, lower one leg down with your heel touching the ground. After returning to the starting position, perform a similar movement with the other leg. The number of repetitions is similar to exercise number 5.
- Exercise number 7- with elastic band. Take a supine position with your legs bent at the knee joints and spreading them to shoulder level. Keep your shoulders and back firmly on the ground. Tie an elastic band around your knees. As you exhale, begin to spread your legs as wide as possible, and while inhaling, return to the starting position. Performing this movement, you need to feel the work of the transverse abdominal muscle.
- Exercise number 8- with a ball. To perform the movement, you can use a regular children's ball or fitball. Take the starting position similar to the previous exercise, holding the sports equipment between the knee joints. As you exhale, begin to bring your legs together, using only the transverse abdominal muscle. Return to the starting position while inhaling.
Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles is a fairly common problem, especially relevant for women after childbirth.
Changes in the body after pregnancy can be difficult to accept, especially when they cause discomfort not only on the psychological, but also on the physical level.
About 15% of women who have given birth are faced with muscle stretching, and due to such a comparative rarity of the problem, there are various legends about it. My older sister three years ago came across them in practice: stories on the forums, reviews of other mothers about the treatment of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth and the myths associated with this scared her a lot.
I had to get down to business and thoroughly study the topic, involving competent doctors in the process. The sister calmed down and after a few months regained her shape - well, now I am happy to share with you the experience and information that we found in the process of research, and advice on how to deal with the problem.
Complete educational program on diastasis
In the very center of the abdomen, the so-called rectus muscle runs from top to bottom - this is what we see when we pump up pretty "cubes" of the press in the gym. Despite the name, which implies a singular number, the rectus muscle actually consists of two mirrored halves, separated by a white line - a strip of connective tissue, consisting mainly of collagen.
Hormonal changes and the growth of the uterus during pregnancy lead to a decrease in the tone of the white line and a change in its structure (by the way, it is because of this that a brown vertical stripe on the abdomen appears in pregnant women). This is necessary for the normal development of the fetus, which requires more and more space in the mother's womb. After childbirth, the softened white line and rectus muscle gradually return to their normal state.
With diastasis, this process slows down or turns off altogether. Between the left and right halves of the rectus muscle, there is a subcutaneous "gap" filled with the connective tissue of the white line.
Tip: Generally, tissue repair after childbirth takes six to ten weeks. Don't worry about diastasis ahead of schedule and allow your body to bounce back naturally.
It is worth noting that stretching of the rectus abdominis muscles may appear not only after childbirth. The reasons may be too hard physical exercise, lifting excessive weight, as well as diseases leading to weakening of the connective tissue (hernia, varicose veins, etc.). Accordingly, not only women suffer from diastasis: men and children are also susceptible to this problem.
Myths about muscle strain after childbirth
The internet is full of unconfirmed information. This is especially true of topics of health and beauty - those that women take most to heart. Diastasis is located right at the intersection of these two topics, and there are plenty of myths about him on the network - myths that can bring even the most calm girls to hysterics. So it happened with my sister: after googling a little, she came to me with square eyes and burst into tears, because she had already managed to “wind up” a lifelong physical imperfection and inevitable divorce. So that nothing like this comes to your mind, I will cite all the common myths at once. So, they say this problem:
- Irreversibly changes the very structure of abdominal tissues
- It certainly causes painful sensations
- Becomes the cause of lifelong "mommy tummy"
- Leads to constant weakness and almost atrophy of the abdominal muscles
- May cause intestinal prolapse (hernia)
Ladies! All of this is FALSE. Do not be fooled by publications with such statements, but if anxiety prevails over common sense - go to a doctor's consultation. We selected a qualified specialist for the sister, who thoroughly and calmly dispelled all her worries.
Advice: if you decide that you need a professional, make your choice consciously. Some doctors - most often, unfortunately, in government agencies - do not have the tact and temperament necessary to communicate with the delicate psyche of women who have recently given birth. Don't add bad service to your worries!
Predisposition and prevention
There are a number of factors that increase the risk of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth. These include:
- Miniature or, conversely, obese physique
- Pregnancy with twins, triplets, etc.
- Second and subsequent pregnancies
- Late age of expectation of the baby
- Poor muscle tone
- Backward curvature of the spine in the thoracic region (kyphosis)
In addition, if you have had diastasis after a previous pregnancy, the chance of having it again becomes almost one hundred percent.
But there is good news: the development of the problem can be prevented with a fairly high probability. If you are just planning a pregnancy or want to carry out prophylaxis for the future, sports are the best way: trained abdominal muscles quickly return their tone and natural position after the birth of the baby.
Well, during pregnancy, the main preventive method will be the absence of stress on the rectus abdominis muscles. To keep them as low as possible, avoid wearing heavy items and avoiding high-heeled shoes (the altered center of gravity makes your abs tense). Get up from a lying position by rolling onto your side and using your arms instead of using your abdominal muscle to stand up.
Tip: Using maternity corsages can also help reduce muscle strain.
Degrees and types of muscle divergence
Doctors distinguish between several degrees of severity of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles. It is important to know them for self-diagnosis, which will be discussed in the next section:
- The first stage of the problem is characterized by the expansion of the white line by four to five centimeters. Changes in the shape of the abdomen are minimal or completely invisible to the eye.
- The second stage is the divergence of the muscles by six to ten centimeters. The change in the shape of the abdomen becomes noticeable visually - it protrudes forward, and the skin in the middle becomes flabby.
- In the third stage, the muscles are separated from each other by a considerable distance - up to fifteen centimeters. The abdomen sags a lot, the skin is flabby. The third stage can provoke an umbilical hernia, so it is better to treat it under the supervision of a specialist.
In addition to this classification, diastasis of the rectus muscles differs in type: the discrepancy above the navel, under it and over the entire area of the abdomen. The differences are most clearly visible in the live photo.
How to determine at home
Well, now about the main thing: how to determine if you have a discrepancy of the rectus abdominis muscles. This is a simple procedure, but remember: it should be carried out no earlier than a month and a half after childbirth - the tissues are still recovering during this period, and there is a high probability that the "detected" diastasis too soon will pass by itself.
Lie on your back to check for muscle divergence. Place the fingertips of one hand in the center of the abdomen. Then raise your head without straining your shoulders: this will lead to a slight contraction of the abdominal muscles. Without lowering your head, lightly press with your fingertips on your stomach. "Symptoms" of the presence of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth during such a test are well traced both to the touch and visually in the form of a "dip" under the skin, right in the middle of the abdomen, between the right and left rectus muscles.
Advice: it is inconvenient to measure the size of the discrepancy in centimeters on your own, and therefore remember - at the first degree, two or three fingers are placed in the "hole", at the second - four or five, more - at the third.
Repeat the procedure for the areas above and below the navel. If during the self-diagnosis you have difficulties, contact a surgeon for a test or go to an ultrasound scan. The latter is especially true for ladies of a magnificent physique - manual research may not give reliable results even with the participation of a specialist.
Treatment of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth
For the treatment of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth, two main methods are used: exercise or surgery. The preference for one or the other depends on the severity of the muscle divergence. The first stage can be easily treated with proper physical activity. If you start on time, exercise can help with the second stage of the problem. With the third, an operation is almost always prescribed.
Tip: Don't worry in advance if you suffer from severe muscle divergence. Modern methods of surgical intervention are effective and practically leave no traces - I will talk about this in more detail in the section below.
Choose the Right Exercise for Your Workout Exercises
The natural desire that most women have is to start pumping the abs to strengthen the muscles and make them "fall into place." This is what my sister thought about in the first place - and this is how she managed to increase her diastasis from the first to the second stage. This approach is fundamentally wrong: abdominal exercises can only aggravate the condition, just like some yoga poses and fitness techniques. Here is a complete list of DON'T do:
- Lying on a fitness ball
- Practice yoga belly breathing techniques (vacuum, "fire breathing", etc.)
- Practice asanas aimed at stretching the abdominal muscles (gomukhasana, adho mukha svanasana, etc.)
- Standard abdominal exercises (crunches, crunches, planks, push-ups, etc.)
- Any exercise that requires a knee-elbow position
In addition, any severity remains under the ban - to which, by the way, your newborn child belongs. It is recommended to wear it exclusively with the use of a special belt or sling, while not forgetting to wear a bandage to fix the abdomen.
So, we figured out what cannot be done. What set of exercises to choose for the successful treatment of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth at home? The doctor advised my sister to do five types of exercises, which I will discuss below.
The first is to raise the pelvis from a prone position. To do this, you need to lie on your back on a hard surface and bend your knees. Resting your feet on the floor, slowly lift your hips up: this involves the muscles of the press and buttocks. At the top, when your body is in a straight line from knees to shoulders, hold for a few seconds, and then slowly lower back down. The exercise is repeated ten times, and you need to do it three times a day (in a row with a little rest between sets or at another convenient time - for example, in the morning, afternoon and evening).
The second exercise is a variation of the first, only now, along with raising the pelvis, it is necessary to raise one leg - so that at the peak point it makes a single line with the body. Everything else is done in the same way, and you need to repeat the technique once a day, ten times for each leg.
For the third exercise, the wall squat, you will need a small fitness ball, or a Pilates ball. The exercise is performed as follows:
- Choose a flat wall to lean against
- Press your back against it so that it is as straight as possible.
- Slowly lower your back against the wall until your knees are bent at right angles
- Hold the ball between your knees and hold in this position for about half a minute
- Slowly return to the starting upright position without releasing the ball.
You need to repeat the exercise five times once a day.
The next technique is kicking slides. To perform it, you should lie on your back on a flat, hard surface. Place your hands under your head and stretch out, and then, raising your legs, begin to make movements as when climbing a ladder. Take twenty "steps", rest and repeat two more times - there will be a total of three approaches.
Tip: If you feel that your abdominal muscles are tightening too much, ask someone to hold you by the shoulders, pressing you to the floor. This way you can reduce the load without affecting the effectiveness of the exercise too much.
The last exercise is crunches. If you were attentive, then you should think: crunches, it seems, are forbidden ... If you are thinking - well done. The secret is that we reduce the load by wrapping a towel around the torso, at the same time providing the abdomen with the necessary fixation. So, the exercise is performed like this:
- Wrap a towel around your torso, paying special attention to the problem area
- Lie on your back and hold the ends of the towel in your hands criss-cross
- Start crunching by lifting your head, neck and shoulders.
- Pull on the ends of the towel at the same time, relieving muscle strain.
Do ten reps. Like the first exercise, crunch should be done in three sets.
If you do the exercises at least three times a week (it is better, of course, not to phony and practice every day), noticeable results will appear in one and a half to two months. Well, after six months or a year, the tummy will completely return to normal. So, my sister coped with a six-centimeter muscle divergence in eight months of training.
Tip: the effect will be faster and more noticeable if you combine exercise with a high-quality diet and an abundance of walks in the fresh air. The abundance of oxygen has a beneficial effect on the tissue's ability to repair.
Surgery
With diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth of the third degree, the operation becomes the most successful and logical choice, given the severity of the condition and possible complications. Operative treatment helps to effectively strengthen the abdominal wall to prevent the problem from recurring. There are two main types of operations:
- Stretching plastic with local fabrics
- Laparoscopy with mesh endoprosthesis
The second option is preferable, since it practically leaves no traces and allows relapse to be excluded with confidence. The surgeon at the clinic will tell you the details about the operation, since the details may vary depending on the doctor, the technologies used, etc.
That's all there is to know about diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles after childbirth. I hope that the information will help you successfully cope with the problem and, as soon as possible, admire your before and after photos, admiring the excellent results. Good luck!
Master of Sports in Bodybuilding | more >>
Master of Sports of Ukraine in bodybuilding, coach. Finalist of the European Championship IFBB Moldova, Chisinau 2013. Champion of Ukraine in the category up to 70 kg. 2011 year. Multiple medalist of the Ukrainian bodybuilding and bench press championships. Senior moderator of our site.
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Date: 2018-10-11 Views: 11 514 Grade: 5.0
First, a little anatomy
1. Rectus muscle. It stretches from top to bottom along the entire line of the abdomen: it stretches from the chest and extends to the pubic bone. The main abdominal muscle is divided by a tendon into two parts, left and right. The rest of the tendons are located across, thereby dividing our abs into cubes. The rectus abdominis muscle serves as the flexor of our torso. The rectus abdominis muscle is not divided into different parts, since it is one muscle layer, divided into zones in the form of cubes by tendons.Other abdominal muscles, which are made up of three parts of muscles, are the side walls of our abs (abdomen):
2. External oblique. These superficial abdominal muscles begin at the side of our chest cell and continue with the superficial muscles of the intercostal space, they cover the ribs. These muscles are attached to the eight lower ribs with teeth, they are located from top to bottom along the oblique. The oblique muscles of the abdomen flex our spine, and the oblique muscles are also responsible for turning to the right or left of our body. 3. The internal obliques have taken their place under the external oblique muscles. These muscles cross the abdomen from the pelvis to the ribcage, its fibers stretching diagonally. The function of these muscles is the same as that of the external ones. They also take part in turning the body to the sides. 4. The transverse muscles are located under the main layer of the abdominal muscles, they serve to protect the internal organs, and have no effect on the external muscles. Aponeurosis is the tendon tissue that holds all the muscles in our abdomen. In short, it is connective tissue. It is the same for both women and men and is no different.
Now let's look at what diastasis is.
Many women are faced with such a problem as diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles - this is a bundle of connective tissue in the middle of the core muscles. That is, a gap is formed just above the navel, and there may be a discrepancy along the entire line. As a result, the organs of the digestive tract can be squeezed into it. This phenomenon is similar to an umbilical hernia, which most often occurs in men as a result of strong physical exertion, with the lifting of large weights. In this situation, they solve this problem, in both cases, in an operable way. But if women have a slight discrepancy of 1-2 cm, then there is a chance that it may be delayed, but this is not a fact. With this problem, ordinary training is not suitable for women, it is necessary to perform specialized exercises so as not to harm, otherwise if you practice as usual and lift weights, you risk getting serious complications, and then there is no way without surgery. Diagnosing diastasis is very simple: you just need to press your fingers along the connective tissue vertically, along the entire line of the press, in the middle. If your fingers rest against the fabric, you will immediately feel it, but if they fall inside without any resistance, then you have problems. In total, there are 3 stages of diastasis:- The first stage discrepancy up to 5 cm
- Second stage discrepancy up to 10 cm
- Third stage more than 10 cm
In the third case, it is no longer possible to do without surgery, here the symptoms are already clearly noticeable - this is a protruding belly, but even at 10 cm it will also be clearly visible. What exercises cannot be done
- A ride on the bicycle
- Jumping
What exercises can you do
1. Static twisting
We perform static twisting exercise lying on our back and alternately raise our legs, the limbs should be bent at the knees, we twist the head and the upper part of the body a little as we try to do regular twists, but without taking the back off the floor, in the video I do the exercise quite quickly, but it's simple because this is just an example of how to do the exercise, the legs need to be held at the top point for a few seconds in order to withstand static.2. Pelvic bridge
This exercise should be performed, in principle, like a regular bridge, except that our hands are on the floor, during the exercise they cannot be torn off, when we raise the pelvis up, then we load the buttocks as much as possible, when down, press.3. Exercise "kitty"
Exercise "cat" is performed while standing on all fours, we straighten our palms, and begin to move the body up and down, strain the press at the top, strain our back below, perform it carefully and without excessive effort.4. Vacuum in the abdomen in the supine position
Perform the vacuum, as in the classical version while standing or sitting, lie down on the floor and begin to draw in the stomach, but not strongly, slightly strained, relaxed.5. Alternate lifting of the legs to the top from a prone position
Perform this exercise by raising the legs alternately from a prone position, the legs should be bent at the knees, the exercise is similar to twisting, only here we only have legs and lower abs.6. Stretching on all fours
We get on all fours, straighten our palms and lean on their entire surface and begin to stretch our legs back in turn so that they are parallel to the body and the floor.7. Lying leg curl with foot slide
From a supine position, we bend our legs without lifting the foot off the floor. We carry out one by one.8. Static hyperextension
Perform this exercise in the same way as the classical one through the goat, except that we do it lying on our stomach, respectively, there is no load on the stomach, here we work out the lower back when we push back. We delay the movement for a few seconds at the top point. You can order yourself a training or nutrition program from me, the author of the article.- My page in
Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles- this is the divergence of the rectus abdominis muscles relative to the white line (connective tissue where the muscle tendons join). This discrepancy can be either very small (up to 1.5 cm in the first weeks after childbirth) or significant (from 2 cm or more). It is the size and period of its manifestation that speaks of the seriousness of this problem for a woman. And today we will analyze all the nuances associated with diastasis after childbirth. We will find out its reasons, we will learn to determine whether you have diastasis or not. And also we will consider effective exercises for diastasis, which will help strengthen the abdominal muscles and get rid of a bulging tummy.
The birth of a child is a great happiness for any mother. But at the same time, this joyful event is accompanied by unpleasant changes in the woman's appearance. And also the appearance of diastasis. The main changes often occur in excess weight gain. And also in the appearance of diastasis disease, after childbirth. Those who have already had the experience of having a baby are most likely familiar with this medical term, but for those who have this process still ahead, it is worth defining it.
A bit of anatomy
Illustrations of a healthy abs and diastasis
The abdominal muscles are composed of four muscle groups, two of which are external and two are internal.
The external muscles include the rectus and external oblique muscles of the abdomen, which form the well-known 6 cubes. And the internal muscles of the abdomen include the transverse and internal oblique muscles. Which create a kind of muscle frame, which allows us to tightly hold our internal organs, as well as tighten our waist, making it narrower. Thus, their actions can be compared to the principle of a tightened corset, which makes our figure athletic and graceful.
Abdominal muscles without diastasis
How to determine diastasis?
Before we move on to consider practical recommendations and exercises for diastasis. You must first determine whether you have it or not. To do this, you need to do the following test
- Lie on your back with your legs bent at the knees (feet are on the floor).
- Place one hand behind your head. Place several fingers of the second hand along your midline at the level of the navel, parallel to the waistline.
- Lift your head off the floor, feeling the abdominal muscles tighten.
- Begin to feel the entire midline with your fingers, moving up and down from the navel line. Record how many fingers fit between the abdominal muscles.
If a gap has not formed. And the muscles of your abs did not form a "hole", which means you have no diastasis, my congratulations! If you feel that your abdominal muscles have parted to the sides, and a cavity several centimeters wide has formed between them, then you have diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles.
Causes of occurrence
Of course, diastasis cannot occur by itself. Several factors affect its appearance:
Increased intra-abdominal pressure (lifting heavy weights, straining) which leads to diastasis.
Weakness of the connective tissue, which leads to diseases such as hernias, varicose veins, excessive mobility of joints and ligaments, etc. which also becomes the cause of the appearance of diastasis.
Pregnancy. The main reason for the appearance of diastasis in women.
Within the framework of this article, we consider diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle, associated precisely with the latter factor, which applies to almost all women - future and present mothers.
Diastasis
Diastasis during pregnancy
In pregnant women, as the fetus grows, the uterus also increases in size, which increases the pressure on the abdominal wall, stretching the connective tissue (the white line of the abdomen), which becomes softer and more elastic under the influence of the hormone relaxin, which is one of the reasons for the appearance of Diastasis. The hormone relaxin is secreted in pregnant women in order to make their ligaments and joints more mobile, which makes it easier for women to give birth, but at the same time, it makes the connective tissue that makes up our white belly line overly elastic. It turns out that the hormone relaxin contributes to the occurrence of diastasis in pregnant women.
Diastasis
These two factors - increased pressure of the uterus on the abdominal wall and overly elastic connective tissue - are the main causes of diastasis after childbirth.
But in fact, you do not need to immediately fall into despair and postpartum depression if you find yourself having diastasis immediately after childbirth. This phenomenon is completely normal. Most mothers who have given birth have a discrepancy in the rectus abdominis muscles, which normally should not exceed 2 cm.That is, if the width of your white line within 1 5 months after childbirth is at the level of 2-3 cm, then this is absolutely normal (we have already identified the reasons ). During this period, you just need to do strengthening exercises for the abdominal muscles, which I will write about below, and just wait for the muscles to tone up, and the distance will shorten by itself.
If the discrepancy of the muscles exceeds more than 3 cm (3-4 fingers can easily fit between the abdominal muscles that have parted to the sides), then here you should take a more serious approach to solving this issue and use the exercises below to reduce your diastasis, since there is a high probability that he himself will not disappear so easily.
Diastasis stages
Diastasis stage 1 - a slight expansion of the white line of the abdomen, which practically does not visually affect the shape of the abdomen (divergence of the rectus abdominis muscles up to 4-5 cm).
Diastasis stage 2 - divergence of the rectus abdominis muscle in its lower section. At this stage, a protruding tummy is already noticeable, especially in its lower part (divergence of the rectus abdominis muscles up to 7-10 cm).
Diastasis stage 3 - divergence of the rectus abdominis muscle, both in the lower section and in the upper. This already significantly affects the shape of the abdomen, plus everything can cause the appearance of an umbilical hernia (divergence of the rectus abdominis muscles up to 15 cm).
Types of diastasis With the first stage of diastasis, it is possible to return the prenatal shape of the abdomen very quickly and without surgery, especially if the girl was friends with sports before giving birth and during pregnancy.
If the girl has the 2nd stage of diastasis. Then special exercises for the press + proper nutrition will help her to significantly reduce the size of diastasis within 7-10 weeks. And if the girl has the 3rd stage. Then, most likely, it will not be so easy to get rid of diastasis. Perhaps it makes sense to resort to surgery and have an abdominoplasty. But even such a radical method does not always promise to return you a flat stomach by 100%, and the cost of this procedure is not the cheapest ... Therefore, here the choice remains with the woman and depends on her financial situation and the degree of her despair.
diastasis - surgery
How to get rid of diastasis on your own?
Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles is a very serious problem for all women, causing them both external (aesthetic) discomfort in the form of a bulging abdomen (sometimes it seems that they are 3-5 months pregnant, their belly sticks out so much), and internal (moral ) discomfort, which affects their self-doubt and low self-esteem.
Therefore, it is not surprising that girls who are faced with this problem want to get rid of it by any means. To do this, they search for various videos on the Internet, read articles and communicate with other mothers who have the same problem as them, trying to get rid of diastasis on their own based on some advice. But in fact, there is a lot of information on the Internet, and it is often very contradictory. Some sources indicate some exercises and ways to get rid of diastasis, in others - completely different, and contradicting the first. It is easy to get confused in such an information space of options, but it is even easier to exacerbate an already existing problem.
- Is it possible to exercise during pregnancy?
Most of the ab exercises that we are used to doing in the gym, at home, or in fitness classes. Basically, the external abdominal muscles are involved, which are responsible for the formation of those same abs cubes. But when it comes to diastasis, we do not need to pump cubes. From which there is no use, but to strengthen the internal muscles of the press. Which will hold the internal organs and will be able to relieve you of a bulging belly. But before moving on to considering useful and effective exercises for diastasis, let's find out which exercises not only will not lead to the desired flat stomach, but can also cause your diastasis to worsen, for example, if you had the 1st stage of diastasis, then it can become the 2nd, and if it was the 2nd, then it can become the 3rd.
Prohibited exercises for diastasis
- Crunches / roll-ups / setups
- Various twists (straight, side, reverse)
- Bike
- Lowering and raising legs from a prone position
- Push ups
- Lower back flexion exercises
- Exercise on fitball, which involves a strong stretching of the abdominal muscles.
prohibited exercises for diastasis
Unlike various types of crunches, which only involve the external abdominal muscles. And they do not in any way affect the improvement of the situation with your muscles that have parted to the sides. Exercises aimed at the inner deep muscles of the abdomen are that magic wand that can radically change the appearance of your bulging abdomen and significantly reduce diastasis. What are these exercises?
- Vacuum with diastasis
Exercise "Vacuum" is one of the most effective exercises for working out exactly the INTERNAL TRANSVERSE abdominal muscle. Which is responsible for the muscle corset and the retention of organs inside. If you regularly (3-5 times a week) perform this exercise. The first positive results can be seen after 1.5-2 months.
- Plank for diastasis
Exercise "Plank" and all of its variants (classical and side planks) are static, which means that performing them, you are using, as in a vacuum, the internal muscles of the abdomen. Therefore, be sure to include planks in your anti-diastasis exercise routine if you want to see your flat tummy.
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Abs workout with different plank options
This complex is designed for a fairly advanced level. Of course, young mothers after the birth of a child are not in the best athletic shape.
You need to start making the bar gradually with the simplest option in 3 sets of 40-60 seconds. And then, as your muscles begin to get stronger, you can add more and more complex modifications of this exercise. And increase the time of the workout itself for the press.
Performing the bar for diastasis, you need to follow the technique of performing the exercise and all the time RETRACT THE ABDOMINAL... Your abdominal muscles should not be relaxed for a second! This is a very important point!
Notes (edit)
You can perform abdominal exercises with diastasis 3-4 weeks after childbirth.
- All static abs exercises with diastasis
These exercises involve holding the abdominal muscles without moving for a while. Such exercises can be ordinary twists, but only performed WITHOUT MOVING THE BODY UP-DOWN. For example, keeping the shoulders up in the STATIC and the HUNDRED exercise:
Holding the press in static tension
Do 2 sets of 15-20 seconds.
Exercise HUNDRED
We perform this exercise from 40 seconds to 1-2 minutes in 3 sets
- Kitty
WHAT is diastasis:
Divergence / separation of the rectus abdominis muscles (Rectus Abdominis) relative to the middle fascia of the abdomen - the "white line". The rectus abdominis muscles are interconnected by connective tissue fibers. This is the same "white" / "middle" line.
Three stages of diastasis:
- 3-5 cm(across)
Outwardly not noticeable, but discomfort is felt. You can cope on your own by adjusting nutrition + special exercises, breathing.
- 5-7 cm
Outwardly noticeable, requires a mandatory visit to a specialist.
- 7-10 cm and more
Requires surgical intervention followed by rehabilitation.
*** Exercises MUST be done at all stages.
Three types of diastasis (relative to the point of divergence):
- above the navel
- below the navel
- mixed type (muscle divergence both above and below the navel)
HOW TO DIAGNOSE
- Lie on your back, bend your knees. Raise your head and shoulders off the floor. While doing this, squeeze the pelvic muscles. Pull your belly inward. Place your fingers on your stomach in the midline above the navel, plunge your fingers inward, estimate the distance between the muscles. Then move it down. Put your fingers across.
- Lying on your back, straighten your legs. Lift one leg up about 10 centimeters. Place your hand on your stomach in the midline below the navel, immerse your fingers in the junction of the rectus abdominis muscles, assess the distance between the muscles.
100% of women have some degree of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle in the third trimester of pregnancy. This means that it is impossible to avoid physiological diastasis; it is important to monitor recovery later.
For many, the discrepancy persists for 6-8 weeks after delivery and may not disappear for about a year. In this case, a discrepancy of 1-1.5 cm is considered a physiological norm. 2 fingers is the norm after the second birth.
CAUSES OF DIASTASIS
- Prolonged, intense physical activity
- Fast weight gain or loss
- Pregnancy
- Dysplasia (congenital weakness of the connective tissue)
Strong and prolonged tension of the abdominal muscles increases intra-abdominal pressure, and the weakness of the "white line" leads to the fact that the muscles, under the influence of the increased intra-abdominal pressure created by them, begin to diverge to the sides. And the more the muscles tighten in the future, the more the diastasis increases. It turns out a vicious circle. Therefore, it would be a mistake to do classic abdominal exercises. They will only aggravate the situation.
WHAT IS DANGEROUS DIASTASIS, if it is not treated:
Poor posture
- hypermobility
- urinary incontinence when coughing or sneezing
- prolapse of internal organs
- discomfort during sexual activity
- pelvic disorders
- cosmetic defect
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO:
Maintain the correct posture: do not bend in the lower back, but do not slouch (Pilates to help)
- lie down and get out of bed through the side
- rising from a chair / sofa, suck in your stomach and get up using the strength of your legs
- wear a bandage after childbirth
- Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, abs, deep back muscles and diaphragm if you are planning a pregnancy
- do the operation if there is a discrepancy of 5-7 cm
WHAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO:
Download the press if you find diastasis
- lift weights weighing more than 7 kg
- eat a lot and get fat
- to panic
Exercises and behavior tactics see
