Physiotherapy and Exercise

Please remember, the ability to perform the correct exercises will depend on many factors that are nothing to do with ‘effort’ or ‘laziness’. What works for some will not work for all, and there are a number of options available.

• Severity of the separation: A wider gap will be more unstable and fewer exercises will be suitable. You may also find the exercises more difficult than someone with a smaller gap.

• Pain levels: For some the condition is not painful, but for others there is chronic pain from a variety of places.

• Other responsibilities: the ability to commit to an exercise regime long enough to see results varies from person to person. Multiple children, twins/triplets, children with additional support needs all take time and energy. Work that requires lifting, sitting or other activities can worsen your separation. Your own mental health may be fragile and doing what you can is plenty.

For those ready to try, the following information is offered as a starting point to exercise.

What exercises should I be cautious with?

It is best to be cautious with exercises that use your rectus abdominis muscles as primary drivers of movement. These include, but are not limited to:

• Sit ups. If there is doming of the belly doing this, that can make the separation larger.

• Planks. These need a strong core to begin with, so may be more unstable than before the separation, and would need to be carried without doming of the belly.

• Any exercise that results in a ‘doming’ belly, where your muscles start to bulge outward. This can make the stretch worse and can include even simple things such as sitting up from lying down (e.g. getting up in the morning). In this example, it is better to roll onto your side and then push up rather than ‘sit up’ directly.

What exercises should I do?

First, please seek professional support.

Any exercises undertaken are done at your own risk. Diastasis Recti UK CIC is not providing medical advice and you should seek the help of a suitable health professional before starting an exercise program.

A good place to start is The  POGP (Pelvic Obstetric and Gynaecological Physiotherapy). They have excellent information on the do’s and dont’s around diastasis recti. They cover both men and women’s health and offer a Find a Therapist tool.

For ladies, it is best to seek help from a women’s health specialist physio. Your GP should be able to refer you to a physio, but they are not always well acquainted with the condition. If you feel you are not being heard, request to see a GP with a particular interest in women’s health.

For men, you should also seek help from a physio as a first stage. Pelvic health physios should also be able to help.

There are also post-natal physios who are trained to look for this. If seeing a physio privately is an option, there is the Mummy MOT program which is a good starting point.

In person support is valuable as you are starting out exercising in order to assess your starting situation, offer exercises that are specific to you and to ensure you have correct posture and form.

However, this is not always possible. There are a number of online options that offer exercise programs. Some are free, many are paid for. Some trainers put diastasis recti specific exercises on Instagram, which you can find links to in our Support page.

Baby Center has some good information and offers some starting exercises for those with the condition.

Violet Simon has some starting exercises too.

It may be helpful to find an online peer support group to support you in your exercise journey. Some programs offer this as part of their service. Others you can find links to social media groups in our Support page.

What happens a couple of years down the road?

The correct exercises, regularly and diligently practiced, can help to reduce the size of the gap. The exercises should also strengthen the rest of your core muscles and improve abdominal function. This becomes known as a ‘functional diastasis’.

However, a subsequent pregnancy will re-open the gap. Also doing activity that opens the gap further will result in a bulging belly again. These may be surprising activities such as digging in the garden, swinging on a swing, lifting a weight with poor form, and potentially some bedroom activities! A return to the exercise program will help to reduce the gap again.