Diastasis recti is the separation of abdominal muscles that make up the rectus abdominis. It is common during pregnancy. Your rectus abdominis is made up of two parallel bands of muscles located on either side of your torso. They are joined together by a thin strip of tissue called the Linea alba.
Diastasis recti happens when this strip of tissue is overstretched, leading to a visible bulge. While it can heal on its own, around one-third of women still have diastasis recti a year after childbirth without treatment. The good news is that you can count on diastasis recti natural treatment to help recover more quickly.
It narrows down to including a couple of core exercises in your workout regimen. Exercises that strengthen your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and pelvic muscles can help with diastasis recti. These exercises restore the normal placement of the Linea alba, which helps minimize the abdominal bulge. Let’s look at some of these core exercises.
Abdominal bracing
The thing with abdominal bracing exercise is that it activates your lateral abdominals to strengthen your core, and it does so without putting pressure on your healing rectus abdominis muscles. Once you get the hang of it, it will be better to consider engaging your core throughout the day, more so when doing things like picking up your baby or putting away groceries. The essence of doing this is to prevent your diastasis recti from getting worse.
For this exercise, you need to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your belly right above your pelvic bones and take a deep breath in. Exhale and contract your abdominals. Hold this tension for 10 seconds and then relax. Repeat 10 times for two to three sets.
Pelvic Tilt
Another widely used exercise for diastasis recti natural treatment is pelvic tilt. The exercise engages all of your core muscles without putting additional pressure on your rectus abdominis muscles. To do a pelvic tilt, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Perform an abdominal breath.
As you exhale, slightly tilt your pelvis as if you’re pushing your pubic bone up. Think about pushing your lower back and sacrum into the floor. Hold for 10 seconds. You should repeat this exercise 10 to 20 times.