Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Diastasis Recti Exercises

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Denise Wang
Denise Wang is an experienced freelance writer and editor. She has written professionally for seven years, and is a published fiction author. She regularly provides content for health-related and elder-care websites. She is currently completing coursework for a degree in health information management from Penn Foster College.
By Denise Wang, eHow Contributor
Diastasis recti is a medical term used to describe the separation of the abdominal muscles most commonly associated with pregnancy and the child birthing process. The separation is caused by stretching of the abdomen, where the muscle fibers that make up the center front of the abdomen separate or widen. Many women believe that abdominal muscles will never regain their prepregnancy tone and strength, but post natal exercises begun approximately six weeks following childbirth can help reshape and tone the abdominal area.

  1. Diagnosing Diastasis Recti

    • Many women who experience abdominal separation notice that they not longer have the 'six-pack' abs they might have had during their prepregnancy state. To determine whether you might have this separation, like on the floor, knees bent and feet flat. One hand goes behind your head, the other placed on the abdomen, fingers parallel to the waistline and at the level of the bellybutton. The abdomen should be relaxed while you softly press the fingertips into the abdomen while at the same time performing a "crunch" sit-up type move. You should be able to feel each side of the abdominal muscle group called the rectus abdominus. For most post natal women, the space you might feel is no larger than 2-1/2 inches. If it is, or if you see a small bump at the midline, you might have a separated abdomen.

    Abdominal Reconditioning

    • Increasing core strength is vital for the recovery of abdominal strength and conditioning after pregnancy. Pilates and yoga exercises are effective and offer stability and strengthening moves that focus on the abdominal muscles that make up the trunk. During any abdominal exercise, try to suck in the ab muscles toward the spine to create optimal results. Keep the hips anchored to the floor and lift the shoulders off the floor, not just the neck, when performing any type of crunch exercise.

    Focus on the Rectus Abdominus

    • The rectus abdominus muscle is the most visible of the ab muscles, the one that gives that 'six-pack' look. The internal and external obliques run along the sides of the abdomen, while the transverse abdominus is that area where 'love handles' often appear. Working all abdominal muscles is important when regaining your prepregnancy appearance, but focus on the rectus abdominus by performing (when you've been cleared by your doctor for abdominal exercising) traditional crunch-type exercise as well as reverse crunches. A reverse crunch is performed by lying in the typical sit up or crunch position, raising the shoulders off the floor, chin tucked toward the chest, and raising bent legs off the floor and toward the chest.
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