Pelvic Physical Therapy for Diastasis Recti

What is Diastasis Recti Abdominis?

Diastasis recti abdominis (or diastasis recti, or simply DRA) is a greater than normal separation down the middle of your rectus abdominis muscle (your “six pack” abdominal muscle). 

We think it’s important to mention here that some amount of separation between the two halves of the rectus abdominis is normal! In fact, the two halves of this muscle never touch completely, because there is a dense band of connective tissue called the linea alba that runs vertically down the middle of the rectus abdominis muscle, from the bottom of your breastbone (the sternum), to the top of your pubic bone. 

The linea alba is made of strong, resilient connective tissue. The normal width of the linea alba varies from person to person. A good rough estimate of the normal separation between the right and left sides of the rectus abdominis muscle is one to one and a half finger widths. Functionally, the linea alba links the right and left sides of the abdominal muscles and transmits the forces that are created when those muscles contract. Therefore, when your abdominal muscles contract (as when you do an abdominal crunch exercise), the linea alba should become taut and firm. If it stays soft, it’s likely that your linea alba isn’t transmitting force very effectively.

DRA happens commonly in pregnant and postpartum people. The body undergoes many changes during pregnancy, and it’s no surprise that as the baby grows, the abdominal wall stretches and protrudes forward. This stretching of the abdominal muscles and connective tissues pulls on the linea alba, causing it to widen. The stretching and widening of the linea alba is what creates DRA.

DRA is actually a normal, expected effect of pregnancy.  Research shows that 100% of people in the latter half of the third trimester of pregnancy have a DRA, 60% of people have it 6 weeks postpartum, and 39% of people still have a DRA 6 months postpartum (Mota et al., 2015). However, anyone who has difficulty managing pressures within their abdomen and pelvis, or who has an imbalance in their core stability system is at increased risk of developing DRA. Because of this, anyone is susceptible to DRA, even people who have never been pregnant and don’t have a uterus.

Fortunately, pelvic physical therapy has been shown to help with the rehabilitation of diastasis recti. Call us today at (323) 403-0234 to speak with one of our licensed and expert Pasadena physical therapists about how we can help you!