Diagnosing Diastasis

After delivery, the abdominal muscles are always loose and soft. The abdomen looks and feels like gelatin, which can be quite a shock. It is important to check the linea alba between the rectus muscles for separation, called diastasis. The opening between the muscles may be slight or so large the uterus or abdominal contents can be felt bulging through the opening.

Since a good balance must exist between back and abdominal muscles, a large diastasis eventually causes backaches (and possibly radiating leg pain) just from moving through the normal day's activities of caring for an infant or managing a full-time job at or away from home. If you make no corrective attempts to close the opening, reestablishing muscle balance and strength, you will have little support for a subsequent pregnancy. Your posture will be poor, and many aches and pains will develop, all from lack of abdominal strength.

Check for diastasis on the third or fourth day after delivery. Until this time, the area will feel too slack for you to get an indication of the state of the abdominals. Also, you will have had a few days' worth of abdominal exercises to help improve your strength.

To check for diastasis:

Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place the fingers of one hand on your abdomen covering your navel (your fingers should point toward your pubic bone). Apply firm pressure.


Inhale deeply. Then exhale slowly and at the same time lift your head and neck slowly. As you lift, you'll feel each of the rectus muscles tighten and pull toward the center (toward your fingers).


Check to see how many fingers fit in the gap. One to two finger-widths is normal and to be expected; this gradually decreases with exercise. Three to four finger-widths require special attention from you to repair and rebalance the muscles.
Don't hesitate to ask for help from your physician if you have difficulty checking your abdominals.

Correcting Diastasis
The following special exercise is very effective for closing a large diastasis. Raising just your head in this exercise ensures you work only the rectus muscles. As they become stronger, you will be able to lift your shoulders, thus working the other abdominal muscles also. It is important to strengthen the rectus muscles first, thus ensuring their stabilization and alignment as the other muscles come into play.

Repeat this special exercise often, at least 50 times a day. To speed progress, do 10 each hour you are awake. Remember to use slow, controlled movements, resting whenever you feel the need. The gap should be back to the normal 1/2-inch within a week or so. If you do fewer repetitions than those recommended above, closing the gap takes longer.

Because the other abdominal muscles are attached to the rectus muscles and because the abdominals in general are weak and out of balance, avoid the following exercises, which serve only to increase the diastasis: 1) those rotating the trunk of the body (waist twists), 2) those twisting the hips, and 3) those that cause the trunk to bend to the side (waist or side stretches).

Be sure to breathe out as you raise your head and shoulders; this prevents an increase in the intra-abdominal pressure. Increased intra-abdominal pressure just increases the diastasis, which defeats the whole purpose of the exercise and adds time to the muscle rehabilitation.

Do not let the abdominal muscles bulge. Tighten your abdomen any time you might strain.

There are many other exercises that can reduce your diastasis.