Did you know there are multiple different abdominal muscles? All of these muscles help to support our abdominal cavity to keep us upright, support our trunk and help us move.
The abdominal muscles include the rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, external obliques, and internal obliques. You may have heard of the rectus abdominis. These are the classic 6-pack abs that everyone thinks about.
As the belly grows during pregnancy, all of the muscles and fascia begin to pull and stretch. Naturally the rectus abdominis muscles in the front begin to separate, thinning the tissue at midline called the linea alba to make more room for the baby. Studies have shown that this happens in nearly all women in pregnancy. So, this is typical!
Yet, we want to minimize the separation that occurs if possible and help support it.
This is where the other muscles come into play, especially the transversus abdominis and external obliques.
The transversus abdominis wraps around your body like a corset to hold everything in.
The external obliques crisscross in front to help cinch things together in the middle as well.
So we will call upon these muscles to help support the abdomen and minimize separation of the abdominals during pregnancy as well as to help restore the diastasis postpartum.
The diastasis may or may not be so apparent during pregnancy. Sometimes people will notice a doming out the front of their abdomen at midline when they do things that increase pressure. This could be something like getting up from lying down or lifting something heavy.
Afterwards the diastasis may be more apparent when the baby is no longer taking up space in the abdomen.
The width and depth of the diastasis is measured postpartum by a therapist. Both measurements are important to know because they help to determine which exercises will be best to progress forward with.
It is important to know that improving the diastasis will take time because the collagen tissue is remodeling itself to help repair the separation. So consistent effort is key over time.
Where to start:
Start with a basic core contraction lying down with your knees bent, in sitting, or on your hands and knees.
Breathe out and contract your core.
As you contract, first think about your pelvic floor (muscles on the bottom of your pelvis) lifting in the direction towards your head and your abdominal muscles knitting together in the center. You can also think about the lower ribs in the front coming down and in together.
Think about containing the abdominal pressure inward versus pushing pressure out the front or down into your pelvic floor.
Monitor your diastasis with your hands to make sure that you do not have a bulge forwards. The center of your abdomen where the diastasis is located should be firm and the abdominals should be drawing together.
Hold for 5 seconds and then relax as you breathe in.
As you get good at this, you can progress this same contraction to other positions. Try on your hands and knees if you haven’t done that. You can try in a bear crawl position, in squats, in pull-ups etc… The key is to progress incrementally and monitor for doming.
If you need help progressing with this, let us know. We are here to help you!