Abdominal diastasis (AD) is an alteration of the abdominal wall that occurs when the rectus abdominis muscles separate at the level of the linea alba, a tissue located vertically in the midline of the body, leaving the central area of the weaker abdominal wall,” explains Portal Clínic.
It is estimated that up to two-thirds of women develop AD following childbirth, according to this same source.
Although we usually talk regarding “the rectus” in the plural, the rectus abdominis is considered a single muscle, with two parts, left and right, explains a physiotherapist.
The rectus muscles occupy most of the abdominal wall and run from the ribs to the top of the pubis. They are joined from top to bottom in the center of the abdomen by the linea alba, with a space of separation existing between them, which grows as the future mother’s belly increases in size.
The separation and stretching of the rectus abdominis causes AD, which can cause bulging of the abdominal wall, wrinkles in the skin, abdominal hernias and lower back pain, according to the Pelvicus Medical Center.
“Although it is not a problem exclusive to women, the most common cause of AD is usually pregnancy,” explains Gabriela Grande, a personal trainer specialized in abdominal diastasis.
Grande has created a training program and a series of effective and proven tools to solve AD and improve physically and emotionally, which she describes in her book Rectus abdominal diastasis.
Postpartum rehabilitation
“If your abdomen swells throughout the day; he feels weak; you have permanent lower back pain; pelvic floor problems (such as urine leakage or prolapse); heavy digestion or umbilical hernia, it is possible that you suffer from abdominal diastasis,” he points out.
Grande explains that his AD rehabilitation program does not focus on the rectus abdominis (the injured muscle) but on the so-called core or set of muscles that make up our natural corset, and especially in the transverse abdominis muscle.
“The transverse abdominis acts as a true natural girdle. Its main function is to contain the viscera (support the internal organs) and give stability to the spinal column,” he adds.
“A strong and functional transverse muscle manages to compensate for the malfunctioning of the rectus abdominis and reverse its consequences on an aesthetic and health level,” he points out.
He points out that “it was difficult for him to accept that to rehabilitate one muscle he had to strengthen another. He thought: if the problem is in the rectus abdominis, the solution will be there. But the transverse abdominis became the undisputed protagonist of the Diastasis Challenge.”
He explains that his program is not a conventional training of “curative” exercises, but rather it encompasses a broader therapeutic concept, based on three pillars with great transformative power (activation, breathing and posture), which “act, each one in its own way.” , on the transverse abdominis.
Guidance exercises
In an article published in the specialized magazine Sport Life, Grande describes a series of introductory exercises to strengthen the transverse abdominis muscle “highly recommended to fight abdominal diastasis.”
But he warns that reversing AD is not as simple as executing a series of “specific” exercises, but requires applying the three pillars of the Diastasis Challenge, explained in his book.
These are some of the exercises he recommends:
Exercise 1
Lie on your back, with your legs bent, raise your arms and keep your spine in a neutral position (respecting the natural curvatures of the spine). Breathe in through your nose and release it through your mouth, bring your arms back until they touch the floor. Breathe in once more through your nose, returning your arms to the starting position.
The trainer recommends performing 15 repetitions of this exercise, the objective of which is to “maintain the neutral position of your spine at all times, without the small gap that separates your lower back from the ground becoming larger or smaller.”
Exercise 2
Straighten one leg and make sure your pelvis (the triangle formed by your hip bones and pubic bone) remains parallel to the ceiling.
Breathe in through your nose and release it through your mouth, raise your straight leg a few centimeters. Breathe in through your nose, resting your leg on the ground once more.
Grande recommends performing 15 repetitions of this exercise with each leg, without making the typical mistake of “turning your hips towards the side of the leg that is straight.”
The goal is to keep the neutral position of the spine intact and achieve correct alignment of the pelvis. This means that “if I placed a tennis ball on top of his pelvis, he would have to remain still,” he explains.
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