Have you ever heard of diastasis recti? Diastasis recti is an enlarged gap between your abdominal muscles. Diastasis recti is common during and after pregnancy. During pregnancy, your abdominal muscles and connective tissue stretch due to your expanding uterus. Most women will experience separation during pregnancy, which can weaken your core and lead to back or pelvic pain. Although it is often associated with pregnancy, diastasis recti can also occur in newborns and men. In some cases, diastasis recti can be the result of improper lifting of heavy weights or performing inadequate abdominal exercises.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DIASTASIS?

• Visible abdominal protrusion or bulge, particularly noticeable during activities that increase intra-abdominal pressure, such as straining or engaging the abdominal muscles
• Lumbopelvic pain, including lower back pain and pelvic discomfort
• Postural instability or poor postural alignment
• Abdominal bloating or distension, often associated with core muscle dysfunction

WHAT TO DO?

For diastasis recti, we do a combination of DNS and NKT.

With the NKT technique, we engage the deep core muscles, and with the DNS technique, we strengthen them (read more about the techniques here). Doing only abdominal breathing, planks, and other variations of strengthening the abdominal muscles will not be enough because the muscles are neurologically disconnected due to childbirth or other reasons, which is why they need to be engaged and only then strengthened.