First off, what is this strange
sounding condition?
Diastasis Recti is most common among pregnant
or postpartum women. About two thirds of pregnant women have it. So why have
you never heard of it? People don’t talk about it! And hardly anyone knows that massage
therapy for diastasis recti can help.
The facts:
Diastasis Recti is a condition where the
rectus abdominis splits down the middle causing a vertical gap in the abdominal
muscles. It can cause lower back pain, constipation, and urine leaking. It can
even make it harder to breathe and to move normally.
How to treat it if you have
it:
Massage therapy for Diastasis Recti can be
very helpful to rebuild proper abdominal tone as long as you’re also working
with a physical therapist who specializes in this issue. An experienced massage
therapist can open stuck tissues that are pulling the abdominal muscles
outward. These stuck tissues are generally from previous injuries that have
left scar tissue behind. In addition to this kind of bodywork, you’ll need
physical therapy exercises to knit the torn muscles back together.
Why “ab” exercises don’t work for you
for now…
It’s counter-intuitive, but doing “ab”
exercises such as sit ups, or pilates, can often make the problem worse.
Without proper firing of the correct support muscles, these exercises often
pull outwards on the linea alba (centerline where the gap develops). This can
either increase the separation, or keep it from knitting back together.
A combination of massage and physical therapy
can speed up the healing process considerably. In most cases it will open up
the stuck tissues that would keep physical therapy exercises from working. The
synergy between the two modalities is worth way more than the sum of the parts.
Why?
Because massage therapy is an “opening”
practice. Our training is in releasing tissues that are either tight (ie
over-firing) or stuck (ie glued with scar tissue). We also work to retrain the
nervous system to allow muscles that are over-firing to relax and settle into a
balanced tone. Restrictions elsewhere in your body such as rounded shoulders,
tight hips, and misaligned ankles can all create stress on the abs and pull
them further apart. Working on opening movement in these areas will allow the
body to conversely work on closing the diastasis.
Physical
Therapy is a “closing” practice. It’s based in strengthening and tightening
muscles that are weak (ie under-firing). The repetition of certain exercises
draw blood flow to areas that need it, allowing the body to heal and
reconstruct itself.
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