Abdominal diastasis is an injury that’s produced when the rectus abdominis muscle is separated from the abdomen, as a consequence of damage of the connective tissue which normally keeps them together.
It is a functional and aesthetic problem, more common than it appears, that affects both women and men, regardless of age and whether or not they practice sports or lead a sedentary life.
It is however true that there is a certain period of time when women have more possibility of suffering diastasis and that ‘s during pregnancy. In this case, diastasis is considered to be a physiological condition, as the baby needs more space to grow.
It is estimated that in between 27% and 100% of all pregnant women suffer diastasis during the second and third trimester of pregnancy and in between 30% and 68% after giving birth. This situation may be resolved spontaneously but it can also persist for years if no correction is being made.
What happens when you have abdominal diastasis?
Even if the origin of abdominal diastasis is physiological, it is important to avoid an excessive strain of the rectus abdominis muscle, as it may cause instability in the lumbar and pelvic area, giving way to problems as common as:
- Umbilical hernia
- Lumbar pain
- Abdominal pain and bad digestion
- Pelvic floor dysfunctions such as incontinence, prolapse…
How to know if you have abdominal diastasis?
If you want to know if you have abdominal diastasis, all you have to do is visit your pelvic floor physiotherapist. He performs a manual exploration to confirm whether or not you have diastasis. The diagnosis can be complemented with an ultrasound scan of the abdominal wall.
Our abdominal wall, which is made up of the rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques and transversus abdominis, is at the core of all movement. Its function is to keep us upright and balanced and to transmit strength to the arms and legs.
If you have abdominal diastasis, any abdominal movement or effort will generate an energy leak from the abdominal wall and the capacity to withstand pressure, movement and strength won’t be optimal.
What NOT to do if you have abdominal diastasis?
The first thing you need to know, when diagnosed with diastasis, is what to avoid:
- Do not perform conventional abdominal crunches , as they will put your pelvic floor at risk, especially if it’s already weakened. If your rectus abdomini is already more separated than usual, you will only enlarge the gap.
- Get rid of constipation, which is furthermore one of the pelvic floor’s biggest enemies. For people suffering from constipation, bowel movements imply an increase of the abdominal pressure that can increase the separation of the recti even more and damage the muscles of the perineum.
- Avoid Valsalva maneuvers or making efforts holding your breath, for instance lifting weight, pushing or getting out of bed without first rolling to your side.
How to treat abdominal diastasis
The first step is to visit a physiotherapist specialized in this kind of treatment. He can advise you and accompany you through your recovery.
- The main objective is to regain abdominal functionality. You will have to work the transverse abdominal muscle, the innermost of the flat muscles of the abdomen.
- The treatment has to be combined with hypopressive crunches, if after the evaluation this option is considered adequate. This exercise will be our ally in the recovery of the abdominal functionality as it exercises the abdominal area. This exercise has benefits both on the level of the profound abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor tissues.
We will apply TecarEvolution, which will help us complement the treatment, as it increases vascularization, bringing collagen and elasticity to the tissues.
How to correct abdominal diastasis with radiofrecuency
The treatment with Capenergy’s radiofrequency devices are key in the treatment of diastasis, as it will improve the quality of the tissues uniting the two recti, making it stronger and improving its functionality. The recovery of this tissue is very important to assure the combination of exercises, correct posture, etc will have the required results.
Capenergy’s urogynecological radiofrecuency achieves a major fiber recruitment and can work more muscle volume at the same time, obtaining excellent results in very little time without the need of analgesics or suffering on behalf of the patient.
Would you like to know more about Capenergy’s radiofrecuency and how it can help correct abdominal diastasis? Request a free demo.
